Yuri brings considerable knowledge and skill to training teams and individual rowers focusing on developing leadership as well as athletic skills and, of course, teamwork. He coaches the Maritime Rowing Club's Masters Program as well as the advanced High School Rowing teams. Yuri is a former member of the Ukrainian National Rowing Team, and a graduate from the University of Physical Culture and Sport in Kiev. In 1994 Yuri came to the United States to coach a youth rowing program in Sarasota, Florida. Since then he has held numerous coaching positions including serving as head coach of the Albany Rowing Club, where he built the rowing program taking his teams to the top levels of US Rowing competitions winning numerous national championship gold medals and titles.
Later he coached at Union College where he reorganized the program and established a professional rowing program. He was recruited to start up a rowing program and serve as head coach of Shenendehowa High School, Albany, NY where he took the team to national and international competitions, including the Canadian Henley where students were selected for the US National Team.