Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Makushenko.
Kristina, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Surprisingly, I didn’t choose to be a swimmer myself. Everything started when I was a six-year-old baby girl!
The initiative to take me to swimming lessons initially came from my grandmother. She was concerned with my chubbiness and my weak back posture. Hence the reason I was taken to my first swimming lesson.
When I started swimming my coach noticed that I was very flexible. She advised my mother to take me to synchronized swimming instead. My mother followed her advice and the next day I found myself in a synchronized swimming lesson. After swimming for six months, I was selected to represent my swimming club in a competition at which I won four gold medals. This early victory attracted a lot of attention in my club and as a result I was admitted to swimming lessons with more experienced swimmers.
Having trained for a further three-year period and reaching the age of nine, I started competing in numerous local and national competitions in Russia. Since then, my big victories were the following:
• Two gold medals in the World Championship held in Serbia in 2009;
• Three gold medals in the 2nd category Eurasian synchronized swimming competition in 2010;
• Two gold medals in the Chania Women’s World Championship held in Crete, Greece in 2010; and
• Two gold medals in the European Junior Championships held in Serbia, Belgrade in 2011.
Since then, my career as a professional synchronized swimmer came to an end. I graduated from college and in 2015, I moved to Miami, America and became a coach in synchronized swimming. I was selected twice, in 2017 and 2018, as a coach for the National Talent Camp and Olympic Development Camp by the USA Synchro Federation.
In my free time, I give private lessons to athletes who are seeking to improve and who are willing to enter into the National Team. I have been coaching and giving private lessons for the past five years. During this period, I managed to add value to many athletes by enabling them to improve in their career ladders. Several athletes to whom I gave private lessons succeeded in getting into the Senior National Team, the under 15’s and under 12’s National Team as well as compete in the Pan American Games.
Apart from coaching and giving private lessons, I work as a commercial and lifestyle model. I also perform at various swimming shows and I appear as a hostess at numerous events held in Miami and other states.
And here I am!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
To be honest, it wasn’t a smooth road at all! Moving into swimming groups with older athletes had their own consequences. I was the youngest athlete who was getting a lot of attention from the coaching staff and my fellow athletes didn’t like it. Older girls used to bully me in the changing rooms and it made an impact on me. I was coming home in tears without a clue why were those girls so mean to me. Thanks to my mom who always supported me and regardless of anything, she was the one that made me wake up the next day and carry on.
Perhaps the worst professional experience I’ve ever had was the following. Once, after winning a competition, with over 200 competitors, at the age of 11, I was blackmailed by a girl who won the silver medal. This resulted in me stopping synchronized swimming and moving back to normal swimming. However, my mother stepped in and spoke the right words to me which made me go back to synchronized swimming and try even harder. Not my words but I’d like to quote them: “Tough situations build strong people!”
Future Plans: What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for – any big changes?
In the future, I’m planning to open my own training studio and hold classes for individuals who are interested in improving their flexibility levels. Ideally, this place would be for all age groups for both women and men. In addition to the above, I would also love to own a synchronized swimming club, where I would give lessons to children and youths who are willing to enhance their technique and get better at synchronized swimming.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
There isn’t a single thing that I don’t like about Miami. I love everything, including but not limited to, the people, the beaches, the restaurants, the nightlife. I enjoy jogging down the beach in the early morning and feeling the fresh breeze coming from the ocean. When it gets warmer, I usually go for a swim with my friends. I think it’s a very pleasant city.
Contact Info:
- Email: kristinamakushenko@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristimakusha/
Image Credit:
Red dress underwater ( Jeff Remas)
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