We got out the door allowing two and a quarter hours for the 75 mile trip. I was worried that construction and rush hour traffic might really slow us down, but I set a new record covering the 74 miles in 68 minutes. My daughter read passages from the new Harry Potter book (we had both already finished it) out loud as we traveled, helping take my mind off what was waiting for me at the end of the trip.
It still took almost twenty minutes to get parked and into the testing building, construction making travel over the familiar routes impossible. Lots of friendly faces greeted me, wishing me luck as I changed. The test was in the Dance Studio, hardwood floor, the varnish was just old enough to allow us to pivot fairly well. Most of the individuals stretching out and warming up where unfamiliar. Ages ranged from teenagers to several that were older than me. Unlike previous summer test sessions, and to the relief of many of us, the exam was closed, no spectators allowed.
Then came the first anxious moment. The kata for the test were selected. Chinto was a given. But which Passai and which Kusanku? I didn't have a real preference on Passai, Matsumura Passai was selected. I had been given a good deal of one-on-one instruction on this kata by the Grand Master on my last session working with him. I knew that if I showed him I remembered what he had corrected, that it would be good. Kusanku Dai! I broke into my first smile of the day. Whew! I liked the kata and I was more comfortable with it then the jump in Kusanku Sho, I was never happy with my landing.
There were twelve judges, the Grand Master, an 8th Dan, a whole panel of 7th Dan (including my sensei) and a few 6th and 5th degree black belts. There were about eight others observing, the instructors of the candidates.
Our names were read out in the order we were to line up in. I was number eight of the nine candidates for Shodan. We were told that we would be doing kumite with the partners in order. I introduced myself to number seven, a young lady whose name I recognized as being a member of one of the key families in the east coast. I was glad she was about my height, we wouldn't have to deal with adjusting the techniques to compensate for differences.
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