Finally made it to the yearly koshukai (practice where all the different schools get together) after getting lost on my scooter for a good half hour. Good practice in the morning and then all of a sudden I'm being told I just made 2kyu! A bunch of people tested for shodan in the afternoon, and there was even a sandan test -- hope the photos of the (test cutting) come out ok. Also found out that there's a tameshigiri practice in late July; that should be fun. Tanaka-sensei said I can borrow a sword since I don't have one, but said that if I bent it I have to pay for it, and then Kanai-sensei told me how easily they bend when you cut badly, and then Tanaka-sensei said she should know, as she's always bending them. Seems she had to do tameshigiri for her 4dan test last time, but didn't pass so she's doing it again in October. And then as we were settting up for the tournament tomorrow Gosoke told me to get 1kyu next time and go for shodan in October! Doh! Everyone else was saying I should go for shodan this year, but when Gosoke says, I guess I have no choice.
So the tournament is tomorrow and since I'm in the lowest ranked group there's alot of people, but most won't show up so I was told I've already made it to the quarter finals. We go two at a time and the winner (3 judges call it red or white, majority wins) moves to the next round. My first opponent is female, and I've already been told (by Kanai-sensei, who's judging tomorrow but not my block) that judges tend to encourage female participation and therefore are more lenient, so I've really gotta nail it. Speed isn't required so I have to make my cuts big, keep my eyes steady, and make sure my chiburi (cleaning the blood off the blade before sheating) isn't wimpy...we'll see how it goes.