Special Contents
Bringing Aerobics to USSR
In 1990, an invitation to visit the USSR came to NAC Headquarters from the highest echelon of the Soviet government.
The USA National champions were invited to three major Soviet cities, Moscow, Leningrad, and Odessa, to introduce aerobics to the Soviet Union.
Reebok who was the title sponsor of the National Aerobic Championship also sponsored a documentary team to capture the images of this historic event.
At the time, fitness studios were not common in the USSR, as the only people who were provided the opportunity to train in a sports facility were elite athletes. The public knew very little about exercise and fitness.
The National USA Champions were invited to perform in the gymnastics department at the university in Moscow, in front of all the university’s gymnastics students.
Following their performance, the representative from the Soviet government asked which gymnasts were interested in learning more about aerobics. Every single one of them raised their hands.
The Champions and a selected team of experts conducted workshops and classes at the renowned Sports Clinic, the largest sports center in the country, and the training ground of Olympic athletes such as Olga Korbut.
Invitation to Russia
In addition to selecting and helping to choreograph the first-ever Soviet National Team, at each workshop, the athletes explained in detail all aspects of aerobic exercise: heart rate, proper form, aerobic footwear (with the contribution of Reebok), instructor roles, compulsory moves, musicality, and guidelines.
For the rest of the tour, the selected USSR team and USA champions traveled together through the Soviet Union, demonstrating and performing in gymnastics facilities, but also on the streets in front of large, captivated and highly enthusiastic audiences.
On the beach in Odessa, the champions used a boombox with speakers so that they could lead an impromptu exercise class, not knowing if anyone would join. One by one the beachgoers got up from the sand to join the class. It was inspirational.
At the end of the tour, the champions took top billing at a sold-out rock concert in Leningrad. The USA champions performed and brought the crowds in the packed arena to their feet with their exciting routines and Western music. Following their performance, the USA champions were joined on stage by USSR gymnasts, while both the Soviet and American flags were displayed side by side and Whitney Houston’s song “One Moment in Time” was playing. With tears in his eyes, Anatoly Tsarik, Chairman of the USSR State Sports Committee, exclaimed, “American aerobics is the anthem for movement and optimism.”
To further extend this newfound glasnost tie, the Reebok Championship invited the Soviet Aerobic Team to visit the U.S. in July of 1990. The Soviet athletes received a warm welcome from Mayor Tom Bradley‘s office in Los Angeles, and commemorated their historic visit with an “International Aerobic Week.” Their four-day whirlwind tour included a trip to Venice Beach, the Century City Shopping Mall, and that true American extravaganza, the Universal Studios Tour.