International Gymnast - October 2011

USOTC

LEFT: Both gyms are equipped with a camera system (set on 30-second delay), which enables gymnasts to watch every turn they take on the apparatus.

BELOW: At the 1996 Olympic trials, Marinitch celebrates with John Macready, who placed third to make the team. Coach Ron Brant, who started the OTC resident program in 1990, is in the foreground (and inset).

INSET BELOW: Marinitch at
the 1994 Dortmund worlds,
where he posted the top
compulsory all-around total
(HB You Tube link on p. 8).

The gymnastics facility, located near the center of the complex, comprises two gyms: a large gym with a full floor exercise mat, high bar, several pommel horses and vault; and a smaller gym with pits for apparatus and vault. Both gyms are equipped with camera systems and giant flat screen TVs (set up on a 30-second delay), which enable athletes to view every turn they take.

A trainer is present at every workout (most
days include morning and afternoon ses-
sions), and the gymnastics facility is adjacent
to the Sports Medicine building.

The north portion of the complex includes five residence halls (two athletes per room), a recreation center and pool, and a dining hall (see sample menu sidebar). The athletes’ rooms have refrigerators and free wi-fi, while the Athlete Center includes computers, DVD check-out and other amenities. Athletes also have free use of washers and dryers in the dorms.

Shuttles are available for trips to and
from the Colorado Springs airport.

• • •
With the landscaping and sports-relat-
ed sculptures that decorate the grounds,
the Olympic spirit is ubiquitous at the
OTC. And when you live there, you
never know who will cross your path.

“Michael Phelps comes through
here,” Orozco says. “I wouldn’t say I’m
pretty good friends with him, but I know
him on speaking terms (laughs).”
Orozco also says he hangs out with
some of the wrestlers and swimmers. “There are a lot of
Paralympians here [too]. They’re really nice, cool people.”
Marinitch loves the OTC and has no plans to leave, even
though his parents still live in Odessa, Ukraine. He is married to
Olga Mironchik, a former rhythmic gymnast from Belarus, and
they have two daughters: Lilia ( 13 in November) and Victoria
( 10). Both are Level 6 gymnasts at Stars National Gymnastics
Village, where Olga is a dance teacher.

“It’s so beautiful, this job,” Marinitch says. “To work with elite
athletes and prepare them to the top level in the world is prob-
ably the most rewarding part. I can go to the Olympic games
with them and watch them achieve their dreams. It’s really satis-
fying.”
If there is a downside, it would be that Marinitch has little con-
trol over who he will coach, or for how long. So he must main-
tain a certain emotional distance. “Some of them stay here for a
while,” Marinitch says. “Like in the past, we had Brett McClure
and Jason Gatson. They stayed with us for like seven years, and
they accomplished a lot. …And then there’s guys who come and
go, of course, as well. What are you going to do? It’s life.”
The talented CJ Maestas trained at the OTC for a brief peri-
od during the past year, before getting accepted to Illinois. “I did-
n’t have anything against him leaving the program,” Marinitch
says. “I think education is important, so if a person chooses to
do NCAA, it’s fine with me. And they can always come back
after that. Many people do.”
That’s another reason why the OTC is such a value to the
efforts of the U.S. men’s program. Where else can you train
under a world-class coach, receive professional sports medicine,
live with other like-minded gymnasts and have your expenses
paid?