History
Founder of Lana’s Gymnastics Club, Inc.
Peter Rabinovich
(1937-2000)
Peter Rabinovich was born in Kiev, Ukraine on April 21, 1937. Peter’s interest in gymnastics started at the early age of 10 when he entered gymnastics school. He enrolled in Acrobatics, which is the foundation of gymnastics and specialized in tumbling and balancing. Peter excelled at this sport and won the Ukrainian National Championship. By the age of 16 he won 1st place in the USSR National Championships. Peter graduated from the Ukrainian State Physical Education and Sports College in Kiev and then turned his attention to teaching sports. He rapidly progressed from teacher of physical education to Head Coach of the National Team.
In 1976 his students traveled to Germany to compete in the World Championships. Peter was not allowed to accompany them because he was Jewish. The athletes won 6 gold medals and upon their return presented Peter with a medal commending his persistence, patience, and guidance. In 1979 Peter opened the Spartak – a national school for Olympic training, where he served as Director and Head Coach. This school had an enrollment of more than 1300 athletes and 40 coaches. Under Peter’s guidance the school produced more than 40 National, European and World Champions. In addition,Peter directly coached many students, 16 of whom became World Champions.
For his success Peter was awarded the “Best Coach of the Decade in the World” by the IFSA(International Federation of Sports Acrobatics). He was given the title “Honored Coach of USSR” the highest National Sports Title in the USSR. Peter was selected by IFSA to be Referee (Chief Judge) of Two World Championships. For this achievement he received the International Olympic Committee’s Diplomat for Outstanding Achievement in Promotion of Sports.
Another interest of Peter’s was in the production of shows. In 1980,Peter was one of the producers of the Opening Ceremonies of XXII Olympic Games in Moscow. For this achievement Peter received a plaque of recognition and appreciation from the International Olympic Committee. Peter continued producing shows and produced many official government sports events. In 1988 Peter created a unique Sports and Dance show, which was a synthesis of the best elements of sports with the artistic beauty of dance. This “Slavutich Sports Dance Show” preformed to sold out audiences in the USSR, Australia, Germany, Italy, UK, Taiwan, and USA, and founded a completely new genre of artistic expression. In 1991 Peter and his family immigrated to the USA. Upon their arrival Peter, together with his son Alex, decided to create a Children’s Sports Center with the goal of allowing each child to excel in their chosen discipline. This idea came to fruition with the creation of Lana’s Gymnastics Club. Peter’s vast teaching experience along with his boundless energy rapidly transformed this budding school into a leader amongst New York State Sports Schools. In the seven years since its inception, Lana’s Gymnastics Club has an enrollment of over 600 students and has produced 7 State Champions as well as winners of National Tournaments. At Lana’s, programs remain the same as one developed by Peter combining high-level professional training with a healthy competitive spirit.
Peter Rabinovich died in August 2000 however his experience, philosophy, energy and dedication to sports and athletes remain alive in the school he created: “Lana’s Gymnastics Club”.
Peter’s students
(From the left to the right)
First Line:
S.Chizgevskiy – 3 times Acrosport World Champion
I.Gelimbatovskiy – 2 times Trampoline World Champion
S.Sopacheva – 2 times USSR Acrosport Champion
Peter Rabinovich
M. Kukharenko – 3 times Acrosport World Champion
N. Khripushina & I. Nosanovich – Winners of Acrosport World Cup
Second Line:
V.Lyapunov – 3 times Acrosport World Champion
G. Pilipenko – Ttrampoline Champion of USSR
G. Pilipchuck – Trampoline Champion of Europe