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38 • Touchline • Issue 18
Thank you very much for your time today and
congratulations on winning Victorian coach
of the Year. Can you tell me a little bit about
yourself? You’re originally from Ukraine,
correct?
I used to be a gymnast in Ukraine, I started
when I was three years old. I achieved my
Cert Sport when I was fifteen years old. Then I
started coaching as well as still doing it myself
at the University of Sport and Fitness. I decided
that coaching could be my career, then I moved
to Australia and started coaching at Victorian
High Performance Centre, now it’s Prahran
Gymnastics Club.
Last year, 2013, was quite a big year for
yourself and for your athletes. Could you tell us
a little bit about how well you did last year?
Last year the gymnastics from Prahran
Gymnastics Club did extremely well. Eleven
gymnasts were selected to represent Victoria
at the Australian Championship. They did very
well, they brought a few medals back home.
Also, some of them were selected to
represent Australia at the New Zealand World
Championship where the girls did very well,
and brought twelve medals home.
We travelled to Spain for a competition called
Vitry Cup and we had very strong competitors
there from Europe, Russia, Spain, Ukraine and
other countries and one of the girls achieved a
gold medal and we’re very proud of this result.
The girls also did a lot of displays during
the year to promote rhythmic gymnastics in
Victoria, and they always did very good. The
girls are very happy with their performance.
Every competition we entered, the gymnasts
got at least one gold medal.
You’ve got quite a big club here, how many
members of the club have you got?
The club started with seven gymnasts, and now
over eight years, we have around 95 gymnasts
in the club.
What ages are your gymnasts?
At the moment the oldest gymnast is 18
years old, and the youngest is three years old.
We’ve got a very good beginner class which
is very important for the club to have a new
generation come every year through the levels,
and in each level we’ve got a solid class of
rhythmic gymnasts who potentially can move
up to represent the club, state and country.
That is a sensational result. Obviously winning
coach of the year against some other high
profile coaches, you must be delighted. What
was your secret for having successful girls in
the club?
It’s a hard job, a lot of hours spent in the gym
with the gymnasts, analysing their routines,
looking on the internet, reading a lot of
articles, working with the gymnasts individually
as well as in a group, organising different
activities for the group, for example, something
different like beach training for strength and
conditioning. Always new ideas of improving
the standard of the gymnasts. Working closely
with each gymnast, with each parent, because
for parents it is a big commitment. Some of the
gymnasts do 30 hours a week and parents have
to bring them here, as well as to school, and
they understand it all.
Sometimes even psychologically it is hard for
the gymnasts to train so much and to get ready
for the competition. That’s why we have a great
team at the club and the support of gymnastics
Victoria of course.
Thank you very much for your time and
congratulations on your win!
Touchline recently
interviewed Kateryna
Logachova, Head Coach
at the Prahran Rhythmic
Gymnastics Club. Kateryna
was recently awarded
‘Victorian Coach of the Year’,
ahead of some other very
high profile coaches.
Kateryna coaches both
international and national
gymnasts in Levels 7 and
above. She aims to help
each gymnast develop their
potential to the maximum
of their ability in rhythmic
gymnastics.
Sportscover sponsored the
Victorian Coach of the Year
Award at the 2013 VicSport
Awards
AN INTERVIEWWITH 2013 VICTORIAN COACH OF THE YEAR
MEDIA
ABOUT
KATERYNA
LOGACHOVA
