Edgestravaganza 2021

Jingle was having some playing ping pong, which might account for all the noise early this morning with the ball going back and forth in the piano room.  We still got a good amount of sleep though, so we'll cut him some slack.  

Later on tonight after a full day at school with midterms and studies, it was time for a great night at Edge ATA for Edgestravaganza. 

It was a really big night, with a lot going on.  The first thing was the performance that Team Edge has been working on for the past few months, week after week.  They finally did their routine, and it was awesome!

There was a lot of noise in the studio, cheers from all the parents and guests.  Pastor Lance, Hamilton, and Joe were there, along with Uncle George and Nana, and of course Mom and I.  A lot of other people came tonight to see the performance and the ceremony afterwards.  The team did great, and soon afterwards, the lights went down, and it was time to honor those who received a black belt over this past year.  Maddie got her black belt back in March, and tonight's ceremony featured her as well as many of her friends who accomplished the same feat over the course of the year.

The gong was struck, and soon afterwards, all the others lined up.  Most of these pictures were taken during a practice run earlier in the afternoon, which explains the lights being on.  There were candles and special lighting, and a formal ceremony that we've seen before, but only now Maddie was there as one of the recipients.

Maddie was "knighted" and she received a special coin as well.  Each recipient was honored, and it was all a very nice ceremony.

Master Edge was taking about about how many start the path towards getting a black belt, and how many drop off over time, and how few go on to get a third degree black belt.  Here's where that comes from:

For every 10,000 people who start martial arts, half drop out within the first six months. Of those remaining students, about 1,000 will complete one year of training, then quit. 500 will study for two years, and only 100 will make it three years. On average, only 10 will earn their 1st degree black belt, and only 1-2 will earn their second degree black belt. Only one will go on to become an instructor and teach others the way. That person is the black belt. That one is 1 in 10,000.

Maddie is on her way to the second degree black belt now, and who knows about that third degree.  But one thing is certain:  all these students have trained hard these last several years, and it shows.

Afterwards, it was time for a few group pictures as proud families and friends mingled with the black belts, and here was where Pastor Lance and the others posed for a picture with the ones that go to our church.

Right after this, it was time for fun and food.  There was a pot luck style set-up in the other room, and a huge line - but there was so much food, and every plate was just filled with delicious foods.  We all found different places to sit down and eat.

Miss Walker came back tonight too - you can see all the students here, rushing up to give her a great big hug.

It was a really fun night.  The Edges even set up a place for a special guest to sit, one who was delighted to sit with students for photos if they wanted.  That being said, here's our official Santa picture for 2021!

It was a really nice evening together.  We left later on, and were ready for sleep pretty quickly when we got back home.  It was a full day, but a memorable one.  We read, and we prayed, and soon after, we were off to sleep.