Oksana Baiul's BIO
November 16, 1977 (Dniepropetrovsk, Ukraine, Soviet Union)
Oksana Baiul's quotes |
|
I keep my skates. My Olympic skates are still in my closet!
I'm working really hard on my clothing line, but if I would want to skate on Champions On Ice I'll be able to do both.
I want to have a line of sportswear for the dogs!
I skate now for fun and to keep myself in shape.
My whole life is a challenge!
And still I'm not completely happy with my skating. I always feel I can do more and climb higher.
Competitive skaters must be prepared for lots of work, challenges, self-discipline, and motivation. The desire must be there, but more importantly, you're love for the sport.
I'd like to consider myself a versatile skater and I like to skate to different kinds of music.
I use Graf Edmonton for boots and John Wilson blades.
And I started taking care of my body much more carefully than I used to. I don't smoke. I don't drink. And I eat healthy.
I wish I could say it's easy, but honestly, to get ready for a big championship is not as easy as it seems.
Also, I gained lots of weight between ages 18-20 because I was drinking alcohol at night. Alcohol has lots of calories and that does not help.
Edouard Pliner is a very strong technical coach. I worked with him for four months in 1997 and I really liked him a lot because he is a great technician.
I wish I could compete again, but my good feeling is, these competitions are better as exhibitions.
I will try to make a doll of Oksana with a little dog.
I was able to travel the world, meet a lot of fascinating and interesting people, and able to see incredible places.
I took some time off to enjoy my life, but figure skating is something I love and something I will continue doing for the rest of my life.
I come to Fashion Week events in New York City twice a year.
When I'm on the ice, I like being Oksana, and not imitate other skater's music.
I like candy colors.
Olympic Gold changed me and my life dramatically. I became a celebrity overnight and people see me as a famous skater, not a real person.
First, I have to thank God for giving me the gift that he did as well as a second chance for a better life.
I don't care what the critics say or think because I care for and love my fans.
Michelle Kwan is a very talented competitor. As she's getting older she is becoming more graceful and powerful on the ice.
Pairs skating and singles are two different things. Although some skaters have achieved this successfully, it is a very difficult transition. You're looking at double work.
My weaknesses are my jumps. The reason is that although I land them in practice, when I actually compete or perform, I should let my body go and stabilize my mind better. Also, I need to work on not letting negative thoughts and emotions get to me on the ice.
Now, I don't make decisions as fast as I used to.
I liked Maya Plisetskaya and Anna Pavlova as ballet dancers. As skaters, I liked Brian Boitano and Jill Ternary.
While the amateur ranks focus so much on the technical aspects (like jumps), the pros don't jump as much and focus more on artistry and entertaining. Therefore, their programs are not geared enough technically to really compete against the amateurs.
I have always been interested in fashion. Gene owns a clothing company called NorthSportif. He supported and worked with me to achieve this goal of becoming more involved.
One of my favorite vacation places is Miami, because of the people, the water and the beach - of course - and the architecture on Miami Beach is so wonderful.
I have a lot of different stages in my life when training has been easy or hard. Now, it seems that I have been training for so long that it has become almost second nature to me.
I want kids to enjoy skating and I think it's a great workout.
In Russia, we didn't have to pay for coaching. Here, in America, I left Galina and I went back to my old coach, Valentin Nikolayev, because he was my coach who prepared me for the 1994 Olympics.
I moved to Massachusetts to a little town about forty minutes from Boston to be near my trainer, Eduoard Pliner.
I think the ISU should open up the rules for all the professionals to skate more so that they can contribute along with the amateurs to the sport of figure skating.
No, I'm not coaching. It's a huge responsibility to coach somebody.
I started taking ballet lessons when I was three and a half and I still take dance classes.
Professional competitions are overrated.
I recall being on a COI tour in 1994 with Sergei and Katia. Sometimes after long trips from city to city, we would go swimming in the hotel pool to relax. Sergei was a good swimmer and was constantly making a fool of himself in the pool and making people laugh.
Actually I dance really well on the floor.
I love to cook! My specialties are Russian Chicken and Napoleon Pastries.
People really do spend a lot of money on their pets - sometimes more then themselves.
For the past four years, my coach has been Valentin Nikolayev, but I use different choreographers all the time.
I like to listen to different kinds of music - it just depends on my mood. I love Madonna, Russian singers... I like the Rolling Stones a lot!
If you want to compete, you must find a coach that will be there for you 24/7 and that will challenge you in order to take you to a higher level.
I will perform and entertain people very soon. But first, I must improve on my techniques and take care of old injuries.
|
