Dave and Valeska Walker

I’m Dave Walker, originally from Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Our family moved to Garrett when I was 10 years old.

My first love was baseball. I started in Little League, then moved through Pony League, high school teams, and several slow and fast pitch leagues. I even pitched and played left field in the Fort Wayne Men’s Senior League for several years. Baseball gave me some great memories — like pitching in Wizards Stadium and competing in the Senior League World Series in Florida, where I pitched in Al Lang Stadium, the spring training home of the St. Louis Cardinals.

I also love to bowl and shoot pool, though I took a six-year break from both to devote more time to Rock Steady Boxing. On top of that, I like to think I have a bit of artistic talent — mostly in drawing.

🥇 A Life in the Ring

I boxed with the DeKalb County Boxing Club for many years, racking up over a hundred fights. Some highlights:

🥊 State Junior Olympic Champion — the first from DeKalb County
🥈 Runner-up in the semifinals to future world champion Duwayne Thomas
🏆 At age 16, I won a State AAU Novice Title and received the Outstanding Novice Boxer of the Tournament — the trophy was presented to me by none other than Joe Louis
🏅 Winner of the Toledo Golden Gloves Open Division (1983) and named Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament

Boxing kept calling me back, even when I tried to step away. At 41, I entered the Fort Wayne Toughman Contest at the Coliseum and later competed again at 47. I made it to the finals in Tunica, Mississippi, but after breaking three ribs in the semifinals, I had to take a knee in the championship fight.

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🙌 Finding Purpose Through Coaching

At one point, I was talking to a therapist because boxing still had a hold on me. Then a Christian woman at the Auburn YMCA asked if I’d consider coaching Rock Steady Boxing. I said no — I wanted to help MMA fighters improve their boxing skills.

But she encouraged me to go home and watch the Lesley Stahl segment on Good Morning America about Rock Steady Boxing. Two minutes in, a light went on in my heart.

I called my therapist and said, “I don’t have to fight anymore. I can use boxing to help these people now.”

And I’ve never looked back.

“God has given me a new and better road to walk down. I found out it’s better to lift people up than to knock them down.”

Dave Walker

💪 Why Rock Steady Works

Boxing is a discipline that works nearly every muscle group. It helps with:

Balance
Hand-eye coordination
Cognitive function

It’s also intense — and studies have shown it to be one of the most effective forms of exercise for slowing the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

At the end of every Rock Steady class, we gather together and claim victory. Even if someone walked in tired, stiff, or discouraged — they’ve pushed through 90 minutes of hard work, and together we yell:
“1, 2, 3… Victory! Victory! Victory!”

We say it to reclaim what Parkinson’s tries to steal. We say it because we are fighting back — together.

And we’re honored and inspired every single day to embrace hope with these incredible warriors.

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