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ISSUE NO. 18 • May 7, 2026 • RutherfordWeekly.com • 828-248-1408
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Ray Rice closes karate school after teaching 50 years “But, that season for me has passed,” he said, reflecting on the karate school days. “I am grateful to God that he allowed me to have these experiences.” Ray was raised by his parents, Ralph and Ida Mae Rice, and has two siblings who were also athletic. His brother embraced bodybuilding, while his sister also earned a martial arts black belt. “My dad was a tough guy, a Ray Rice, champion kickboxer and local legend, Marine. I always closed his karate school after 50 years. wanted to impress my dad, to make Article By: Scott Carpenter him proud,” Rice said. “I was small for my size, and was always getting beat on Forest City—-After teaching martial arts when I was a kid. But I had a couple of in Rutherford County for 50 years, Ray friends who were into karate, so I went Rice has closed his karate school. with them.” Rice, who has trained in tae-kwon-do, His early training was in Shelby and kenpo, ju-jitsu, and akido, holds the rank Gastonia. of 8th Degree Black Belt. He has trained “I loved it from the start,” Rice shared. thousands of Rutherford County students “The training was rough. I got beat many since he began in the early 1970s. He times by instructors and other students. I has fought professionally across the was the runt.” United States and internationally, and But he kept at it, and he grew in became something of a local legend in stature, as his skill level continued to the world of combat sports. improve. Rice grew up in Rutherford County, “I got better,” he said. and graduated from Chase High School. Rice became an outstanding In his last two years of high school, Rice kickboxer, fighting in 18 states worked at a cotton mill in Chesnee, and including New York, Florida and later for Sonoco. Throughout adulthood, California; as well as Canada, Italy, while working a “regular” job, Rice also France, and Russia. He earned was practicing and teaching martial arts. multiple state and regional titles, and His first black belt was in tae-kwan- eventually was recognized as one of do, which Rice explains is from Korea, the top ten kickboxers in the world. and he learned from a respected Korean The fight in Moscow, Russia was martial artist. Next, he earned a black belt held in a venue built for the Olympics. in Shotokan Karate, which is a Japanese Rice was in his thirties, and he beat system of martial arts. his opponent who was in his twenties. Rice’s first black belts were obtained “We went on short notice, because while he was still in his early twenties. the originally scheduled opponent Rice is now 70 years old, though his had to withdraw,” he explained. martial arts training keeps him far more That win earned Rice a world physically fit than average Americans in title in kickboxing. He won his last their seventies. professional fight, when he was The last class he taught at his Forest 42-years-old, in Montreal, Canada. City studio was in mid-March. Many in Rutherford County, who “I have wonderful memories of my may not be trained martial artists, school, that I will take to my grave,” Rice will recall that in the 1980s, Ray said recently.
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Rice brought “tough man” competitions to Forest City. These fights proved to be very popular, and helped raise the profile of his karate school. Rice had competed in tough man fights before. “But you couldn’t fight in the ones you were promoting,” he said. About 15 tough man competitions were held at Cool Springs Gym in downtown Forest City. Members of the public would pay $10, to see local men brawling to find out who is “toughest.” “We would pack the gym out,” Rice remembers. “People loved to come to those shows. They would see people in the ring who they knew. They would get excited, cheering on the fighters.” Some of those participants had training, some were simply men who wanted to try their luck in the ring. Many of them were in their thirties and forties, and some even older. “Those were some tough ‘ole boys,” Rice said with a laugh. “Often it was the older ones who would win. And the winners were not necessarily the biggest guys. Those fights showed that you really can’t judge a book by its cover.” Rice says with any combat sports, people choose to participate because of an inner desire, “...to see how good you are. To see how tough you are, how skilled you are against an opponent.” And, he said, when you step into a ring for any kind of fight, you are doing
something the vast majority of people will never do. For the spectator, the ring looks big, Rice said. “But when you are the one fighting, it seems very small,” Rice continued. “No matter how good you think you are, you are going to get hit.” As he looks back at his time teaching and participating in combat sports, Rice is happy. “I was hard headed. But these experiences taught me that you can’t give up,” Rice stated. “We have had some hard times, but you have to stick with it.” Rice and his wife Anita have two sons, both of whom earned black belts. Some of his other students went on to compete in various karate, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and tough man competitions. Rice hasn’t given up on martial arts entirely, as he continues to train himself, and sometimes assists others at a martial arts school in South Carolina. At his school he always emphasized living a positive, healthy lifestyle. “Martial arts instills discipline, a work ethic,” Rice added. “It helps build the mind, body, and spirit.” He believes that now, more than ever, young people especially are in need of something positive to pour their energy into. “My experience with martial arts has made me a better person,” Rice added.
Ray Rice (left) is pictured with the late actor and martial artist Chuck Norris. Rice’s career enabled him to travel the world and meet a variety of people connected to martial arts.
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