There have been ups and downs and injuries and improvements, and I'll get to those in time. The biggest thing that happened in my last year of training occurred on June 15, 2013 at Robot Fight & Fitness:
That's right! This panicky white belt got her blue belt from Tim Peterson and Giva Santana! I was honestly shocked, and had stopped worrying about it ages ago. I don't roll for recognition or accolades. I roll for fun. If I'm not having fun, I'm not doing it right. Having fun doesn't mean winning. It means learning and figuring out the puzzle and feeling the pieces in my brain click together with my body -- even if the moment that happens is right when I realize I've made a mistake and I'm about to get tapped.
I'm still processing the promotion. Nothing has really changed for me, though I do notice that my training partners feel more comfortable going hard with me and that white belts seem to directly ask me for advice. I did, however, finally come to some understanding of that old saying "a black belt is a white belt who never stopped training." I'm not the biggest or the best, and I don't get many submissions, but I've put in my time and I have learned things. I'll keep learning, I'll keep training, and I'll keep having fun. And someday, the blue will be black.
OSSS!!!
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