It was the fall of 2002, and I was waiting for my mother to get out of her teacher meeting. I was bored and there was nothing to do except do my homework. But as a young 3rd grader, I did not want to do homework when I have been sitting in class all day long. A couple of weeks later, Sensei Ray Rice came to the school to teach an afterschool karate program. I joined because it gave me something to do after school. I remember seeing Sensei Ray Rice's 7th degree black belt and thinking it was so amazing. I asked him if I could have it after he got promoted to 8th degree and he told me that "I would have to earn it." Those words inspired me to becoming a martial artist.
As weeks went by, I and a few other students did not have the uniform that practitioners of martial arts wear. The uniform of a beginner consists of a white gi and a white belt. I wanted one so bad so I could be like all the other students, and not stick out like a sore thumb. I remember thinking highly of those who had the uniform looked so cool and were going to become black belts. Later in life I found out that my parents did not have the money to buy me a uniform so for a couple of weeks I wore my physical education uniform.
Like many classes before, I came to class in my physical education uniform ready and eager to learn more karate. But this class would not be an ordinary class. At the beginning of the class, Sensei Ray came up to me and handed me my first gi and white belt with one yellow stripe on it. I was amazed, shocked, excited, and thinking to myself "why do I get a uniform for free, where as other students had to pay for theirs?"
During the lessons, Sensei Ray told us that to get promoted to the next level of yellow belt, we would have to learn all the basics of white belt and earn stripes. That yellow stripe that came on my belt meant that I had learned my four basic stances that would be the foundations of this martial art. In that same class, I obtained my second yellow strip, which meant that I could perform my line drill which consists of punches, kicks, and elbow strikes with little to none mistakes at all.
A couple weeks later, I was promoted to Junior Yellow Belt, which is a belt that is half yellow and half white. It was so cool, and I felt accomplished and on top of the world after getting that belt. Sadly to my knowledge this does not mean I was a yellow belt yet. I was merely stuck in the middle. I had to learn my kata. A kata is somewhat of a dance that is to simulate one defending and attacking against aggressors. After learning my kata, I received my red strip that went on my Jr. Yellow Belt. After gaining that stripe, I was ready to be promoted to Yellow Belt. In the winter of 2003, I achieved the rank of Yellow Belt. This quest of becoming a yellow belt was only possible because Sensei Ray, believed in me. He told me when he handed me my first uniform he said "I see a lot of potential in you." That firm belief in me would propel me into becoming a black belt and beyond in the future.
