Michael gets closer

Last night at karate Michael got a small amount closer to an answer on testing. While talking to his karate instructor he was told to disregard what he was told at advanced training about the mandatory wait. As I thought, this is a suggestion and though few are able to deviate from this time frame and actually pass the test, it is not an actual rule . Michael's sensei will make some calls and Michael will probably have to sign up for a pretest at the April advanced training in Columbus . I have been asked why it is so important for Michael to try to break all the norms and advance so fast. Some have even suggested that Mike and I push him too hard and should back off and let him just be an average kid. To these people ,who I am sure mean well, I sometimes just walk away, figuring that I really don't owe anyone an explanation. However, to many I do explain. Michael started Shotokan karate at the age of five with a very real goal. My little brother Curtis was a black belt at the time and held the record for the youngest at thirteen to receive a Shotokan black belt in the United States. Michael has always looked up to Curtis and made it clear from the beginning that his goal was to earn a black belt before he was thirteen, breaking Curt's record. Michael took this seriously and worked hard. Michael had many set backs as his first Sensei closed the school . This doesn't seem like a big deal to many but ShotoKan schools in the US are few and far between. Many US karate schools are Americanized and geared towards profit as opposed to mastery of a martial art. Michael spent a year working by himself with an occasional lesson from Curt when he could fit him in between school, work , and his busy life. After a year, We were thrilled to find another ISKF school. I should have been discouraged from this school when I seen the hefty tuition prices along with a contract that I needed to sign but we jumped in. A year later when our contract was over Michael was without a school again. Mike and I talked and decided that the closest school where Michael would have a shot at ever receiving a black belt ( let alone make his goal) was almost an hour's drive. We decided to dedicate ourselves to this for him . Three days a week for a year I drove him. he finally received his final brown belt and started a years wait for his test. His goal looked impossible as his year would not be up until a month after his thirteenth birthday. Michael did not give up though. He kept doing his best and won first place in Kata ( form ) and Kumite (fighting ) at our region's yearly tournament. Upon seeing this exceptional performance the head of our region asked him and his sensei when he was testing for his black belt. They explained the situation and Michael was granted the OK to test. His goal was made against the odds ! After this achievement we encouraged Michael to relax a bit before he trained intensely for his Nidan ( second degree black belt ) but he said his new goal was to pass Curt's rank. ( Curt is now a Nidan) We thought this may be too much friendly competition at first but then Michael explained, He wants to receive a college scholarship and his ultimate goal is to be on the US Olympic team some day. If he breaks all the records now as a young teenager, his goals and dreams will have a better chance at becoming reality. Michael knows that these are his goals and that he can change them if he wishes, but for now he is doing his absolute best at what he loves !