Five karatekas successful at black belt exams
...GJKA grading
Stabroek News
November 18, 2003
Five students of the Guyana-Japan Karate Association (GJKA) were successful at their 1st Dan black belt examinations, held on Sunday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The students - Avian Rodrigues, Jason Linton, Roy Parboo, James Correia and lone female Donna Thompson - were elevated from 3rd kyu brown belts to 1st Dan black belts.
The most outstanding student however was Kevin Roberts who was elevated from a white belt to orange belt, having skipped the yellow belt.
The examinations were conducted by Master Shojiro Koyama, a 7th Dan black belt who resides in the United States. He was assisted by GJKA president Charles Woon-A-Tai 5th Dan black belt.
Seven students took the 1st Dan black belt examinations, while 148 others were successful in the other belts.
They were 49 successful candidates for the yellow belt, 18 for the orange, 17 for the green, 16 for the 5th degree purple, 24 for the 4th degree purple, eight for the 3rd degree brown, 10 for the 2nd degree brown and a further 10 for the 1st degree brown.