This month, their three offspring — Elanor, 14, Isabel, 12, and Ethan, 10 — will participate in the Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships in Belgium after perfecting tumbling abilities at the establishment over the past eight years.
Dominique Dawes, a native of Maryland, has left a great legacy in the world of acrobatics. Not only has she been an Olympic gold medalist, but she has also been instrumental in the early career of many gymnasts. Daniil Kostovetskiy, a 70-year-old white-and-gray haired man with a 6-foot-5 athletic build, founded the gym in 1995. Under his tutelage, the gym has been responsible for sending more than 500 acrobatic gymnasts to the national U.S. Competition and world championships. They are among the latest in a long line of athletes to matriculate through his program.
Acrobatic gymnastics solely focuses on balancing and tumbling skills on the floor, instead of performing a mix of choreographed dance elements set to music with complex flips, rotations, and other tricks reminiscent of floor routines in the Olympics. Rings, high bars, balance beam, and vault, like apparatuses, are not part of acrobatic gymnastics.
Elanor Chang can perform triple backward flips three times before returning to the ground; her skills are not for the faint of heart. After completing gravity-defying and jaw-dropping feats, she is sometimes thrown into the air and competes as part of two or three teams.
Elanor, a first-year student at Atholton High School, affectionately refers to Kostovetskiy as “the team’s grandpa.”
She states, “I have the sensation that I am able to communicate with him regarding any subject. He has the ability to be resolute and raise his voice towards you, however, his intention is to assist you in becoming the finest athlete.”
“Adds her father, Eric Chang, “My kids love Daniil. With athletics but with confidence, he’s been a positive force in their life.”
During the late 1980s, Kostovetskiy, who participated in gymnastics from the age of 8 until his early 20s, joined a group of gymnastics trainers who migrated from Russia and Western Europe to the United States. After the death of his wife, Emilia (the gym’s namesake), who worked as an army engineer near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion, he departed Ukraine a few years later. Kostovetskiy is of the opinion that her illness was linked to the disastrous event.
However, it was the persecution that ultimately prompted Kostovetskiy to move to the United States.
“We are Jewish,” clarifies his son, Yuri Kostovetskiy, who oversees the establishment. “We didn’t really have many alternatives.”
He recalled the breaking point when his father told him that his children would never be admitted to the university because of their ethnicity.
My father stated that he realized there was no prospect for us. “We arrived here with two suitcases and absolutely no funds.”
Daniil Kostovetskiy started working as a coach for acrobatics and gymnastics at Center Training Gymnastics Hill in Gaithersburg, where he settled with his children and sister, who lived in Pikesville.
Kostovetskiy decided to lease gym space in Howard County in 1995 after separating from Hill’s, and concentrated on acrobatic gymnastics.
“I didn’t want to be competitive” with Hill’s, he says.Output: “I didn’t desire to engage in competition” with Hill’s, he states.
In Howard County, Kostovetskiy discovered a hospitable community teeming with vibrant, emerging talent.
He states, “There are kind individuals. And a respectable populace.” “There’s Hispanic, Chinese, Russian, American, Indian. Everyone. I have numerous children who possess varying ethnicities and originate from diverse communities.”
The Chang children coincidentally ended up at Kostovetskiy’s gymnasium.
According to Amy Cheung, their mother, “When the kids were young, they would always be jumping around the house.” She added, “And we remained there.” Coach Daniil advised me to visit on that particular day. I contacted several gyms that had waiting lists lasting for a year.
The Chang offspring thrived under Kostovetskiy’s method of acrobatics, with the aid of choreographer Elena Arakelyan, a previous world titleholder in her own capacity.
“Acrobatics is their passion,” states Cheung. “They have learned discipline and time organization. A significant amount of organization has been introduced. They have also formed wonderful friendships.”
Their father promotes the self-assurance and adventures his children gain from the activity.
Chang expresses, “It’s remarkable that they have these opportunities at such a young age. They have competed against individuals from that region and have acquaintances from there. When we discuss Kazakhstan, it is not merely a distant location near Russia.”
Elanor wakes up at 6:30 a.M. Every day to go to school, as she believes that putting effort into her homework before anything else is essential. In addition, she spends four hours practicing at the gym, showing her high level of dedication to her sport, even though it requires such a significant sacrifice for her and her family to agree.
Cheung states, “I am exceedingly proud of them.” “The things they are capable of doing are incredibly impressive. It’s a combination of skill, tremendous effort, determination, and fortune.”
Isabel, the middle child, credits her success at the gymnasium to the guidance she received from her family, especially Kostovetskiy.
The seventh-grader from Clarksville Middle School expresses, “He’s truly kind, but once you become acquainted with him, externally he appears strict and serious.”
According to those who know him, beneath the stoic facade commonly attributed to Russian coaches, there resides a vulnerable and affectionate individual.
According to Yuri Kostovetskiy, “He dedicates his all to those children. I can perceive it in the manner [the athletes] react to him. He has escorted numerous of his American athletes down the aisle because they lacked a paternal figure.”
Daniil Kostovetskiy still makes the daily journey from Pikesville to Laurel for his pupils.
“The kids inspire me. Their enthusiasm is incredibly powerful,” he states. “I aspire to create something extraordinary for our nation.”
The construction of the facility began in mid-March 2019 with a scheduled completion date. It even has a room for an Olympic-size outdoor pool. The new gymnasium, a cavernous facility with 36-foot ceilings and a 17,500 square-foot area, is located about a half-mile from its current location. When he opens it next year, it will likely be the crowning moment for Kostovetskiy.
“It’s a dream come true,” Kostovetskiy expresses.