YORK, Pa. — Joshua Holmes never let his physical condition interfere with anything he put his mind to, including achieving a black belt in martial arts.
“I stuck to it and didn’t quit. I never gave up. So, it’s a reminder to me [of] the way I need to continue to live," said Holmes, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy at a young age.
The 43-year-old athlete is continuously breaking down the barriers inside the walls of Soaring Eagle Taekwondo. “Every time I had a chance to prolong my [degenerative] condition, I took advantage of that," recalled Holmes.
Holmes has been training in Taekwondo for seven years. Originally participating for three years, he took a short break before returning to finish four straight years, which included advancing from his orange belt to his first-degree black belt.
“Master Winter has been a great friend and inspiration to me. [He] believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. I think that’s important to have in a teacher, and he’s embodied that," expressed Holmes.
“When I first sparred [with] him, I felt one of the most powerful jump roundhouse kicks I’ve felt in a long time. So, he had me there," said Soaring Eagle's Master Taekwondo Instructor Michael Winter. "I just saw a young man that obviously had been dealt a bad hand of cards. [But,] he controlled where he went with it,"
In July, Holmes traveled to Orlando for Nationals, where he tested and received his first-degree black belt certification.
The movements are harder for him to do. Cerebral palsy causes the athlete to lack strength and movement on his right side; he also can only see out of one eye after having surgery to remove part of his brain to help with seizures.
“He gets frustrated, but nothing holds him back. I think a lot of people, that have his condition, have only one thing that’s keeping them from attaining what Josh has attained, [and it's] that spirit," said Winter.
Holmes recalled sticking to the same repetitions has helped retain his movement, “I do rehab here three times a week."
Just because he reached his first-degree black belt doesn't mean he's done. Holmes' current goals include working towards becoming a second-degree black belt, becoming an instructor and achieving his long-term dream of becoming a fourth-degree taekwondo associate master.
If you think earning his black belt is quite an accomplishment, Holmes has three different academic degrees, which include a Master's in Education from Penn State University. He's also an artist and the publishing author of 16 books.