Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.

Natalia Yurchenko is the 1983 Women’s All-around World Champion, renowned for her innovative and daring gymnastics, and the originator of the Yurchenko vault and Yurchenko Loop. Natalia started gymnastics at the age of seven and while not even age eligible, she started traveling as an alternate for the National Team and attended the 1978 World Cup and 1979 World Championship to be shown to international judges.  In 1982 Natalia won all meets of the season, including the USSR Cup and USSR Championship earning a spot to compete at the World Cup.  Unable to compete in the 1984 Olympic Games, because of the USSR’s decision to boycott the Olympic Games that year, Natalia, together with the Soviet gymnastics team competed in the Friendship Games where she won the gold medal on vault along with the team gold medal. After her retirement in 1986 Natalia continued to dedicate her life to gymnastics through coaching and, in 1999, together with husband, Igor and daughter, Olga moved to the United States.  On May 17, 2014, Natalia was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.  Natalia’s passion for gymnastics, her unique style and philosophy have set many aspiring gymnasts on their path to success. 

Daniela has extensive experience in Business Administration, Event Planning, and charitable work. She brings a deep level of passion and unique knowledge to the organization, having experienced a variety of business and management roles in sports, healthcare, and the non-profit world. Daniela and her husband relocated to Chicago 17 years ago where their daughter was born.     Daniela holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois Liautaud School of Business, is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt professional and has earned her degree in Event Planning from the New York Institute of Art and Design     Born and raised in Europe her professional and personal journey have strongly influenced the choices she has made both in her career but also her life. With a passion for helping others, she always searches for ways where she can give back to people in a real impactful way. In her free time Daniela enjoys working on different home projects, horseback riding or spending time with the family. She firmly believes in the power of sport to unite and inspire.

Matt Hanania has 16yrs of gymnastics coaching experience. He himself started competitive gymnastics in high school. He began volunteer coaching for his high school recreational program to help support and fund his team at the age of 14 and has been coaching ever since. Matt has been working with all ages and began coaching team 10 years ago. He believes that gymnastics not only makes you a great athlete, but a better person. His expertise has led him to prove to the young athletes he coaches that gymnastics can be the foundation to building character and life skills that will guide them into hard working adults.   Matt has also been an independent commodity trader on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange since 2014. In college is when he began his career in the markets. While studying at Governors State University he worked as a clerk on the trading floor at the CME. He now has a main focus on livestock and meat markets.   He believes that the discipline, hard work and time management he learned through the sport of gymnastics has helped him be able to succeed in both a trading and coaching career.