News
Chronology of Past Events
Throughout the past four years, IK Gymnastics has experienced a countless amount of significant memories! We hope that you have been able to enjoy all of these magnificent past times alongside us but if you have not, enjoy this amazing blast from the past!
On June 3rd, 2012, we were honored with the opportunity of being premiered in a segment from ABC News where many of our kids were filmed while enjoying the amenities at IK Gymnastics Gym A. Our owner, Irina Kudina, shared a couple words with ABC News where she states, “Our goal is to give every kid the opportunity to reach their goal!” If you would like to see more, please follow the link below!
http://190north.com/episodes/Olympic-Training/8685487
We welcomed a new IK Family Member on March 18th, 2013, at 4:27pm. Baby Zachariah Jacob Graff was born to Coach Jess and her husband weighing 7lbs 2oz, and 21 inches long. To this day we wish the Graff family the best with their son and their new upcoming family member!
Recap of 2014-2015
The following year we were happy to cheer on IK’s Family Friend, Brian Hansen! Brian, already an Olympic Silver Medalist from 2010, competed in speed skating during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. WOW!
In 2014, Irina Kudina received the Region 5 “Coach of the Year” award and Olivia Karas received the “Athlete of the Year” award. Genevieve Bellon became our new GIJO head coach in 2014.
2015 has been a very exciting year for IK Gymnastics because other than another incredible 2015 Meet Season, we have also opened our new facility located at 2500C West Bradley Place to give our recreational students and families a much more comfortable space. With a dedicated preschool area, spacious lobby, and a raised ceiling for our brand new USAG Trampoline program, we hope you find your stay at Gym B a pleasant one. The GIJO practice space has been moved over to this new facility as well. At State, Emily Simon, of the GIJO team, had earned the highest score of the season with a 9.825 on floor exercise. The GIJO had an excellent 2015 meet season that ended in a great trip to Las Vegas for Nationals, the results are included at the bottom of this article. Our Trampoline Team competed in their first meet season with Sasha Bogonosiuk placing first and bringing home gold medals for his performance in the State power tumbling, double mini, and trampoline events. The old gym, 2630B West Bradley Place (GYM A), is now primarily used for our team programs. These team programs include: Irina’s USAG Girls Team, XCEL, Early Age Talent Development Programs, and a brand new USAG Boys Team led by Coach David Lintzenich. Gym A has also been renovated to accommodate new boys equipment. Olivia Karas and Molly Cutler, of Irina’s USAG team, competed in their last level 10 state meet, making them our first athletes graduating from high school.
At the end of our 2014 competitive season, Olivia Karas received the award of being the All Around National Champion 2014.
During this year’s 2015 competitive season, Olivia earned the All Around Region 5 National Champion 2015 title.
Olivia Karas received a full ride scholarship to Michigan University, you may view her interview with gymnastike here.
Olivia became a 2nd year qualifier for the Nastia Liukin Cup 2015 and 2nd year qualifier to the Junior Olympic Nationals 2015 where she joined Gabi Cooke, a 1st year qualifier to the Junior Olympic Nationals 2015. On April 7th, our Level 10 All-Around State champion, Helen Hu, interviewed with Region 5 insider. Gabi Cooke also competed in Regionals this year and you may view our athletes routines below.
Olivia Karas got 3rd place All-Around at the Nastia Liukin Cup 2015 and you may watch her routines by clicking the links below,
Olivia Karas placed 4th at the Junior Olympic Nationals 2015,
Gabi Cooke’s first Junior Olympic Nationals 2015,
Gabi Cooke was awarded a bronze medal at Regionals 2015
Sasha Bogonosiuk placed 1st in trampoline, double-mini, and tumbling at State – April 17th
The highlights from GIJO’s Nationals are as follows:
Zoe Levitt placed 2nd on bars – 9.6
Greta Yerkes placed 5th all around – 36.1
Gabriella Gutzmer placed 3rd on vault – 9.025 and bars – 9.3 – 6th all around 36.025
Ava Baily and Emily Simon also had impressive meets earning them 6th place all around in their age groups.
We look forward to another fun meet season, 2016!
2012 Olympian and World Champion visit
On January 22, 2013, we had a surprise visit from 2012 Olympic gymnast Anna Li. A phenomenal all-around athlete, she specialized on the uneven bars and balance beam for USA’s team. Li was part of the 2011 World Team that took first place in Tokyo and the 2012 Olympic team that captured the gold medal in London. Prior to her elite career, she received a full-ride scholarship to UCLA and led the team to winning the 2010 NCAA National Championship title. During her collegiate career she received multiple perfect-10.0s on the uneven bars and won eight All-American honors.
During her visit she sat down with the team and discussed her journey to the Olympics, being a student-athlete, balancing gym and school, overcoming adversity, and personal interests. The team was mesmerized by her stories, encouraging words, and presence. After the inspiring Q and A session, the girls entertained her with their beam and floor routines—which she absolutely loved! It was a great evening surprise with a world class gymnast and we wish her the best of luck in her future adventures.
Turkey Tumble Adult Showcase
Congratulations to all of the IK adult gymnasts who participated in our first Turkey Tumble Adult Showcase on November 17th, 2012. Everyone did a phenomenal job and it was a great event to see all of your hard work.
Winning Team: Pilgrim Power (average score 8.59) won over Gym Gobblers (8.55 average score)
We would like to commend the following individuals for placing 1st on their events:
Vault: Erika
Bars: Danni
Beam: Amy
Floor: Laura
Rings: Collin
