Roo roo! It's the tournament! Part 2

Well, sorry for the wait. Much has gone on and it's been hard to sit down. Now that I am suffering from insomnia, here I am to finish.

I spent a lot of time on the bleachers this year as I was a black belt. I think this was more of an experience for Batta and Spam. Although I was busy judging for most of their competition, I did manage to see some of it. Batta did not drop his tonfa (woohoo!) and even got a compliment on his, er, my kata. Batta and Spam met a kid who thought he was Jesus, so from now on he will be referred to as such. Jesus apparently is well-versed in competition, having been around the world, so good at sparring, yadda yadda *yawn*. It is important to note Jesus didn't do much of anything.

There is always interesting people at the tourney. One of them was Naginata Girl, who this year brought nunchaku instead and placed fourth out of fifth. Must be getting into that 15-17 year old age group where people actually start having talent that got her- not her shity weapons skills, or anything. The two brownies I met last year were back in the same category- it must take a hell of a lot to get promoted to black belt at their school. They swept their rank. They also were thrown in with Batta at weapons, to which I was like "c'mon." But, that's what happens at a small tourney.

So it was extremely hot by the time black belt stuff started. I noticed that there was 2 women doing empty hand kata- one of them Bailout. I jumped in because...hey, it's a guaranteed medal. As I told Benevolent Matriarch/Dictator, I would be happy with a 5th place gumball. I truthfully did not know what kata I was doing to do as I even got up there before the judges. I selected Empi at the last second- the highest level kata I knew that I could do without royally fucking it up. No surprise, I got third, but the funny thing about it? I only scored a tenth behind Bailout, who sucked up Head Sensei's valuable time for weeks doing a kata that was too hard for her, and I pulled my kata completely out of my ass. Seriously, if I had actually worked that kata? The other girl won with a kata she'd obviously done before in competition.

Head Sensei and I talked about people like that- who do one kata for competition always. This is one instance I disagree with him. While I don't think it allows you to grow at all as a martial artist, for the purpose of competition when you rarely compete in the first place I don't think it'll kill ANYBODY to repeat a kata you did last year. I did, and I did well. For the little brats, I don't think they need new katas every year. They just cram and then forget it as soon as the competition's done. Yuck.

Enough rank. The next thing up was weapons. Bailout did what she is known best for and bailed out of the division. She claimed "trauma from last year", but I claim "I didn't practice it until right before the tournament." So it was me, same other girl who won, and the Benevolent Matriarch/Dictator. The same girl did a sai kata that was a mess, but still good. I did my eku kata. I saw out of the corner of my eye several black belts looking in wonder and horror- this is, by the way, the new kata needed for third Dan. But I digress. A lot of people (including a couple judges) were like "what the hell is that?". One of our blackbelts from another school looked at my oar and told me it was too light, which he is right. I would like an oar from Shureido...and maybe I'll get one eventually, when I can sell a kidney. I did alright- I finished it, which is a compliment in itself. And then B.M./D did tonfa and kicked both our asses. Thene there was a hold up with the scores, and we were all thinking the same thing "Please God, it's too hot for a tie breaking round! We'll share a gumball or something, just please don't make us do it again!" I got a silver, which I will gladly have.

After that, everyone was pretty strung out. We went out to eat and a sketchy diner and then many the journey home. A very slow journey home. In a hot car. With a whiny sister. And Oar.