Last Li'l Dragon Testing

Katie, or I should spell it "Katy" as it is her current preference, had a tae kwon do belting testing yesterday and she did phenomenal. She was loud, strong and in control. One thing Rick noticed and I have been noticing is the look on her face is matching her strength. She looks tough, almost scary. Anyway, at the testing she was required to break two boards. One she had to break with the heal of her hand and did so in one smack. The look on her face after she broke that board was precious. She had not previously broke a board with a hand motion and by her look she was obviously surprised and pleased with her accomplishment. I was too busy with the video camera, so I don't have a still shot. For the other board, she was required to do a reverse side kick. BAM! one kick and the board snapped in half. So with the board breaking exercises completed, she completed her tenure as a Li'l Dragon. She is now a 3rd Degree Red belt which means she has to move up to the big kids' class. You cannot, regardless of your age, be a 3rd Degree Red belt and be a Li'l Dragon. It was a little sad to attend her last Li'l Dragon belt testing. She was just an itty-bitty 3 year old when she started tae kwon do. It is one of those situations where I am reminded that the days are long but the years are short. Looking to the future, her next belt testing will be for her recommend black belt. I cannot express how incredibly proud I am of her. She has the physical skills, but also the mental skills that are taught in tae kwon do. A few weeks back she was kicked on the playground and when we questioned why she didn't kick back she replied, "Because kicking is wrong in school and I didn't want to hurt them." She knows to use tae kwon do for good; to use your voice first and then kick. However, she has been told for years how powerful her kicks are and she had the presence of mind to think, "If I kick them I'll break their ribs or their nose and send them flying." She knew she could do serious damage and chose not to. I am very proud of her for that too. Anyway, here is one of the only pictures that I took during the testing.

She looks a little disheveled, but this is at the end of testing. The two boards that she broke are stacked up in front of her. The badges up her leg are academic badges that she received for report cards with all A's. Six are for 1st grade where she was an all-A student the whole year and the 7th she just got this week for her first report card in 2nd grade, all A's.

Ciao to my Li'l Dragon.