Volunteer punchbag

Grading day at the big HQ and it's here where us dan grades have to offer to volunteer as spare uke for partnerless kyu grades. My first one was incidentless as a yellow belt uke - pretty easy stuff. I get my pass stamped, breathe a sigh of relief and think: ''well, done my bit.'' But they are a man short down at the purple belt end and I'm the nearest one to the room...darn, I have to uke again...and this time, I get Big Tom. Big Tom is so tall that my pathetic over head punches barely reach his nose. Conversely, I'm too short for an effective shoulder wheel that he merely stoops over, making us both look rather dodge. Despite our height difference, he pulls off a near faultless grading as I get thrown around the dojo with gay abandon and the senior senseis have observed that I have given of myself to association causes more than adequately. Still, I think I had it lucky as all the other dan grades had to partner for brown belt, and man, that is one hell of tough a grading.