Assistant National Women’s Coach Vladislav Izboinikov of Colorado Springs, Colo. has resigned from his position with USA Wrestling to accept a new position in education.

Izboinikov, who is often called “Coach Izzy” by his athletes, joined USA Wrestling in June 2005. He has worked with National Women’s Coach Terry Steiner since then, coaching women freestyle wrestling athletes at many levels for seven years.

He has been a coach for the resident athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Izboinikov also has been actively involved in coaching and developing USA Wrestling’s women’s freestyle programs on the age-group levels.

Izboinikov will now serve as a middle school principal at the Rocky Mountain Classical Academy in District 49 in the Colorado Springs community, a position he has already begun.

“I am extremely grateful to USA Wrestling, especially to National Women’s Coach Terry Steiner, for giving me the opportunity to be part of the women’s program for seven years. I am leaving the organization for no other reason than to pursue my next professional goals and to have more time with my family. I am excited and looking forward to my new challenge. My only hope is that I was able to help people over the last seven years.  I will try to stay involved in the women’s wrestling program. I feel that I can still contribute to the program’s success, but in a different capacity,” said Izboinikov.

“I am sad to see him go. It is hard to measure his impact on our women’s program. He was a key part of everything we did the last seven years. From the beginning, I have always felt that he was one of the best coaches I’ve been around, and I have been around many coaches. I don’t think you replace a coach like Coach Izzy. A good friend is moving in another direction. I am happy for him and for his family and I wish him nothing but the best,” said National Women’s Coach Terry Steiner.

“Our women’s program is better because of his many contributions,” said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender. “We are grateful for his tremendous efforts in our women’s wrestling program. He has a technical knowledge of wrestling that will be hard to replace. USA Wrestling has started an immediate and in-depth search to find the right coach for the continued upward climb of our women’s program.”

Throughout his time with USA Wrestling, Izboinikov has been the coach for the U.S. FILA Junior Women’s World Team, which includes the nation’s top athletes who are 17-20 years old. The United States has won 24 FILA Junior World medals during the seven years under Izboinikov, including six gold medals, and has placed among the top nations in the world in the team standings on a regular basis. Many of these athletes have gone on to success on the Senior World and Olympic levels.

“I took extreme pride in the Junior program. We are only as good as our next athletes. Coach Steiner and I believed that our Junior program needed special attention. Our improvement at that level leads to future success. These are the wrestlers who will be winning Senior medals for us later on. I truly enjoyed working with the younger athletes, as much as with the Senior wrestlers,” said Izboinikov.

Before joining USA Wrestling, Izboinikov served 10 years as a teacher and wrestling coach at Yucca Valley High School in California, where he built a strong program and was active in USA Wrestling programs..

In his 10 years as the head wrestling coach at Yucca Valley High School, he had a conference dual meet record of 42-1 and a 160-34 overall record during his tenure. His team was conference team champion nine times, with 62 conference champions. Yucca Valley won the sectional title four times, with 15 champions and 45 placewinners.

He was active with California USA Wrestling, as a state level coach in 2004, as well as a developmental coach with the Inland Empire Wrestling Association since 1998. He also served as a developmental coach with the Western New York Super Six Wrestling Club for three years. Izboinikov is a Silver level certified coach with USA Wrestling’s National Coaches Education Program.

He learned his wrestling coaching and competition skills in Russia, where he competed as an athlete and earned his coaching degrees. He competed in both Greco-Roman and freestyle. He was a member of the Sport Club of Olympic Reserve in Moscow from 1981-87, then trained at the Olympic Training Center in Moscow from 1987-93. Among his achievements was a second place in the Russian Junior National/World Team Tryouts in 1989. He won two medals at the Moscow State Championship during his career, and was a bronze medalist at the College National Championships in 1992.

Izboinikov came to the United States in 1993 to pursue employment opportunities. He received his bachelor’s degree in physical education from the Moscow State University of Physical Education in 1993. He also received his Wrestling Coach diploma in Russia in 1993. Izboinikov received a Masters degree in education from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and has also received his administrative degree with a principal’s licence.

Izboinikov is married, and his wife’s name is Pam. They have two children, Dimitri and Alyssa .