Hooray for geeks!

DS2 and I passed our red tip tests last night which means that we will get our gold belts at the belt promotion night next week. Woo hoo us! DS1 will test for a black tip next week, which means that he is halfway to his gold belt. He started a month later, but I can already see him a bit grumpy that DS2 will get gold before him. Now how to keep him from getting discouraged...

My teacher said that ours was the most aggressive group or white belts he remembered - we sweated, we shouted, none of us made any mistakes when testing, and we submitted - mostly cheerfully - to the push ups*. I have to say that some of that is due to the boys that I have referred to (affectionately, I swear!) as the Geek Boys.

(*The push ups: Usually, for kids, they make them do twice their age when they are promoting to a new belt. For those over 30, we have to do 30. Ms. P, the black belt administrative person suggested that those under 30 do twice their age, those over do half. K, who was moving from gold to orange belt said she turns 30 in 2 weeks. She was assigned 58 push-ups, though our instructor told her to "only" do 30. Her husband, who is just a few weeks behind wasn't testing for a belt, so was down beside her harassing her like a drill sergeant, shouting. She was threatening him with retribution. I only had to do 19, so I told her I'd do some of hers and did 30 instead. I love my class. We're mean, we're tough, and we always end up laughing about something. But I digress.)

There are a few in our class, but the set of 3 brothers spring to mind. The oldest (somewhere around 18 to 20) takes it seriously, yes. The youngest takes it seriously, but is young (15, I am guessing) and pretty shy and sits hunched over. The middle boy, about 18 years old, though... I pause to reflect on how to put it. That boy is INTO it. He crouches, he fades, he jabs, he's the loudest, the fastest, the first - and only - to volunteer to have the instructor throw him on his butt, the..... watched-too-many-movies-est.

But even those of us who thought we would be shy have no way of feeling silly, when J is out there being totally unembarrassed by his dedication - and he's learning all the moves with vigor. I have been embarrassed FOR him a few times, I have to admit. He is calming down a bit (though he bellowed out "Sir! Yes, Sir!" to the instructor last night. We all chuckled and I said it's not the Marines, and the instructor said he spent 20 years in the military already and didn't need to be reminded.) and the rest of us are enthusiastically shouting out our moves and our "kiiii-ya!"

So let's hear it for those who keep their head in the game.

Hooray for geek boys!