In just 5 short weeks Mrs. Julee Peck will become the first female 7th Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo America, joining the elite ranks with the five current 7th Degrees: Mr. Lacy, Mr. Conway, Mr. Strickland, Mr. Davis, and Mr. Nelson.  This blog is the third in our series entitled “What National Testing Means to Me” in recognition of this very special event.

By: Ms. Tiffany Lacy

When I was six years-old my mom and dad loaded me and all of our worldly possessions into a U-Haul and moved us almost 800 miles to a place I’d never even heard of where we didn’t know a single soul.  In my lifetime I have seen about fifty national testings and hundreds of regional testings.  I once witnessed a national testing where every single student from one school didn’t pass.  I’ve seen hundreds of students no change and thousands of students pass.  I’ve seen students break their ribs and keep sparring.  I’ve also seen students fail to break their boards and walk out before testing was even over.  I’ve seen people cry because they didn’t pass testing and people cry because they finally did.  When I got my black belt I was lucky enough to have my dad hand me my certificate and give me a hug.  When my dad got his 7th Degree he was lucky enough to have HIS dad hand him a certificate and give him a hug.  I’ve seen students and school owners come and go, the curriculum change more than twice, and witnessed the formation of a new Taekwondo organization.  I remember when Pluto was a planet, students sparred without gear, and Taekwondo first became an Olympic sport.  I’ve seen people lose control, lose faith in themselves, lose consciousness, and lose the right to be part of this organization.  I saw a mother who vowed to never be a higher rank than a white belt test for her 3rd Degree.  I saw my own mother pick up Taekwondo because she was sick of how much time my father spent at the school without her, though I was too young to actually remember it.  I’ve seen 6 year-olds get their black belt and 60 year-olds still coming to class twice a week.  I’ve seen students leave for years then eventually come back and open their own Taekwondo schools.  I’ve seen Mr. Lacy elbow strike bricks lit on fire, fail to break them the first hit, set his uniform on fire, and hit them again without even stopping to put out the flames first.  In all my years around this sport, and I’ve been around it since before I could crawl, I’ve seen people change Taekwondo and Taekwondo change people.  I’ve never seen a female 7th Degree.  That’s something really special, and I plan on being there in September when Mrs. Peck becomes the first.