Meet the passionate team behind Chinook Rhythmic Gymnastics Club – a group of dedicated coaches whose expertise and enthusiasm for the sport have been shaping champions and inspiring gymnasts for over three decades.
Olga has been the head coach of Chinook Rhythmique since she was invited to coach in Canada in 1990. Olga has NCCP certification Level 3, and a Master of Sport distinction from Russia. Olga has two university degrees, one of them is from St Petersburg's academy of physical culture and sports, a highly qualified instructor. Additionally, Olga is a Brevet 2 Judge in Individual and Brevet 3 in Group, certified to judge international events. Olga is also a renowned choreographer who has worked with the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Shows, Grey Cup and various accomplished dancers.
Many gymnasts from Chinook, trained by Olga, have won places on the Canadian Junior and Senior National Team, and represented Canada at a variety of international events.
Iveta has been with Chinook Rhythmique since 2004 when she moved with her family from Lithuania. Throughout the years she’s been both the provincial and south zone champion in the novice, junior, and senior levels. She became the junior level 9 Canadian championin 2011, and was on the Junior National Team from 2011 to 2012. In 2013, she moved to Toronto to train with the Canadian senior national team in the group event. As a coach, she enjoys helping the younger generation of gymnasts achieve their greatest potential and loves watching them grow and develop in the sport. After retiring from gymnastics herself, she entered the world of latin ballroom and now incorporates these skills to help teach the girls about expression and musicality. She is currently studying Athletic Therapy at Mount Royal University and is hoping to pursue a future career in medicine.
Olivia trained as a national rhythmic gymnast with Chinook Rhythmique Gymnastic Club for 12 years under head coach Olga Khabarova. She was the Alberta Provincial Champion several times over the years in Novice, Junior and Senior levels. She was a member of the Canadian Junior National Team in 2004 and 2005, Western Canadian Senior Champion in 2008, and Bronze Senior Medalist at Canadian Nationals in 2008. She was Silver Senior Medalist at the 2009 Canadian Nationals and became a member of the Canadian Senior National Team. Olivia is a certified NCCP Level 3 Coach, a National Level 1 Judge, and is working towards her Brevet judging certification. She is certified to teach Alixa Sutton's Flexibility Module 1. She has also recently completed the teacher-training for Ballet Barre Works, a Calgary-based barre fitness studio.
Katarina was 5 years old when she joined Chinook Rhythmic Gymnastics Club’s recreational program and she fell in love with the sport instantly. She moved through to the pre-competitive level and eventually started competing on the Provincial Level. After a few seasons she moved onto the National Level and stayed in the program until her retirement in 2015. During her career she travelled all over North America and to Europe to attend regional, national and international competitions. Many times a Provincial Champion, she was also consistently ranked in the top 10 overall at Western Regional Championships, qualifying her to compete at National Championships. Katarina qualified for the High Performance category in the Senior Level at the 2014 Elite Canada Competition and later in the 2015 National Championships. She has always been interested in helping younger gymnasts and was assisting with coaching while she was still competing herself. She has been coaching for over 6 years now and is Foundations Certified. She is currently working on her degree in psychology through Western University in Ontario. She hopes to practice both family and sport psychology.
