b'Coastal Bend CommunityCOACH ERNIE,as hes known to his students, is retired U.S. Army Sergeant Ernesto Chavarria, whose Chavarrias Boxing Gym on South Staples at Laredo Street, is the training home to dozens of young boys and girls from age seven or eight, up to seventeen and eighteen. Chavarrias gym is one of several on Corpus Christis north side that offer refuge to kids living in one of the citys most challenging neighborhoods.I grew up right over here in the neighborhood on How-ard Street, said Chavarria, I started getting bullied around in school and then one day my friend told me theres a gym over here on Agnes. I was hitting the bag and the trainer said, Hey you want to fight? And then I fought, and I knocked the guy outand the trainer was that guy right there Mr. Plata, him and Tim Brown, they started coaching me and training me.Chavarria fought in 122 amateur bouts, winning the Corpus Christi Golden Gloves, before losing at the state tournament. He then joined the U.S. Army and stuck with boxing while in the military, winning the Kansas-Oklahoma Golden Gloves and defeating a boxer named TonyChiaverini,whowentonthefightSugarRay Leonard for the world title. While stationed in (West) Germany, Chavarria trained and sparred with future 1988 Olympic gold medal winner Ray Mercer, who was the WBO World Heavyweight Champion in 1991-92.When was a drill sergeant I had a lot of guys who had a lot of problems, Chavarria remembers, and I always said that if I can change kids to men in the Army, I can turn these little kids into somebody better in life. Thats my goal. I love to do this.Coach Ernie has been opening boxing gyms in Corpus Christi since he returned from the military in 1998, and hundreds of North Side kids have found direction, dis-cipline and purpose through his training. Every gym is going to have a championmy goal is an Olympic championbut even if they dont get there, as long as they become a good father, good mother, policemen, firemen, if they become good citizens in the communi-tythats what I look for, said Chavarria, who thanks his own childhood boxing coach for instilling the disci-pline in him that led to a successful military career, and to becoming a positive contributor to his community.Theconnectionisthattheylearndisciplinethey learn whats wrong and whats right. Youve got to feed them the truth thats one thing you can do when youre in this sport right here. I dont lie to them. I dont curse. I counsel themI talk to them, I get to know themI ask them whats wrong today, and theyll tell you, theyll talk to you, Chavarria says of his students.He continues, And thats what theyre missing, they dont have a father and a motherthey live with their 54 THE COOASASTTAL BEND MA TheC omTheCooasastalBend.c96 THE C AL BEND MAGAGAZINEZINEFEAEarlTy Summer 2018URED: The Stories that Mattered talBend.com'