Courtesy photo Boxer Zack Rice, a native of Holidaysburg, trains in Florida. He competes in the 132-pound Featherweight Division.

Hollidaysburg native Zack Rice has embarked on a professional boxing career as a quick-hitting 132-pound fighter in the Featherweight Division who currently trains in Florida.

Rice’s toughest opponent will not be in a boxing ring, however. Now 26, Rice has battled the neurological disorder Tourette’s Syndrome for most of his life. Tourette’s — which subjects its sufferers to a myriad of involuntary vocal and/or motor tics including, but not limited to, repetitive body movements, eye blinking, head jerking, eye rolling, blurting out unusual sounds (including, in some cases, obscenities), grunting, and throat-clearing — is a chronic, usually life-long condition for which there is currently no cure.

According to information supplied by the nationally-renowned Mayo Clinic, males are three to four times more likely than females to develop Tourette’s, and the average age of onset is 6.

There are 200,000 new cases of Tourette’s Syndrome in the United States every year, and common conditions that occur with Tourette’s include depression, anxiety, seizures, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Treatment for severe forms of Tourette’s includes various types of medication to control symptoms, which can often worsen in times of stress.

Behavior modification therapy to manage tics is used in some cases of Tourette’s, as is surgery in which electrodes are implanted in certain areas of the brain.

Rice said that he has been prescribed several medications to treat the condition, and, although he is currently living and doing his boxing training in Florida, he returns home to Blair County to see his family and undergo periodic physical checkups with his doctors.

Rice was first diagnosed with Tourette’s by doctors at the age of 10, but said that his symptoms began appearing much earlier in his life.

His symptoms were often misunderstood at school by his teachers and by some of his classmates.

“I had facial tics like raising my eyebrows and rolling my eyes, and it would get to the point where I would get in trouble at school, because (people) would think that I was rolling my eyes at them,” said Rice, who pointed out that he did, and still does, enjoy an association with an accepting, close-knit group of friends who understood his condition.

“That’s when I discussed it with my parents and explained to them that I couldn’t control this, and they took me to a doctor, and I was diagnosed with Tourette’s.”

The symptoms of the disorder never remain the same for Rice, who started kick-boxing at the age of 13 at the Progressive Martial Arts gym in Duncansville and progressed to actual boxing under the direction of former professional boxer Tom Wilt and Johnny Robertson at the Altoona Boxing Club a couple years later.

“Tourette’s is always changing,” Rice said. “The (symptoms) go in cycles, and they can last for a couple of minutes to a couple of months.

“I have both vocal and motor tics,” added Rice, a well-spoken individual who is presently subject to involuntarily blurting out high-pitched sounds during conversation, as well as moving his head and neck back and forth, and holding his breath and sucking in his stomach.

Despite his struggles with Tourette’s, Rice did well enough in school to graduate from Hollidaysburg Area High School in 2013 and from Lock Haven University in 2017, with a bachelors degree in sports management.

Boxing has always been a refuge for Rice, who said that being in the ring and competing actually brings him relief from his Tourette’s symptoms.

“Boxing has helped me physically – I’m in the best shape of my life – and mentally, because when I am boxing, that is pretty much the only time that the Tourette’s doesn’t really affect me, and when I rarely have symptoms,” Rice said. “It’s like, the switch just flips. Things are completely different.”

Wilt, a member of the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame, backed up that assessment.

“I trained Zack for 10 years, and over time, boxing actually helped calm his Tourette’s symptoms down,” Wilt said. “A lot of people don’t understand Tourette’s, and I didn’t know anything about it until I met Zack. But asa person, you can’t meet anybody any better than Zack. He’s a nice, respectful kid who is great with people, and he is a very hard worker in the ring who has excellent movement and can really fight. Anybody who meets him would like him.”

Rice trains under the direction of former Cuba Olympic Boxing Team coach Jorge Rubio at Rubio’s gym in Miami.

Rice was introduced to Rubio a couple years ago through a friend of Rice’s uncle’s, and Rice said that meeting and training under Rubio has been a life-changing experience for him.

Rubio said that having Rice in his camp has been an inspiration both for Rubio personally, and for the other fighters that Rubio trains.

“I’m very happy to be working with Zach,” Rubio said. “I’m super proud of this kid. He inspires me because of how he executes and trains despite his condition, and how he’s always so focused and dedicated.

“I think he inspires the other boxers, too, because they see what he does despite his condition, and they strive to do that as well,” Rubio added.

Rice, who stands five feet, eight inches tall, won his first fight this past February in the Dominican Republic, carrying all four rounds by decision against his opponent.

He’s hoping to get a few more fights in before the end of this year. Rice isn’t currently getting a paycheck for his fights, but he’s hoping that situation will change soon.

“Getting paid really depends on getting sponsorships and promotions,” said Rice, who has made an inspirational You Tube video entitled “No Excuses: The Greatest Fight” about his life with Tourette’s and his journey in boxing. “If I got on a big (fight) card that was nationally televised, I would probably get paid for that.

“I just have to work my way up to get to that audience, and I’m currently looking for a sponsor to help me with all my fights and with all of the expenses that come with them.”

Working his way through adversity has been one of Rice’s strongest personal suits.

“My condition is pretty much a fight every day,” Rice said. “Some days are easier than others, but you just have to keep pushing forward.”

Embracing gratitude for his blessings has helped Rice to persevere.

“There are other people who would give anything just to be able to walk around their house or walk to the bathroom,” Rice said. “I know that I have to be grateful for the things that I do have, and for the experiences that I can enjoy.

“Because, at the end of the day, I know that it could always be worse.”