The World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) is a two-facility gymnastics club located in Plano and Frisco. WOGA is widely known for its prestige within the U.S. because of the creditable history that they uphold.
The head coaches at WOGA are USA Gymnastics women's national team coordinator are Valeri Liukin, who was a Soviet medalist at the 1988 Olympic Games, and Yevgeny Marchenko who coached gold medalist Carly Patterson. Some of the notable past elites are Elizabeth "Lizzy" LeDuc, Katelyn Ohashi, Grace McLaughlin, Briley Casanova, Ivana Hong, Rebecca Bross, World Champions Hollie Vise and Alyssa Baumann, as well as Olympic Champions Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin and Madison Kocian. Edouard Iarov, former coach of Valeri Liukin, the USSR and Canadian national teams also trained at the club.
In 2006 a WOGA coach was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 14 year old gymnast. The gymnast and her family filed a lawsuit against Liukin and Marchenko alleging that they had failed to properly screen and supervise the coach.
Video World Olympic Gymnastics Academy
History
Since opening in 1994, WOGA has had a number of successes unprecedented in US gymnastics history, including placing more than 30 National Gymnastics Team members. They are the most decorated gymnastics club in the United States.
In 2003, WOGA gymnasts won 2 individual medals and contributed to the first team gold for the US at the World Championships and 4 individual gold medals at the US National Gymnastics Championships.
In 2004, Carly Patterson became the second American gymnast to become the Women's' Olympic All-Around Gymnastics Champion, and the first American to do so in a non-boycotted Olympics.
In 2005, Nastia Liukin, the daughter of Valeri Liukin, was crowned US National Champion and placed 2nd at the World Championships. She defended her US title in 2006. Then in 2007 finished 3rd and in 2008 finished 2nd. She was also the national bars champion multiple times. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, she won a gold medal in the women's all-around competition, silver medals in the team, uneven bars, and balance beam competitions, and a bronze medal in the floor exercise competition.
In 2006, a gymnast who trained at Liukin's World Olympics Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) filed a lawsuit alleging that Liukin and co-owner Yevgeny Marchenko had failed to properly screen and supervise her coach Christopher Wagoner who, according to the gymnast, sexually assaulted her numerous times and suggested that she use cocaine for weight loss. She said she was 14 years old when the sexual abuse began. Wagoner was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida and received a 15 year prison sentence after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting the gymnast.
Maps World Olympic Gymnastics Academy
WOGA Classic
WOGA host an annual meet at the Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas, which has competitions from levels 1-10 as well as an International elite competition which has seen competitors such as Laurie Hernandez, Katelyn Ohashi, Madeline Gardiner, Marine Brevet, Mira Boumejmajen and Jordyn Wieber.
Notable Gymnasts and Alumni
- Nastia Liukin: 2008 Olympics Women's All-Around Champion, 2008 Olympics Balance Beam, Uneven Bars, and Team Silver Medalist, 2008 Olympics Floor Exercise Bronze Medalist, 2007 World Balance Beam Champion, 2007 World Team Champion, 2007 and 2006 World Uneven Bars Silver Medalist, 2006 World Team Silver Medalist, 2006 and 2005 US National Gymnastics All-Around Champion, 2005 World Uneven Bars and Balance Beam Champion, 2005 World All-Around Silver Medalist, 2005 World Floor Exercise Silver Medalist, 13-time US National Gymnastics medalist.
- Carly Patterson: 2004 Olympic Gymnastics All-Around Champion, Team & Balance Beam Silver Medalist, 2003 World All-Around Silver Medalist, 2003 World Team Gold Medallist.
- Madison Kocian: 2011 Jesolo Trophy All Around Silver Medalist, 2014 Team World Champion, 2015 Team and Uneven Bars World Champion, 2016 Women's Artistic Gymnastics Olympic Team Champion, Uneven Bars Olympic silver medalist.
- Hollie Vise: 2003 Team & Uneven Bars World Champion
- Ivana Hong: 2007 Team World Champion, 2008 Olympic Team Alternate, 2009 World Bronze Medalist on Balance Beam
- Lindsey Vanden Eykel: 3x US National Team Member; 2x US Junior National Uneven Bars Champion; UCLA full-ride scholarship; 2005 Pac-10 Championship Team; 2002 American Classic - 2nd uneven bars; 2000 John Hancock US Championships, 1st uneven bars; 2000 US Classic - 1st uneven bars; 2000 Pontiac International Team Championships - 1st team USA; USA v. France - 1st team USA, 1st uneven bars; 2000 Como Cup - 1st all-around, 1st balance beam; 2000 Monteforte Friendly Cup - 2nd all-around, 1st uneven bars, 2nd balance beam, 2nd vault; 2000 Plano Classic - 1st all-around, 1st uneven bars, 1st balance beam, 2nd vault; 1999 Canberra Cup - 4th all-around, 2nd uneven bars, 2nd vault, 3rd balance beam; 1999 John Hancock US Championships - 1st uneven bars; 1999 U.S. Classic - 1st uneven bars.
- Rebecca Bross: 2007 Pan American Games Team and Floor Exercise gold medalist, 2009 World Silver and Bronze Medalist, 2010 US National Gymnastics All-Around Champion, 2010 World Team & Balance Beam Silver Medallis, 2010 World All-Around & Uneven Bars Bronze Medallist. 8-time U.S. National Senior Gymnastics medallist.
- Nina Kim: NCAA All American and former National Team member
- Dylan Inserra: 2008-2010 All-Around National Champion, 2009 - 2011 Senior National Team Member, 2010 World Finalist - Acrobatic Gymnastics (partner Axel Osborne)
- Axl Osborne: 2008-2010 All-Around National Champion, 2009 - 2011 Senior National Team Member - 2010 World Finalist - Acrobatic Gymnastics (partner Dylan Inserra)
- Briley Casanova: competed in the 2009 Visa championships and finished 8th all-around.
- Glenn McCuen: 2008 Regional Champion; 2008 Texas State Champion. Now star of Nickelodeon's teen sitcom, Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures.
- Katelyn Ohashi: 2011 US National Gymnastics Junior All-Around Champion, 2013 American Cup gold medalist
- Grace McLaughlin: 2011 Pan-American Games Team Gold Medalist
- Brittany Talbert: 1999 US Classic All Around and Balance Beam Champion
- Marie Fjordholm: 1996 US National Junior Floor Champion
- Nicole Childs: 2005 Georgia NCAA Championship Team Member
- Christa Tanella: 2007 US Classic All Around Silver Medalist and University of Georgia Gymnas
- Alyssa Baumann: 2013 National Team Member, 2014 Team World Champion
- Nadia Cho: 2013 U.S National Championships qualifier
- Samantha Ogden: 11th 2013 Secret Classic, 16th U.S Nationals
- Mitzi Unda-Sosa: Mexico National Team member 2009-2011, Part of the Mexico 2010 World Gymnastics Championships team.
- Irina Alexeeva: Russian born Level 10 gymnast, J.O National Beam Champion
- Asia DeWalt: Level 10 gymnast and Hopes Elite
References
External links
- WOGA Home Page
- Woga Post
Source of article : Wikipedia
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