Black belt is Tae Kwon Do student latest achievement

Doug Penning led his tae kwon do class through warmup drills Wednesday afternoon. Behind him, a banner read, "A black belt is a white belt who never quits."

That sums up Penning. The 21-year-old will test for his black belt in the martial art Friday night.

The black belt is just another prize Penning, who has Down syndrome, has earned. He already has the praise of his teacher, the respect of his classmates and the love of his family.

Penning also has a date for Valentine's Day, a job at Chick-fil-A and a wealth of hobbies.

But tae kwon do is more than a hobby, he says. It's his passion.

"For me, I love to exercise and learn the forms and break boards," he said. "It's fun to be with my friends and spar with them."

At his daily practices, Penning kicks and punches through wood boards that measure half an inch thick, yelling with authority every time a board breaks. He then trades kicks and blows with three other classmates, who also will try for their black belts Friday night.

It took a few years for him to refine his forms and moves and move up through the belt color wheel. He started at the Athens Tae Kwon Do Center on Baxter Street two years ago as a red belt and now has progressed past the brown belt to - as it's known is tae kwon do - a recommended black belt.

"When he walked in here two years ago, he remembered everything he had learned earlier," said Kathy Carter, Penning's instructor. "Physically, he knows all the forms. I can show him a new one, and he's got it locked away."

Down syn

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