The tournament had four different events you could enter in: Forms, Fighting, Breaking, and Weapons.
Forms are set patterns of moves.
Fighting is... Fighting.
Breaking is breaking boards.
Weapons is a creative form you make up using a weapon.
Most tournaments have a fifth category called Creative Forms, which is where you make up your own form and do it.
I entered in Forms and Breaking. The form I performed is called Dan Gun, and I won first place in my division (16/17-year-old white/orange belts.)
Then, I did Breaking. I was the only one in my division, so the judges asked me if I wanted first place handed to me, or if I wanted to against the only other person in my age category, a female Green belt with a stripe, which is four belts higher than me, who stood about an inch taller and was three inches broader than I was. She was big, in other words.
I said I wanted to try to win first place. I did. She didn't manage to break her first board and her confidence was sucked out.
When I was up, I broke with a double knife-hand combo, went on to palm strike, then a fore-arm strike, an axe kick into a sliding side thrust kick, and finished it up with a front snap kick.
I won.
So, I got two cool looking trophies, my picture on a winner's stand, and everyone from my town who competed got their picture taken with the trophies and put into the newspaper.
And this morning, a teacher at school who I don't know that well stopped me in the hall and asked if I'd had my picture in the paper recently. I said yes, and she congratulated me on my wins.
Yeah.
It's good being athletic.
