Congratulations to Paul Westblade-sensei on successfully passing his 4.dan testing in Atlanta on Saturday, February 26, 2022!
This is a significant achievement for Paul and a great honor for Memphis Kendo Association. As several people are aware, Paul passed the rank of 2.dan around the turn of the 21st century and then went on sabbatical for about 15 years. He re-joined Memphis Kendo in 2018, and as a testament to his abilities, was able to pass the rank of 3.dan within a year of his return, which is absolutely no small feat. After waiting the required minimal time to test for his next rank (3 years), he passed 4.dan on his first attempt, which is, again, no small feat. The jump from 3.dan to 4.dan is the first (and very) significant step and achievement in a kenshi's career, and for most people --- notably even for those who aren't coming off a 15 year layoff --- it is not uncommon to be unsuccessful in the first few attempts.
With Westblade-sensei's achievement, Memphis Kendo is now able to boast the most sensei-level instructors (5) in its history:
Patrick Register-sensei (5.dan)
Kazuto Yasuda-sensei (5.dan)
Rogers Gossett-sensei (4.dan)
Tommy Ferguson-sensei (4.dan)
Paul Westblade-sensei (4.dan)
Congrats to Paul Westblade-sensei!
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