Rhythmic Gymnastics Veterans. Founder of the Ivanovo school Zinaida Matveeva
Winner of the RSFSR Championship (northern zone). Russian Federation Honored coach. Excellence in physical education. Excellence in public education. Awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, the medals "For the Defense of Leningrad" and "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War". Founder of the Ivanovo Rhythmic Gymnastics school.
Zinaida Matveeva was born on October 9, 1925 in Leningrad. She was an athletic child and constantly participated in various competitions at school.
During the Great Patriotic War, Matveeva experienced all of the horrors of the seige. Later she recalled (the quote is given in the material of the Rabochy Kray (Working Region) publication:
"We were walking in the well-like courtyard when an airplane appeared above us, and behind it, like a flock of little birds, were incendiary bombs. I immediately called everyone to me, and we rushed to the attic. Sand and tools were already prepared there, with which we began to extinguish the bombs..."
Irina Chernyshkova, her student, and now Russia’s Honored coach and senior coach and teacher of the Youth Sports School No. 9 in Ivanovo, says:
"I often retell Zinaida Mikhailovna’s story to my gymnasts. When Zinaida was sixteen, the Great Patriotic War began. She was taking a course for young fighters, and the instructor was a woman who came every day with lip liner. And looking at this makeup, they understood that beauty not only exists, but it will definitely conquer everything."
Later, Matveeva became a rifle platoon commander and trained recruits herself.
Photo credit: archive of the No. 9 Youth Athletic School (Ivanovo)
After the war, she entered the P. Lesgaft State Institute of Physical Culture, where she began to practice rhythmic gymnastics. This sport had just came about at that time. The newly developed program was taught by Roza Varshavskaya, Zinaida Verbova, Anna Larionova, Yulia Shishkareva, and Tatyana Markova. Irina Chernyshkova said:
"Zinaida said that when their class graduated, they were told the following parting words: "You will flow like streams throughout our large country and bring the most beautiful sport to the world." She often recalled these words. And we also remember this, passing on our knowledge."
At the institute, Matveeva met her future husband Boris. After completing his studies, he was assigned to his homeland, and Zinaida followed him to Ivanovo.
There they both began teaching at the Educaton institute. At that time, Ivanovo knew nothing about rhythmic gymnastics, there were no clubs, no coaches, no judges.
Matveeva assembled a team of girls and began training them. She continued to train herself, in 1950, she achieved her main success, winning the RSFSR championship (the northern zone). The tournament was held according to the second category program.
Photo credit: archive of the No. 9 Youth Athletic School (Ivanovo)
Matveeva actively popularized the young sport in the region. At her instigation, new clubs were opened, rhythmic gymnastics was included in the program of the Spartakiad of universities, which meant that interest in the sport increased. In addition, Zinaida founded and headed the regional Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics (later, in 1999, it was named after Matveeva). Zinaida was also the senior coach of the Ivanovo region team for many years.
Among Zinaida’s students, in addition to Irina Chernyshkova, are the USSR Master of Sports and the RSFSR Champion Faina Alferova, the USSR Master of Sports Elena Sokolova and many others. It is thanks to Matveeva that Ivanovo rhythmic gymnastics received its own, recognizable style, which is distinguished by its aesthetics.
Zinaida passed away on March 23, 2021, at the age of 95.
There is a poster with a photograph of Zinaida Matveeva in the hall of the Youth Sports School No. 9. They say that no matter where you are on the floor, it seems that she is looking at you.
Sources: Rabochiy Kray, official publication of the Ivanovo city administration; website of the No. 9 Youth Athletic School.