MARTIAL ARTS Zurko overcomes injury to win crown

The Poland native won a national Kung Fu title in Cleveland.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- About a year ago, Leonard Zurko Jr. of Poland suffered a freak injury to his left hand while hitting a punching bag during boxing training that threatened his career in martial arts.
But not only has he recovered from the injury and is back training in Poekoelan Kung Fu, an Indonesian and Chinese martial arts, he also has won a national championship along the way.
Zurko, who trains and teaches at the Asian Fighting Arts School on West Federal Street under owners Michael and Mark Marciano, won the Men's Continuous Contact Sparring Heavyweight Black Belt Division at the 12th annual 2003 National Great Lakes Kung Fu Championships held April 26 in Cleveland.
But after what he went through with his hand injury, the 1991 graduate of Poland High and a fifth degree black belt is just glad he is able to train again, although he no longer can box.
Freak injury
"I just had a fluke accident," said Zurko, who had been training in Poekoelan King Fu for seven years before launching an amateur heavyweight boxing career two years ago under trainer Earl Charity at the Ringside Athletic Club.
"It happened when I was hitting the bag," Zurko said. "I don't think my hand was wrapped right. And I hit it in an awkward position. My doctors said he never saw anything like it."
Zurko said that "all the bones in my left hand shifted 1/15 of an inch. I had surgery on my hand to reattach the tendons and push the bones back in place, and I had to go through physical therapy. Now I have about 90 percent use of the left hand."
Zurko, a Youngstown State graduate who paints cars at General Motors in Lordstown, said he hurt his hand last April, underwent surgery in August and didn't resume training until Christmas.
Happy and grateful
"I was happy I was able to work out. The tournament [April 26] came up and I decided to enter it," said Zurko, noting that all of the training and experience he had in both martial arts and boxing seemed to come together that day to help him win the championship.
"I'd like to thank anyone I ever trained with and anyone who supported me along the way," said Zurko, who learned Poekoelan Kung Fu at the Dragons Temple in Campbell.
His teacher there was Bill Dobich, a seventh degree black belt who trained under Willie Wetzel in Aliquippa, Pa.
Wetzel is credited for bringing Poekoelan Kung Fu to the U.S., and opened a school in Aliquippa.
"Dobich learned under Wetzel and I learned under Dobich," said Zurko. "The closer you are to the system, the more you are going to learn."
Interested in boxing
The son of Lynda and Leonard Zurko, Zurko said he got interested in boxing at age 27 "to help my Poekoelan, but I fell in love with boxing."
He advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2001 Cleveland Golden Gloves, where he lost to Robert "Moses" Jacobs of Akron who was ranked No. 4 in the nation.
Although Zurko can't box, he said he is able to compete in Poekoelan because he can use a variety of weapons. "I can used my left and right hands and my feet in Poekoelan."
But the bottom line for him is, "Right now, I am just happy I can train again."
kovach@vindy.com