6th Degree Black Belt

I am excited to announce that I have applied to participate in a historical Black Belt exam. It's the first Black Belt exam, of this nature, in history. So far, there is no other test like this foreseen in the future. The test is being conducted by a panel of high ranking Black Belts, including 9th Degree Grandmasters from the Kukkiwon headquarters in Seoul, Korea.

The test is being hosted by the United States Association of Taekwondo (USAT) at the US Taekwondo Open Championships in Las Vegas this weekend. This historical event can be best described as a make up test. It's for Black Belts who had errors in processing their applications, or for whatever reason, missed their opportunity to test when they were scheduled to.

11 years ago, I participated in a Black Belt test that was supposed to transfer my current rank, and move me up 1 degree as a Kukkiwon Certified Black Belt. Evidently, when my application was processed, I was actually 1 degree lower as a Kukkiwon Certified Black Belt. Four years ago, I opted to take my 4th degree Black Belt test from my sisters instructor in Los Angeles, Ca. No problems with processing there.

When I learned about this special Black Belt test, I contacted the CEO of the USAT, Mr. David Askinas, and we determined that I indeed qualify for a promotion. This year, I am technically up for my 5th degree Black Belt test. I had every intention of testing in Korea this year, until I learned about this historical test. Due to the circumstances 11 years ago, I was adviced to apply for a skip promotion, which would allow me to test for my 6th degree Black Belt. I prepared all the necessary documents, including a 10 page thesis on my philosophy of Taekwondo, plus my Taekwondo resume that began in 1978. My application, thesis, and resume was reviewed in Korea, and... ACCEPTED!

Although I am thrilled that I have this opportunity to test for my 6th degree Black Belt, I am more excited that I made contact with my original instructor from 1978 because of this event. I was documenting him in my resume and wanted to confirm that I was spelling his name correctly, so I Googled him. Surprisingly, I found him! I had actually sought him out a few times over the past 15 years with no luck, therefore, I assumed he was no longer involved in martial arts. His name is Master Steve Bettencourt, and he has 7 schools in his organization. http://www.worldmusadofederation.com. He is still very much involved with martial arts!

I sent him an email explaining who I was. I was hoping that he would at least remember my father, who was a Black Belt at the time. He responded within 12 hours and remembers exactly who I am, as well as my entire family, even affter 31 years! We've been in touch since I made contact with him, and I hope to visit him and his schools this year.

See you in class!

Respectfully,

Duncan Richardson