Alexander Svinin
A Russian ice dancing pioneer who transitioned from Olympic competitor to a coach molding world and Olympic champions.
Born 1958 (age 68)·Birthday: July 7·Baby Boomers
Biography
Alexander Svinin's journey in ice dancing is a tale of two distinct chapters, both marked by excellence. First, as a competitor for the Soviet Union in the 1980s, he and partner Olga Volozhinskaya carved elegant patterns on the ice, claiming European silver and representing their country at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics. His skating was known for its classical precision and expressive depth. After hanging up his competitive skates, Svinin embarked on a second, even more influential career as a coach. Based in Moscow, he, alongside his wife and coaching partner Irina Zhuk, became a master architect of champions. Their most famous project was the team of Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, whom they guided to a World Championship title in 2009, proving Svinin's eye for detail and understanding of the sport's evolving demands translated perfectly from the ice to the boards.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Alexander was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alexander Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Alexander's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the silver medal in ice dancing at the European Championships with partner Olga Volozhinskaya in 1983.
- Competed in ice dancing for the Soviet Union at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.
- Coached the ice dancing team of Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin to the World Championship title in 2009.
- Guided Domnina and Shabalin to an Olympic bronze medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.
Did You Know?
He is married to fellow renowned ice dancing coach Irina Zhuk, and they often coach as a team.
As a competitor, he won the gold medal at Skate Canada International in 1985.
He has coached at the famous Moskvich and Olympic Reserve sports clubs in Moscow.
Svinin's coaching helped develop the distinctive theatrical style of Domnina and Shabalin.
“The ice must tell a story, but first it must be flawless geometry.”
