“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
Words can't begin to express how proud we are of Noah for achieving his black belt. When he first started we realized he had an aptitude for it but to stick with it for 3+ years was all on him. I remember when he made the jump from the little kid class to the junior class and the trepidation he showed. I really thought he may give up on it, but I remember the third time he went to the class with mostly teenagers and suddenly his confidence came through and he fit right in.
During his training as a recommended black belt the past 6 months he had to master all 9 lower belt forms but the biggest anxiety was he had to demonstrate 2 successful board breaks. At one midterm, a boy 2 years older than Noah was testing for his black belt and failed to break his second board. I remember Jenna and I watching in horror as the boy sat on the mat with tears pouring down his face. Our anxiety grew as we got closer and closer, but not Noah's. He was unflappable.
When I picked Noah up from school the day of black belt testing he was fired up. At school that day he earned a show and tell the following Monday. He was excited because he'd be able to show off his black belt. We did our best to present him with possibility he may fail the test without hurting his confidence going into it. He just shrugged it off and had decided he was passing no matter what.
True to form, he rocked his form demonstration. He has always had excellent technique in his forms at every graduation and midterm he's ever taken. I don't say that as his father, but as the adult standing next to him after instructor after instructor and parent after parent came to him after graduations and told him how much fun he was to watch. Then came sparring, which is probably his weakest area. He doesn't win many matches because he doesn't counter well, but he also never loses because he is a defensive machine. He's like trying to hit a fly with a chopstick.
Then the moment of the board breaks came. The students testing for black belt were given their boards and sat away from the students mid-terming. Then my most proud moment came. I was going to be proud no matter what and I wasn't proud for the reasons you assume. I was proud because up to this point in his 8+ years on this earth, this was probably Noah's biggest moment in the spotlight. 3 years of work was coming down to this moment and he had 10 family members, 7 of whom drove a long way, there holding their collective breath. I was proud because when the spotlight shone on him, he did what Noah always does. He volunteered to go first. If he has one trait now that I pray sticks with him for his entire life it's his willingness to do whatever he's asked, in front of whoever is there, whenever you ask him.
Of course, going first was great for us because we didn't have any more time to worry. It was go time. He lined the boards where he wanted them held, asked permission to be a badass, and then snapped both boards like they weren't there.
Joy. Relief. Pride. It was a flood as Jenna and I looked at each other and could finally breath. The last of the story was when he was actually belted. The passing students were asked to say a few words. Like always he didn't hesitate and stepped forward.
