Sportsmanship...

TheBoy participated in his first Karate tournament yesterday. He was competing in the junior black belt open hand, weapons, and sparring categories, meaning he'd be going up against other pre-teen black belts at the dojo (this was an intramural competition). He'd been alternating between being nervous about competing and a little scared of getting hurt - he's never sparred full contact before, and he wasn't certain what to expect.

Here he is getting ready for his weapons form:

Careful with those 'chuks TheBoy!

He's practicing with his nunchaku before the start of the tournament. I took mainly videos, because, well, trying to take a picture of a nine year old boy in a karate tournament with a camera that doesn't do motion well is an exercise in blurry, but this shot came out pretty well. He really nailed the weapons form (from what I could tell), and took first place in his division (out of a small handful of competitors).

When it came to sparring, he didn't fare quite as well - he lost his match - but he held his own. The final score was 5-3, and it was closer than that - the other combatant caught him with a kick (worth two points) to end the match. The boy he sparred with was older and had sparred previously, so losing a close match is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

It was TheBoy's actions after his respective events that floored me. He was utterly gracious, warm, and encouraging in both victory and defeat. When he won his weapons forms division, he complimented the other participants on their performances; when he lost his sparring match he gave the victor a high five. He exhibited sportsmanship to be proud of when he lost as well as when he won. And I am so proud of him I could burst!

So, yeah, he got a special trip to the ice cream stand last night - and got to ride in the front seat on the ride home as an extra-special treat for my grown-up boy...

That is all.