Gavula, Curci break new ground
CRANBERRY TWP — They took different paths, learned from the same instructor and recently earned landmark achievements in Tae Kwon-Do.
Mars resident Erik Gavula, head instructor at the Young Brothers Tae Kwon-Do school, in Cranberry Township, and Tim Curci, head instructor of the Young Brothers school in Butler, both recently completed their eighth-degree black belts during a ceremony at Young Brothers’ main school.
Both are now Grandmasters in the sport — the first two to reach that level from the Pittsburgh Area. They were promoted by Grandmaster Kong Young Bo, also their longtime instructor.
“Grandmaster Kong is the most disciplined person I know,” Gavula said. “He’s been my mentor for years, to reach this level with Grandmaster Curci, to be promoted by Grandmaster Kong ... it is unbelievably humbling.
“To be the first two from the Pittsburgh region to do this is pretty cool.”
Gavula, 53, has been involved in Tae Kwon-Do for 43 years. Curci, 72, has been involved in the sport for 34 years. They got started in radically different ways.
Gavula tried out for a youth baseball team at age 10 and did not make the team.
“I was devastated,” he recalled. “I was an overweight kid with no confidence. My dad saw that I needed to get involved in some type of activity, so he took me to Tae Kwon-Do class. That turned out to be the best thing he ever could have done for me.
“After a year of Tae Kwon-Do training, learning that lifestyle, I tried out for baseball again the very next year. I not only made the team, I made all-stars. That all-star trophy is the only non-martial arts trophy I still have displayed today. I know the significance of that trophy, what it means to my life.”
Curci, 72, has been involved in Tae Kwon-Do for 34 years. Originally from Leechburg, he said he always had interest in martial arts.
“I never had access to it when I was younger,” he said. “One day, I discovered a friend of mine was getting ready to go to a Tae Kwon-Do class at the Butler YMCA, and I asked if I could tag along. I was so curious about it.
“Once I started (Tae Kwon-Do), I never left it. It’s the lifestyle. I became a different person, a better person. Grandmaster Kong has influenced my life in so many ways.”
Curci said of his students: “They are like my family. I’m so proud when they achieve what they pursue in life.”
He added that he’s taught 22 individuals who became masters over the years.
“This is an activity that parents and children can do together for years,” Curci said. “And many of them do.”
Gavula competed in martial arts for years. He held karate and Tae Kwon-Do championships simultaneously. He was undefeated as an amateur boxer and kickboxer. He won championships in four different decades — the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
“My last championship was the U.S. Open in 2016,” Gavula said. “I don’t miss competing at all. I certainly don’t miss getting hit.”
But he — along with Curci — continue to teach Tae Kwon-Do to thousands of people across the county.
Gavula’s wife, Audrey, was introduced to the sport by her husband in 2004. She is now a sixth-degree black belt. Their two children are into the sport as well.
“People do it for different reasons,” Audrey Gavula said. “There is fitness, confidence, discipline, self-defense ... Tae Kwon-Do helps in all of those areas.
“I’m so proud of Erik because he’s accomplished so much. He’’s been a positive influence on so many people. His education, loyalty and discipline are endless, and those are valuable traits in life.”
