80-years-young Judoka promoted

[Bill Mattocks]

Neat story!

http://www.somdnews.com/stories/04302010/reccov141248_32211.shtml

Not all things in life are expected. So it was for 80-year-old William Chaney of Dunkirk when he experienced a "Seiten no Hekireki" — a Japanese phrase meaning total shock — when he recently was granted a surprise promotion to the rank of fourth degree black belt, or Yodan, in Judo.

Inspirational!

Chaney is a modest man, Coffman said, who wouldn't have filed the paperwork for his promotion on his own. So Coffman and some of the Judo students decided to do it for him. Coffman wrote the letter to Shufu Yudanshakai (The United States Judo Federation), collected signatures from several of Chaney's students, and mailed the letter January 18, 2010. From that point, it only took a few months for Chaney's promotion to come through.
Coffman said everyone knew Chaney deserved the promotion.
"[Chaney] is dedicated to the sport and his students and is a very even-keeled man." Chaney continued teaching, Coffman said, despite health problems such as a hip replacement and cancer diagnosis. Chaney "still gets out on the mat and spars with the youngsters," Coffman said in the letter to Shufu Yudanshakai.

"I will stop when I'm too old to move."

 

[Blade96]

I got a newfoundland newspaper article of Newfoundland shotokanka who got his black belt at age 80.

but a 4th degree BB at age 80 - Saweeeeet. :angel: