Congrats to "cdhall"

[Kirk]

Congrats to "cdhall" who got promoted to 2nd Brown this
weekend at the Texas Spirit Camp. I saw him after his test
and boyyyyyy was he run through the wringer!!!!
Congratulations guy!!!!!!

 

[cdhall]

Originally posted by Kirk

Congrats to "cdhall" who got promoted to 2nd Brown this
weekend at the Texas Spirit Camp. I saw him after his test
and boyyyyyy was he run through the wringer!!!!
Congratulations guy!!!!!!

Thank you. I figured it out. I only get promoted when Bush is President.

My last test (and promotion, I have not failed on yet... by the Grace of God) was Aug 1, 1991. Two days before my son was born.

This test puts me into the the EPAK lineage in my opinion as my last test was in Chinese Kenpo which was not strictly EPAK.

I consider Oct 12/13 my EPAK birthday sort of as Mr. White, Mr. Trejo and Mr. Duffy brought me into the lineage with this promotion. And Mr. Conatser gave me his "blessing" as well during the ceremony even though he was not on the "board" per se. I think it might be difficult for me to overestimate his influence on this event, but I already feel tied to him as he brought Mr. Duffy over to Mr. Parker in the first place.

Forgive me but I get both analytical and sentimental sometimes.

This was truly a monumental event for me. I think Mr. Duffy has been looking at me closely for about a year. This promotion is the start of my push for Black Belt and there were times in the past that I didn't think that was ever going to get rolling.

 

[Zoran]

Congrats:asian:

 

[Michael Billings]

Congratulations and glad you got to do it at camp. Now the fun begins. It was long overdue and now you can look forward to new material and sophistication. Yee-haa!!

Did you sneak in a test a month early? Or was that my imagination that you were planning on testing next month? It is always better at camp. Sometimes harder with more eyes .... but this can also be easier than a test with Mr. Duffy as the only Panel Member. I am sure you did well!

Congrats again & Oos,
-Michael
UKS-Texas

 

[cdhall]

Originally posted by Michael Billings

Congratulations and glad you got to do it at camp. Now the fun begins. It was long overdue and now you can look forward to new material and sophistication. Yee-haa!!

Did you sneak in a test a month early? Or was that my imagination that you were planning on testing next month? It is always better at camp. Sometimes harder with more eyes .... but this can also be easier than a test with Mr. Duffy as the only Panel Member. I am sure you did well!

Congrats again & Oos,
-Michael
UKS-Texas

Thank you, sir.
As I said somewhere else (maybe the "To Cdhall" thread) I think I am fated to test only when Bush is President, so I am optimistic that I can get to Black within 2 years.
And it did sort of slip in a month early... "Whoops" is right!
I think I mentioned some of this in an email to someone earlier but I'll go ahead and repeat part of it here.

Last week Mr. Conatser threatened to test me at camp, but I was not ready. I had just been to the Dr. last week and among other things I was 13lbs heavier than I was prior to the last test I was aiming toward in April. So I called Mr. Duffy Tues or Wed before camp and confirmed that in fact he did not plan to test me and I asked again if I could try for Nov 8th, my birthday. So I get to camp late on Sat, and shortly thereafter I am pulled from Mr. Conatser's class and told that I am testing.

Absolute, complete and total surprise.

I felt no pressure at all really since I expected that I might fail this one. I just didn't want to do anything outright stupid in front of Mr. Trejo and Mr. White and I especially hoped that I would not let Mr. White down because he had been friendly toward me in the past. I had not really been around Mr. Trejo much. So, oddly enough, I think I was more relaxed than I might have been had I thought I was ready to test. Funny how that works that way.

I also think the pressure is on now for me to get into high gear and test for Black next year at camp. So here we go...:karate:

 

[Kirk]

So did you find out what changed Mr Duffy's mind? Why did
he feel you weren't ready, then suddenly feel you were? I
met a blue belt at camp that said she'd been a student for 9
years, and a purple belt that said she'd been a student for 6
years. I thought, wow, Mr Duffy sounds STRICT! No harm
intended in my asking ... what's the deal there?

 

[stapper]

Congrats, Doug. Inertia is a harsh law, isn't it?

Take Care

Steve

 

[tshadowchaser]

May I add my congratulations also..
It sounds as if you have worked verry long and hard to get that rank.
Shadow:asian:

 

[cdhall]

Originally posted by Kirk

So did you find out what changed Mr Duffy's mind? Why did
he feel you weren't ready, then suddenly feel you were? I
met a blue belt at camp that said she'd been a student for 9
years, and a purple belt that said she'd been a student for 6
years. I thought, wow, Mr Duffy sounds STRICT! No harm
intended in my asking ... what's the deal there?

I think I know what changed Mr. Duffy's mind, but I can't say publicly for another 50 years.

The short story is that Mr. Duffy is strict and if you don't go to class regularly, he might even be more strict...

I have almost always lived 30mins away. I even moved back to SA once and still went 80miles to Austin for a periodic class, but although I joined him in 1991, I was very busy with 1-2 jobs plus college until 95 when I moved to San Antonio before returning to Austin in 1997. And then for a while after that I was working like 11-8pm in Tech Support and I could not go to class. So I really have only been "eligible" to go to class like a student since '98ish and of course by then I was sort of "The Phantom of the Dojo" anyway. :wink:

The coolest thing about your observation is that Mr. Duffy is so proficient, so knowledgeable, and such a good teacher that someone would hang around for 9 or 11 years just to get one promotion.

I could have stayed in my old system when I moved in 1991 and I would probably be a 4th Black by now, but I wanted to go check out Mr. Parker's stuff and Mr. Duffy was very good... and so I stayed with that.

I bet the other students are some of the old timers who have also moved a bit but have not wanted to "quit" either.

If I could use all these points to make Brownies I'd probably put Aunt Annies Pretzels and Famous Amos both out of business. :rofl:

But it is all true. You could tell by the people that came to camp that I'm not the only one who thinks he's OK. By the way, Mr. White said at the "campfire" that the Homecoming Video was "well done" and I think he said he used it for sort of a scrapbook himself (shameless plug, but true story).

I could have left a long time ago and done something else but this is just where I wanted to get my Kenpo from even though it was no easy by any stretch of the imagination.

And besides that, he and I personally get along pretty well and I like him. If that weren't also true, I might have left by now.
:asian:

 

[jfarnsworth]

Congratulations. Fine job.
Jason Farnsworth

 

[jeffkyle]

Good Job Doug. Life is just full of little surprises, isn't it.

 

[Sigung86]

Congratulations CD!!! :asian: :asian: :asian:

Dan

 

[RCastillo]

Originally posted by Kirk

Congrats to "cdhall" who got promoted to 2nd Brown this
weekend at the Texas Spirit Camp. I saw him after his test
and boyyyyyy was he run through the wringer!!!!
Congratulations guy!!!!!!

Yes, my congrats as well!

Now, when's it gonna be Kirk's turn to go through the wringer?

 

[Kirk]

LOL, I test in one week, if I can get kicking set down.

 

[cdhall]

Originally posted by Kirk

LOL, I test in one week, if I can get kicking set down.

Kirk,

Do you have notes on Kicking Set? I got it pretty quickly after I learned the pattern.

It helps to just do this one.
Mr. Duffy has a version where you can do it in lines so that even in a hallway at home you can work on it.

I may be able to get you the notes on this if you like.
:asian:

 

[Kirk]

Originally posted by cdhall

Kirk,

Do you have notes on Kicking Set? I got it pretty quickly after I learned the pattern.

It helps to just do this one.
Mr. Duffy has a version where you can do it in lines so that even in a hallway at home you can work on it.

I may be able to get you the notes on this if you like.
:asian:

DEFINITELY!!!!!!!!!!! That's my biggest problem with that set,
is finding a place to work on it!

Thanks for the offer too, really cool of you to do. You Austin
people just keep impressing me more and more

 

[cdhall]

Originally posted by Kirk

DEFINITELY!!!!!!!!!!! That's my biggest problem with that set,
is finding a place to work on it!

Thanks for the offer too, really cool of you to do. You Austin
people just keep impressing me more and more

Thank you. I know Mr. Duffy likes Mr. Abernathy or he wouldn't advertise your seminars so much... so I'm glad to help.

I'll have to check with Mr. Duffy before I post any of this, but I can probably privately get you my notes if I swear you to secrecy.

I'll email you and/or call you as well. What day are you testing?

 

[Goldendragon7]

Wear it in good health...... and practice - practice - practice ......... no excuses.

:asian:

 

[cdhall]

Thank you, Mr. C,

I think that I will be scrutinized by you and Mr. Duffy and Mr. Trejo and Mr. White and Lord knows who else, for a long time.

I do not intend to disappoint any of you who were involved in my promotion. Or any of your teachers for that matter. I am afraid of who might show up for my next two tests...

 

[roryneil]

Just wanted to put my congrats in here too Mr. Hall. I studied with Mr. Hall under Mr. Duffy. I also am on the "10 year plan", or so it seems. Life just gets in the way. But one thing I can say about Mr. Duffy's tests is that you KNOW you earned that belt!!