As many of you know, Paul has been taking Tae Kwon Do for eight months now, and I’ve been training with him for the last six months. Two months ago, Steph also joined us, making the practice of martial arts a family affair for us.
Steph’s commitment has been amazing, especially since the beginning of her journey hasn’t been easy. With bad hips and a bad knee, she found herself unintentionally on the floor several times, but she maintained her “yes I can” attitude and continued to train with the support and expert advice of her physical therapist. Two months after she began, all three of us went through testing last week to advance in rank.
I need to mention the instructors and staff at Victory Martial Arts - Summerlin. Without them, this journey toward black belt wouldn’t be possible for Steph or I. Our son is young and strong, and like most kids, he’ll try anything with a little encouragement. His mind is sharp and his body is able. Training is to do something new is always challenging, but his body adapts and grows stronger. Steph and I “enjoy” all the challenges of middle age, along with a few additional permanent bumps and bruises that always try to assert themselves. The instructors at Victory Summerlin willingly accommodate us, always adjusting the training to allow older bodies the chance to grow strong and more able. Somehow they do this without making things easier or cutting things out that others are expected to do. Then when testing comes, we find ourselves accepting the challenge to do the forms and break the boards just like the young men and women! Mr. DeSmith, Mr. Guerrero, Mr. Scott, Mrs. Garretson and Miss Bivens: you inspire us, you keep us motivated, you train us hard, and because of you, we succeed.
Our instructors are like family, but there are others in our Victory family too. Paul has a wonderful circle of friends he trains with: some ahead of him in the program, some at the same level, and some coming up behind him. These young men and women are amazing, and it’s a pleasure to watch them all grow together. He also goes to school and church with some of these kids, making this circle of friends a part of his whole life. The same is true for Steph and I as we’ve become close with several of the parents, many of whom have also joined their kids on the training mat (and adding to the ranks of what several of us at Victory, with tongue in cheek, call the “Senior Division”). We struggle and sweat together in training, encourage each other and our kids, and love it when we find ourselves doing things we weren’t sure we could. Then we socialize and celebrate together. There are too many to call out here, but we love each and every one of you!
So the recent testing week was special for us. After all three of us successfully tested, we sat together as a family and were called up to receive our new belts. Then we stood in a circle of three, with a hand on the ends of each other’s belts, and at the appropriate time, we all pulled and tied our new belts on together as a family.
The journey continues now as Steph works toward replacing her orange belt with yellow, and Paul and I do the same, hoping to replace our cammo belts with green. Yes we can!
It’s great to be a dad!
