The “IK” stands for Irina Kudina, the founder, owner and operator of this facility. Irina is a former member of the Junior Soviet Union Team, Champion of Ukraine in Artistic Gymnastics, Master of Sport of International Category, World Champion and three-time Soviet Union All-Around Champion in Sports Acrobatics. For 10 years, Irina was the head coach of Lake Shore Academy USAG girls team in Chicago where her students excelled at the State, Regional and National levels.

At IK Gymnastics, we approach the art, discipline, and sport of gymnastics from a holistic perspective. We believe in developing a mature and healthy attitude that begins with a fundamental understanding of the psychological and physical aspects of gymnastics. We encourage hard work while still maintaining a healthy balance of enjoyment and consistency in instruction. Fun and expression are at the core of the IK philosophy and are ideologies that we embrace. Our aim is to set each gymnast on a path of making positive life-affirming choices that can have lasting benefits to the individual and community as a whole.

Our staff members at IK Gymnastics are carefully selected for their ability to cultivate fundamentally strong gymnasts and empower them through encouragement and corrective feedback. The IK coaching staff consists of high-level athletes who are regularly trained and kept up-to-date with current gymnastics trends and coaching methods which help build mentally, physically, and emotionally stable gymnasts.