Gymnastics has always been a staple of senior Anna Illarionov’s life. She began her career when she was three years old and continued it up until the end of last year. But her gymnastics story extends beyond her own accomplishments and onto the future generations that she is helping to train and prepare.
Illarionov has spent most of her life as a competitive gymnast competing on the national level. She has been able to not only participate, but earn a medal in a variety of prominent events. “I’ve been to the Junior Olympics twice and I’ve been to Nationals three times. I’ve placed at all of them so those are definitely career highlights,” Illarionov said.
Even more impressive, Illarionov has been mixed in with the pool of athletes from which U.S. Olympic athletes are selected. “I’ve been selected to national team training camps, which is super cool,” Illarionov said.
Illarionov said that once she had committed to the sport, she knew it would be a key part of her life. “It’s the kind of sport where once you get dedicated to it and you put all your time into it, you either do it or you don’t,” Illarionov said.
Her career came to a heartbreaking end when she got injured after Nationals. Although she could have pursued further opportunities at a higher level of competition, she said she is content with her decision to stop competing and to avoid further injuries from the sport.
As a result, she was able to join a new team at school for her senior year, the poms. “I joined the poms because I found it was pretty similar to my sport in a way and I could still be involved without getting as many injuries,” Illarionov said.
Poms teammates have raved about her transition from gymnastics to dance and also learned how to utilize her unique skill set. “Her background in gymnastics is also a strength because we are able to highlight her flexibility in our dances,” senior poms captain Ashi Stanislaus said.
Although her competitive gymnastics career is over, Illarionov remains involved in the gymnastics community as a coach. “When I turned 14 they asked me to come and work in the gym and help young gymnasts,” Illarionov said.
Throughout her time coaching, she has been able to work with a variety of groups in several different roles. “I’m usually assigned to a specific group every year so I’ve worked with three or four different groups so far. Throughout the year I’ll typically serve as an assistant coach that helps out or meeting with the group as their main coach,” Illarionov said.
Illarionov has been gratified by the opportunity to give back to a community that gave her so much. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with younger gymnasts. “We pretty much do everything that my coaches did for me when I was younger. We do all the steps necessary for the kids to be successful during competition season,” Illarionov said.
Her ability to mentor and help others thrive has shone through in school as well. As a member of the senior planning class, she has been tasked with making and teaching their POTH dance. “She’s been great with choreographing and teaching us our POTH dance. I can see how she recognizes when people are struggling with moves and will go over them in a new way,” senior planning sponsor Victoria McCarthy said.
Through her competitive career, coaching of younger athletes and as a member of the poms, Illarionov has been a passionate representative of gymnastics. “Anna has been a wonderful addition to our team and I’m so happy she joined poms,” Stanislaus said.
