Quinn’s Corner September 2026

August’s Black Belt test was wonderful! These tests are an incredible opportunity for the school to come together to support the testing students in the last steps of their journey to Black Belt. In our school, we say, “When one of us tests, we all test.” No one trains alone; we rely on our families to support our goals, we rely on our teammates to train hard in class, we rely on our teachers to help us grow.

Advanced tests are also an opportunity to experience a formal promotion ceremony. The Black Belts put on their Red Sashes and formal gis, all other students and observers come dressed in white. In this formal situation, we line up not just in rank order, but also in the order that we were promoted. So, a Gold Sash 1st Stripe that was promoted in 2025 would stand in line ahead of a Gold Sash 1st Stripe promoted in 2026. We make this distinction for formal ceremonies because we have important roles to be filled as part of the promotion based on rank.

So why, in day-to-day training, do we not line up by testing order? There is a saying that originated in the tradition of the Goldens, “There is no rank among us.” Historically, the Goldens were a group of students chosen by the Teacher to help run the school. They could be of any rank and were (and still are) identified by gold fringe or gold stripes on their belts. When the Goldens met, they would all work together as equals to support and advise the Teacher. “There is no rank among us” meant that everyone’s skills and opinions carried equal weight, and rank was not taken into consideration.

Today, the meaning has expanded to include students in a single rank. If there are four Green Sashes, there is no rank among them; none of them should consider themselves higher or better than any of the others, no matter how long they have trained.

This idea seems simple and unimportant, but it reflects a deeper concept in our training. Each of us is on our own path, we should not compare ourselves to, or compete with, our teammates. Our rank system helps clarify what we need to learn next, but rank should never be used as a measuring stick to decide a student’s worth or how much respect they deserve. In these things, there is no rank among us.

Gotong Royong,

Bantu Quinn