Cambridge Tang Soo Do would like to thank Master Molitano for attending our Spring 2007 Gup testing. The students who have successfully completed the test are:
| Sheraz Choudhary | 2nd Gup |
| Angelika Fretzen | 2nd Gup |
| Colin South | 8th Gup |
| Isabel Kunkle | 8th Gup |
| Lance Martin | 8th Gup |
| Daniel Maibor | 8th Gup |
| Jason Green | 8th Gup |
| Scott Bae | 8th Gup |
We would also like to welcome the following new student
| Jessica Xie |
“I quit” are two words we hear more often today. Some even say we are living in an age of quitters. Sticking to a job we don’t like can be tough, and on the same token trying something new requires patience and discipline. But perseverance has many rewards. Romans 5:3-4 says: “Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope”.
Obstacle causes panic – and that is why we quit and run away. Sometimes the whole task looks overwhelming, like climbing the Mt. Everest or writing a book, but if we take our task in small doses, it is never as threatening.
Perseverance does take discipline and we learn best from our own mistakes, especially when we fail. Remember, we always have the option to try again. As one says, “roughing it” is often the best way to learn; it is a way of testing out our independence. Analyzing why you feel a certain way should help you decide whether to go on or to quit. However, make sure you go the extra mile, because there is nothing more exhilarating as finishing a job or getting through a difficult time and telling someone that you made it. Don’t quit. Champions never quit!
Cambridge Tang Soo Do would like congratulate the following students for successfully completing the 2006 winter testing cycle:
| Kosta Livitisky | 2nd Gup |
| Richard Heppner | 3rd Gup |
| Satyan Shad | 7th Gup |
| Lance Martin | 9th Gup |
| Daniel Maibor | 9th Gup |
| Jason Green | 9th Gup |
| Keith Thoresz | 9th Gup |
| Mark Gerlovin | 9th Gup |
A warm welcome to the following students who have decided to start their journey in the Martial Arts at Cambridge Tang Soo Do:
| Jason Green |
| Keith Thoresz |
| Mark Gerlovin |
| Danielle Martin |
Sah Bum Nim Klacko,
Recently, I read the posting on the class website entitled, “The Road to Hana.” I am about to begin practicing a new style of martial arts for the sixth time. These styles include Kenpo, Kyokushinkai, American kickboxing, Shotokan, Tang Soo Do, and now, Shito-Ryu karate to compete for my university. That is six times I have returned to the beginning to wear the white belt; I daresay I’ve become quite familiar with the process.
When I was a kid, I must admit I was very much absorbed in the glamour of promotions and the attainment of a new colored belt. The ranking hierarchy feeds the ego. The whole “I’m a second degree (insert your favorite color here)” provides the student with a way to gauge ability amongst other students, and even an opportunity to brag amongst peers. It’s pretty obvious that many contemporary martial arts ranking systems are now structured to cater to many students’ needs for constant reinforcement and gratification with a new belt. I would argue that the true reward, improvement in self-discipline, technique, speed, timing, and accuracy, are often lost on the student who strives primarily for that next stripe – one step closer to the “be all, end all Black Belt,” as it were. It’s an unfortunate mentality, but one I have admittedly endorsed in the past.
It has been a long struggle and a hard lesson to learn over the past 16 years I’ve practiced martial arts: the white belt never comes off. No matter how many styles I learn or how many colored belts I’ve earned, at heart, the student must be patient and humble enough to return to the beginning. That front stance can always be lower, the reverse punch faster, the sidekick higher, the hyung more fluid, in martial arts there is an endless pursuit. Indeed, as you describe the road to Hana, the true lesson is in the journey and not the belt itself. Thank you for the posting on the website, it has given me much encouragement as I start to practice Shito-Ryu.
Tang Soo!
Garrett