Aliesha W., NCCP II
Aliesha started rhythmic gymnastics at the age of 7. She trained competitively for the next 12 years. She has a coaching diploma, NCCP II and is currently in the process of getting her NCCP III (finished theory and technical courses already). Aliesha spent a lot of time developing her skills at Sport Seneca and Etobicoke RG Club as well as out in Vancouver. Aliesha loves the RG sport and is very happy to be able to share it with others at ORGC.
Alla S., NCCP II
Alla has been coaching for 11 years. She began her gymnastics career at the age of 5 in Eastern Europe. After moving to Canada, she continued training with Club Ritmika in Toronto. She was a Provincial Champion in 1993 and then went on to compete at the national and international levels. Alla holds Bachelor’s degrees in Education (Primary/Junior levels) and Kinesiology and Health Science.
Amanda Y., NCCP I
Amanda has been a rhythmic gymnast for 13 years. At the age of 6 Amanda started competition being coached by Xinhong. She grows up with gymnastics being a huge part of her life. Amanda has been named a provincial champion 4 times (2 individual and 2 group). She also won a national group silver medal in 2005. In 2006, Amanda received the Cappie Award for Best Dancer in Canada. Now retired, Amanda is part of the ORGC Professional Performance team and continues to perform and coach new gymnasts.
Amina S, NCCP I
Anastasiya M.
Anastasiya started rhythmic gymnastics training at the age of 4 in Ukraine and continued her training in Toronto. Her training was very intensive with a weekly program of 20+ hours. At the age of 12, she became a member of the national team of Canada at the junior level and later at the senior level. At the age of 14, she started to compete internationally. Her first international competition was “LA Lights” where she participated in Level 10 and was 4th all around. She was ranked 2nd at the Canadian Individual Championships and 2nd at Elite Canada in 2009. In 2010, Anastasiya competed at the Canadian Individual Championships in the Senior High-Performance category and placed 5th AA with a bronze in the ribbon final. She represented Canada at the Pan American Championships individually (10 AA) in 2010. In 2011, Anastasiya was selected to join the Canadian National Group. Together, they competed in 11 World Cups and the Pan American Games in 2011 where the team won 2 silver medals and a bronze. That was also the qualifying year, where the team earned a spot in the Olympic Games in 2012. This was the first time that Canada secured a group spot in the sport. Competing in London 2012, the Canadian team placed 11th AA. Anastasiya completed three years of Life Sciences Program at the University of Toronto and currently, she studies medicine at the University of Ottawa.
Anica P., NCCP I
Anica started rhythmic gymnastics at the age of 6 and has had a love for the use of music, dance, and ballet for many years now. She was an Ontario Provincial Champion in 2012 for a group routine as well as an Individual Ontario Provincial Medalist in individual apparatuses as well as all-around. She graduated from Canterbury High School in the Dance program and is now attending Carleton University studying Cognitive Science. She continues to train and compete but has found a new love for coaching.
Aniek Le M
Aniek has been doing rhythmic gymnastics for 7 years and she has been dancing since she was two years old. She started with coaching artistic gymnastics. Now she enjoys teaching rhythmic gymnastics. She loves children and is very happy to pass her rhythmic gymnastics passion to young gymnasts.
Brihana M., NCCP I
Brihana was on the Canadian National Team for 7 consecutive years before representing Canada at the Pan-American Games where she was a bronze medalist in 2007. Later that year, she represented Canada at the World Championships, Olympic Trials. Brihana graduated from Carleton University in April 2014 with a B.A Honors in Communications Study and a Minor in Psychology. She is currently working for Gymnastics Canada as the Rhythmic Gymnastics Program Coordinator. Brihana is a Level 1 NCCP coach and hopes to encourage gymnasts to achieve personal success in a dedicated and positive environment.
Chantal M., NCCP I
Chantal started ballet at the age of 5 and is currently finishing up grade 8 with the Royal Academy of Dance. She started Rhythmic Gymnastics at the age of 10. She and her teammates Gaby and Diana (Trio) had won the Canadian National RG Group Champion’s title at the 2009 Canadian Group Championships in Abbotsford BC on March 5-8, 2009. She had also won many gold medals at the provincial level.
Chelsea P., NCCP I
Chelsea began training with the ORGC in September 1997 at 8. She continued training throughout a busy schedule at Canterbury High School, which she attended for the dance program. She began coaching at camps and taught the Recreational Sunday 5-7 class in grade 12. Chelsea graduated from Canterbury in June 2006 and decided to pursue a career in modelling. She went to New York City for three weeks in July 2006 and has been working in Montreal recently. When she is in Ottawa she drops by training to stretch and is a demonstrator for the Synchronized Swimming Team’s flexibility class. She is also a replacement coach. In January 2007 Chelsea will be leaving for Milan, Italy to model for at least three months. Rhythmic gymnastics has had a huge influence on who Chelsea is today and she will carry the values of dedication and perseverance into every aspect of her life. She will miss this beautiful sport and everyone at the club tremendously while she is away.
Cleo P.
Cleo started artistic gymnastics at the age of three. At eight years old, she started training at the provincial level with the Ottawa Rhythmic Gymnastics Club. From 2008 to 2015, she won four provincial champion titles and two Ottawa Sports Awards for Gymnastics. In late 2015, Cleo moved to Toronto to join the Rhythmic Gymnastics National Team as a Senior Group Member. She trained 25+ hours a week at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. Cleo competed in various world cups in countries including France, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Spain, Belarus, and Russia. Cleo retired from the National team after attending the 2017 World Championships in Pesaro, Italy. As well as competing as an elite gymnast, over the years Cleo has been involved in music bands, ballet, and traditional Chinese dance. Years of intense rhythmic gymnastics training has taught her hard work and determination which she now applies to her academic passions as she studies Engineering Science at the University of Toronto.
Elena D., Ballet teacher
Elena was born in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. She started dancing ballet at the age of 5 and in 2001 she graduated from the National Dance Arts School.2001 – 2006 she was a dancer in the “National Art” ensemble led by one of the most famous Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics coach Neshka Robeva.2006 – 2009 worked in Sofia`s Capital Children Centre as a rhythmic gymnastics coach and ballet choreographer.2010 – 2011, Elena moved to Canada and had the opportunity to work as a ballet choreographer at the National Rhythmic Gymnastics Center in Toronto 2012 – 2014 worked at “Academic” Club in Sofia, Bulgaria as a coach and ballet choreographer with the gold medalist Simona Peycheva
Francesca R., Coach
Francesca has participated in several competitive sports from a young age, including figure skating and Irish dance. She began rhythmic gymnastics at the ORGC at the age of 11, and competed at the provincial level for 4 years, earning one bronze and two gold medals at the Ontario Championships in that time. She has now shifted her focus to other activities including her school band and drama, but is thrilled to remain part of the club as a coach. Francesca is currently in her last year of high school and expects a diploma from both Ontario and the International Baccalaureate program. She intends to pursue studies in computer science at university.
Genevieve D., NCCP I
Genevieve is a retired National and Provincial gymnast. She represented New Brunswick as a National gymnast and Ottawa as a provincial gymnast. She did rhythmic gymnastics for 6 years and has been coaching for 5 years.
Iana Kim NCCP level 1
Iana began competitive training in sports at the age of five. She first started in artistic gymnastics but quickly transitioned into figure skating. She competed for 6 years in figure skating before switching to rhythmic gymnastics. She officially started training at ORGC when she was 11 and has competed at the provincial level, in both individual and group categories. Iana graduated from Canterbury High School Dance Program and now attends Carleton University.
Jaimee L., NCCP II
Jaimee Loh has been participating and competing in a multitude of sports since a young age. She began in both artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, but decided early on that she wanted to pursue rhythmic. She was a provincial and national rhythmic gymnast for 13 years and has now shifted her focus onto coaching. Coaching has now been a significant part of her life for 5 years and she has her level 2 rhythmic and level 1 artistic coaching certifications. Jaimee is currently attending Carleton University in her Second year, looking to achieve her degree in civil engineering.
Katherine P., NCCP I
Katherine has been competing in rhythmic gymnastics since she was 8. She won an Ontario provincial group title in 2012. She is passionate about the sport and loves to share that enthusiasm with young gymnasts. Katherine is currently a student in the Canterbury High School dance program.
Keiko M., NCCP III
Keiko moved to Canada from Japan in 2002. She was part of the coaching team at the MEG RG club while in Japan. She joined ORGC as a coach in 2003. She has guided her gymnasts to many championship wins at the regional, provincial and national levels. As a child, Keiko had ballet training for 7 years since the age of 6. She then joined a junior high school rhythmic gymnastics club at the age of 14. In addition to dance and RG, Keiko studied Japanese calligraphy for several years. She also studied piano throughout her childhood.
Kelly T., NCCP I
Kelly was first introduced to rhythmic gymnastics when she was seven years old by her ballet instructor. She immediately took to it, entering the Sports Seneca Competitive Program one year later. In her first year she won a gold medal in group, and in her second year won provincial championships. In the course of her career, Kelly has won six group national titles, competed internationally at Four Continents, and twice at Junior Pan American, winning the gold medal in clubs group and third in ribbon group and team. Kelly began coaching gymnastics at 13, first teaching ballet and then rhythmic gymnastics.
Kristina A., NCCP II:
Kristina grew up in Montreal, where she first got involved in rhythmic gymnastics at Questo Rhythmics at the age of 6. Kristina was the Quebec Provincial Champion 7 times in her career and was also an individual Eastern Canadian Champion and group Canadian Champion. She participated in various international competitions in Europe and the USA and was a member of the Canadian National team in 1997. Kristina moved to Ottawa to pursue her university studies and began coaching at the ORGC in the fall of 1999. Kristina is currently in her 4th and final year of medical school at the University of Ottawa and hopes to continue her post-graduate medical training in Ottawa, so she can continue coaching at the ORGC.
Laura A., Junior Coach
Laura started rhythmic gymnastics at the age of 3. When she was 8, her family moved to Canada from Latvia. She transferred into the competitive level and trained in Montreal. Several years in a row, Laura was a champion in Quebec and Eastern provinces, and finally became part of the national Canadian team. Her hobbies revolved around ballet, dance, and music.
In 2012, Laura joined the coaching team at ORGC.
Laurie L., NCCP II
Laurie is a graduate in honours science from York University. Her competitive artistic gymnastics career concluded with many provincial and national titles in the varsity program. Her gymnastics coaching career started as a young teenager and even allowed her to use her expertise overseas. Laurie has managed many fitness facilities and coached in a variety of gymnastics clubs for close to 30 years. She enjoys the complimentary effects the disciplines of fitness and gymnastics have with each other. Currently, Laurie holds Provincial Level 2 certifications in Artistic and Rhythmic Gymnastics and Trampoline. She is also an Invitational Artistic Gymnastics Judge and Ontario Development Program (ODP) Assessor. Laurie recognizes the importance of fun, creative programming for participants. She strives to have participants put forth their best effort and achieve success in a positive environment. Laurie joined the Ottawa Rhythmic Gymnastics Club as a coach in 2002.
Lidia P
Lidia started her gymnastics career at the age of 5. She then entered the specialized youth and child`s sports school of the Olympic reserve of Belgorodskaya region, Russia in 1998, the department of rhythmic gymnastics. She had very intensive program 5 days a week for 6 hours. In 2008 she was bestowed a title of Master of Sports and Sporting referee. Lidia got her Masters degree of Business Administration and Hotel department in Switzerland. She immigrated to Canada in June 2017. She loves kids and tries to find the best way to motivate young gymnasts.
Mackenze J, NCCP I
Melanie A., NCCP II
An avid ballet dancer since age three, Melanie was one of the club’s first gymnasts when it opened in 1996. Starting out as a recreational gymnast, Melanie got to experience many of the different and creative sides of rhythmic gymnastics as a red ribbon competitor, as well as a provincial group member and an interclub individual gold medalist. Over the years, she has participated in many of the club’s most exciting and memorable moments, such as the 1998 Canadian Gymnaestrada – the club’s first – as well as the first official trip to China, where she performed with other group members in Hangzhou. She is now a NCCP II coach for the ORGC, and hopes to spread her love of RG to all future generations of gymnasts.
Nancy C., NCCP I
Nancy’s background is in ballet. At the age of four, her dancing began. She is a full member of the Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association (CDTA) in ballet. She has been instructing ballet and jazz for over 20 years. She runs the Nancy Cowan School of Dance and teaches at Les Petits Ballets in Ottawa. Nancy is a certified ballroom and Latin dance instructor and a professional member of the Canadian Dancesport Federation (CDF). Since 2003 she has competed both professionally and in Pro-Am in ballroom and Latin dancesport competitions in Canada and the United States. In 2006 she won the Canadian 10-Dance Pro-Am Championship in Montreal. She has been with ORGC for the past 17 years. Nancy is a CDTA (Canadian Dance Teachers’ Association) member, and a CDDDSC (Canadian Dance & Dance Sport Council.
Olga C., NCCP III
Olga was born in the town of Omsk, Russia. She started her rhythmic gymnastics training at the age of 6. Her training was very intensive with a weekly program of 30+ hours in the gym with some of the top coaches and gymnasts in Russia. By the age of 12, she was competing at the national level. She reached the level of master of sport and graduated from university with a degree in Sports Administration. She arrived in Canada in 2002 and became a coach at ORGC in 2003. She helped guide ORGC gymnasts to many championship wins at the provincial, régional and national level.
Tenzin W., NCCP I
Tenzin Tara Haines-Wangda is an emerging artist. She began dancing in 2002 where her love for movement began. Tenzin Tara trained as a competitive rhythmic gymnast winning 4 provincial championship titles throughout the years. She was a winner of Ottawa’s top amateur athlete in Rhythmic gymnastics in 2012. She later moved into the field of dance studying ballet, modern and acro throughout her high school years. In 2012-2013, Tenzin was a member of an up-and-coming dance company located in Toronto, ON, YA!YvonContemporaryDance. Now attending York University, she is working towards obtaining her Bachelor of Fine Arts in the field of dance. She hopes to use all her experience and knowledge gained over the years to entertain and create art for all to enjoy. She is currently a core member and performer for X Limit Entertainment.