Meet Ivan Dimitrov
ABOUT IVAN
IVAN WAS BORN IN SOFIA, BULGARIA IN 1986. HE WAS RAISED BY HIS MOTHER, BORIANKA, AND HIS MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS, AND GREW UP IN A TIGHT-KNIT EXTENDED FAMILY
COACH
A Brave Beginning
Ivan began figure skating at 8 1/2 years old, which some would consider a “late” start. He was first introduced to the sport because his only sibling, Liliya, and her best friends were skaters (Liliya eventually became a great skater). His little sister’s dedication to the sport sparked an interest in Ivan that eventually ignited into a passion.
He later began training with Tsvetanka Stefanova, a doctor of pedagogical sciences at ГДОИФК*Лесгафта* (http://lesgaft.spb.ru) ( Государственый дважди ордена институт физической культуры имени Лесгафта) together with Alexei Mishin, the head of the department.
Ivan’s family made tremendous personal sacrifices to support his skating and to make ends meet. Borianka, a highly skilled textile technician, worked for a top fashion house in Bulgaria. When Ivan began competing alongside Liliya, Borianka handmade his costumes for competitions, lovingly sewing each stitch with pride in his accomplishments.
A CHAMPION EMERGES
When Ivan was between the ages of 15 and 19, the family’s hard work and their many sacrifices began to pay off, when Ivan became the Bulgarian Junior Champion and competed in the Junior Grand Prix and World Junior Figure Skating competitions. Ivan traveled extensively throughout Europe while competing, including Serbia, Croatia, Romania, Estonia and Holland.
Following high school graduation, and as the Bulgarian Junior Champion and the 2006 Bulgarian National Bronze Medalist, Ivan enrolled in classes at the prestigious National Sports Academy (NSA), a 70-year old specialized higher education institution also known as “Vassil Levski.” “NSA is the only university fully specialized in sports science in Bulgaria and one of the few sports universities in Europe. The higher school has achieved the highest score of the accreditation by the National Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of the Republic of Bulgaria and holds the leading position in the ranking system of university structures in the field of sports education.” http://www.nsa.bg/en
Click here for testimonials directly from Ivan’s clients and professional colleagues, personally vouching for his technical skills and personal character traits.
A Courageous Move To America
In 2006, when he was 19 years old and actively pursuing his college degree at NSA, Ivan saw an opportunity to expand his competitive figure skating platform by moving to the United States to train intensively.
He made the difficult choice to leave his home, his family — everyone and everything that was familiar and dear to him — to move to America to begin training at the Ashburn Ice House in Virginia.
When he boarded his flight to the United States Ivan had only $300 and his good name. He barely spoke English. He was, however, fueled by a strong and enduring competitive spirit, and the love and emotional support of his mother, his sister, his grandparents, and his friends back home.
After his arrival to the U.S., Ivan trained with Olympian coach and competitor Andrey Kryukov in Ashburn, Virginia, Russian Olympians Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury, and with Rafael Arutunian at the Training Camp, Ice Castle, in Lake Arrowhead, California.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITOR, PROVEN RESULTS
Ever motivated by a strong desire to succeed — and driven by self-discipline and his strong work ethic — Ivan competed in Senior Pairs at U.S. Nationals in 2011 and 2012 with the 2015 Senior Pairs National Champion, Alexa Scimeca, where the two earned a Top 10 finish in 2012.
Over the years, Ivan has successfully translated his strong competitive record, his professional and educational experiences, and his family’s aspirations into a thriving, rewarding competitive and coaching career.
Ivan’s proven results for his private clients speak loudly. For successive years, he has achieved remarkable successes with students winning medals at various skills series competitions throughout New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. He also trained a homegrown student to the point of qualifying to compete at U.S. Nationals at the Juvenile level.
From 2013 to the summer of 2015, Ivan served as the Freestyle Head Coach of EduSkating, which was certified by the Olympic Development Program Committee during his tenure. There he trained both children and adult figure skaters, with strong emphasis on competitive techniques, jumps and harness training. He coaches students at both recreational and competitive/elite levels and strongly encourages his students to participate in competitions, where they medaled throughout Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts.
He also designs and conducts personal and group on-ice and off-ice training programs in physical conditioning and plyometrics for competitive, professional and recreational athletes across various sports disciplines (figure skating, ice dancing, power hockey and tennis). In July and August of 2014 and 2015, Ivan coordinated individual and semi-private freestyle skating sessions and on and off ice conditioning classes during EduSkating’s private Lake Placid camp. While there, he also taught high-energy Power Stroking and Salchow group classes that were very popular.
In August of 2014, Ivan worked with the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)
Partnering in developing and implementing skating skills program and conducting off-ice and on-ice training in Vladivostok for the team.
In both 2014 and 2015, he coached U.S. and international figure skaters during the “Summer of Gold” at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury, also conducting power stroking classes.
Ivan is a member of the PSA, the USFS, and is CER category A certified
he has personally achieved the following test levels:
PAIRS – SENIOR
FREESTYLE – SENIOR
MOVES IN THE FIELD – SENIOR
DANCE – SILVER
Asked how he feels about his career, Ivan says, “Every day I am proud of what I do. I am especially energized by the children I coach who are fearless and dedicated in preparing for competition. It takes hard work and commitment. I love to encourage my students’ ‘can do’ attitude when it comes to falling down, picking themselves up and dusting themselves off, getting over their disappointments and bringing their personal best — ALWAYS!”
Ivan continues to pursue Sports Sciences education, both formally and informally. He focuses on personal betterment and keeping his technical skills and competitive edge continuously honed, while coaching recreational and competition-level students from the age of 3 to Seniors.
Self-taught, he is now fluent in 3 languages (English, Russian and his native Bulgarian), and conversant in Spanish.
He also freely gives back to his community by donating coaching time in connection with skating and athletic programs designed to benefit children in underserved communities in Connecticut.
Ivan recently relocated to Tampa, Florida and is accepting new students interested in competitive and recreational figure skating. He also offers off-ice athletic conditioning lessons for a variety of sports disciplines.
Click here to inquire about scheduling skating lessons or off ice conditioning sessions with Ivan.
CONTACT IVAN
GET IN TOUCH
Looking to book lessons in Estero, the greater Ft. Myers area, or Tampa, Florida? Coach Ivan is now accepting students of all ages and levels in figure skating and hockey. Have a few questions? Just reach out and Ivan will be in touch with you shortly.