National Kyu Grading of 13/12/09 Review

Sun 13/12/09 MAA HQ Dojo

10.00am. Dojo already packed full of people apart from the 50 candidates. There were a couple of visitors, family members and spouses of the candidates and some parents accompanied their children to the dojo.

Grading in progressLooking at the grading list all the kyu applications from 5th kyu to 1st kyu were represented. The biggest group was from the 5th kyu candidates numbering about 20 people. MMU Melaka candidates constituted the bulk of the candidates from the 5th kyu group. From my group only IH from Semenyih Dojo was entered for the 5th kyu test.

Low Sensei asked me to conduct the 5th kyu tests while waiting for Dr Leong Sensei and Tony Sensei to come by. About mid-way through the grading Dr Leong Sensei walked into the dojo followed by Tony sensei a little later.

By the time the 1st kyu test concluded it was already half past one in the afternoon. After the grading review by Low Sensei all of us bowed out and the students then started to leave the premises in batches.

All the candidates did well under their respective categories except the 3rd kyu and the 1st kyu groups. But after close consultations among the 4 senseis a unanimous decision was taken to pass them with the condition that they would have to attend corrective classes to be conducted by the senseis in their home dojos.

While the students were busy walking down the staircase the 4 senseis were busy huddled inside the cage to conduct the last business of the day: NTTC meeting and planning for next year's MAA activities.A lot of time I think MAA matters are similar to house keeping work. Ask any full time homemaker and he/she will tell you that house keeping work is an endless task and never get done. Fortunately the 4 senseis were able plan next year's seminars and wrap up the last business of the day within 15 minutes.

After collecting the kyu certificates on behalf of INTi for the previous grading from Low Sensei I too made my departure from the dojo.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the successful candidates who had passed their tests.

After all is said and done I just wonder if anybody noticed a large group of about 20 youngsters who were from another state outside the Klang Valley attending the grading.

This particular group of outstation candidates showed their true mettle, fighting spirit and commitment to the art and their sensei by traveling all the way from Melaka to grade. This group comprised of students from MMU Melaka and they told me that in order to make the trip to KL they had to get up at 5am in their campus to catch the 6am bus in Melaka. On arrival in KL they had to transit by other buses and LRT to get to the dojo. After the grading they had to make the long and tiring return trip back to their Melaka campus by the reverse process. Congratulation to this group. All their efforts are not in vain as all of them had passed their tests in their respective categories.