A/N: For anyone that also does Taekwondo, you might have noticed that black belts are with the others here. That's not how it happens for me, but it made sense for the purposes of this fanfiction. Also, this chapter may be boring. I'm not all that inspired recently.
This is pretty cool stuff. Mom and Dad enrolled the boys in Taekwondo a few years ago. We're here for a belt graduation ceremony, but I'm not entirely sure how these ranks go. This is my first time seeing one. I've been busy with law school, but I just passed the bar and have a little free time until I move up near work.
Obviously, it starts with white belts. They seemed pretty happy up there, kicking and punching in unison. They got these yellow-gold colored belts. Then, the old yellow-gold people did the same thing a little bit more in unison and better looking. They got orange belts. Some little kids in white belts with gold and orange stripes got up there and started to do a lot of the same things as the white and yellow-gold's did. I'm thinking this is the under six class Liam started in, because little Shawn McNab was up there. Uncle Buzz was with the gold belts. He decided to join with Shawn, because Cameron and Benji joined earlier. Shawn is five, and the littlest of all my "cousins." The orange, green, purple, and blue belts got up there and did some sort of dance with punches and kicks. Then the orange belts stepped back, and the others did another dance. Then the greens did the same thing, then the purples; you get the idea. Then they all received green, purple, blue, and blue with a black stripe. This is where I'm confused. The next people to come out had on blue and red belts with and without stripes. I'm not sure who is highest. I know the blue with black stripe belted people are the bottom. I'm pretty sure that after that, it's the red with white belts, then solid reds, then the red with black stripes. They're doing a lot of dances, too, along with some other things. Lucas is with them. He's not very disciplined, so he's only made it to red with a white stripe over the past three years. He seems to be actually trying, now, though. I think he realized how cool it would be to become a black belt before high school. My "cousin" is one of them, too. His name is Gus, and he's a solid red. He and Luke are both here because Aunt Abby and Mom decided it might help them learn discipline. Gus learned it a little faster. Jeff and Jason, Gus' little brothers, are cheering pretty loudly a few seats down from me.
They're receiving their next belts, so now I understand. There is no one in a blue belt left on the stage, but now there are a few in brown belts with a white stripe. Speaking of brown belts, a lot of them just filed onto the stage. Browns with a white stripe, browns, and browns with a green stripe. They're doing the same kind of stuff, but their dances are really long. It can't be easy to have memorized all of that. Chris and Cameron are up there. They're both brown belts. Well, now they've progressed to brown greens. My girlfriend is cheering like crazy next to me; Chris is her little brother. The belts coming on now are brown with a red stripe, brown with a black stripe, and white with a brown stripe. The whites with a brown stripe aren't all small children, though, so it must mean something else.
"The prep cycle belts. They have to put in a lot of work. They're going to be receiving conditional 1st degree black belts, which is what Liam is."
Well, that explains that. Thank God for Lil's need to explain things to her new boyfriend.
Lavender and Leroy are among them. They're my cousins. Lavender is the same age as Luke, but they're not very similar. Uncle Gus was going to enroll them all, but Lawson didn't want anything to do with it. He's sitting near the front with Aunt Lauren, and taking pictures while she films. She does it for the Academy for free so that they can post pictures and clips online. Leroy is 10, and both of my cousins are excited to be getting their prep cycle belts. If what Lilly says is any indication, though, it won't be easy.
The conditionals are coming on stage. Liam is smiling brightly, as is Benji. Ben is seven, and he and his little brother are the only ones around Liam's age. Ben and Liam worked really hard to get to where they are, so they have every right to be proud. They looked like some of, if not the, youngest ones up there. Most of the kids look to be around 8 - 10. I think it's pretty crazy to see such little kids doing what they're doing. There are a few adults up there, but most of them are kids.
They're receiving their black belts! After this, they get to come sit and watch the higher black belts perform. Some are going up a progress level according to Lilly. Those who are working toward their second degrees have a colored stripe indicative of their progress level. After that, we will watch the second degree students, and some of the instructors and masters. I'm told the grand master, who is not preforming, is an eighth dan black belt. I'm fairly certain that means eighth degree.
They've all come to sit, so it's time to relax and enjoy the black belts.