1. People have been skating on the ice fortransportation since the 13th century In the 1800s, people in Europe beganskating for fun By the mid-1800s, they were creatingfigures in the ice Jackson Haines added dancing andmusic in the 1860s

2. 1896 First World Championship 1908 First Olympic Appearance 1924 First Olympic Winter Games 1928 Sonja Henie wins Olympic Gold 1948 Dick Button changes figure skating 1976 Ice Dancing added to Olympics 3. Short Program Counts 1/3 of score 2 mins 40 seconds in length Has required elements Long Program Counts 2/3 of score 4 mins in length Free Skate, allows skater to showcase individual strengths and artistic interpretation 4. Born on November 16, 1977 inDnepropetrovsk in the former USSR Lived with mother and grandparents Wanted to follow in mothers footstepsand become ballerina Got first pair of skates at the age of four Oksana was a natural 5. At the age of five,Stanislav Koryteknoticed Oksana andoffered to coach herfor the USSR Oksana entered andwon her firstcompetition at theage of seven Photo Credit 8 6. At the age of nine,Oksana landed herfirst triple Lutz Oksana first saw theOlympics in 1988 andher dream ofwinning the OlympicGold was born Photo Credit 4 7. In 1988, Oksana losther grandfather In 1989, Oksanasbeloved grandmotheralso died Oksana decided togive up figure skatingbut returned after afew weeks In 1991, Oksanaentered the USSRNationalChampionships andfinished in 12th place Photo Credit 8 8. In August of 1991,Oksanas mother died Oksana moved in withStanislavs family andtrained with him untilhis unexpecteddefection to Canadalater that year Oksana was alone,having lost everyone Photo Credit 8that mattered in herlife 9. Galina Zmievskayamoved Oksana toOdessa to not onlytrain Oksana but alsoincorporate her intothe Zmievskaya family Although trainingconditions were tough,Galina introduced amore graceful style ofskating to Oksana Photo Credit 9 10. 1992 Ukrainian National Championships First Place 1993 European Championships Second Place 1993 World Championships First Place 1993 Nations Cup Second Place 1994 European Championships Second Place 11. Oksana decided tocreate a new routinefor her short program She skated to SwanLake in memory ofher mother, theballerina After the shortprogram, Oksanawas in second placePhoto Credit 2 12. In practice, Oksanacollided with anotherskater It was unclear ifOksana would be ableto compete untilshortly before herscheduled time Oksana performedand ultimately wonthe gold medal by1/10th of one pointPhoto Credit 3 13. Up until the 1994 Olympics,Oksana met many of thecriteria laid out by Giulianotti She embodied eternalqualities and hadextraordinary goals She had a great moralcharacter acquired throughfate She personified the values ofthe figure skating world She was a local herorepresenting her community She was a graceful, naturalskater Photo Credit 7 14. The 1994 Olympicschanged Oksanas world She left her amateur statusand began performingand competingprofessionally Money and adorationcame pouring in Oksana moved to theUnited States Shopping and partyingbecame a way of life Oksanas skating sufferedand she began alienatingPhoto Credit 8co-workers 15. Once Oksana achievedcelebrity status, she nolonger fit intoGiulianottis mold She began migratingtowards Strudlerscharacteristics of amodern athletic hero Although Strudler listedcharacteristics of manymodern athletic heroes,he noted that there wasno requirement for anathlete to have them all Photo Credit 1 16. Oksana had become acelebrity, with heractions overshadowingher skatingperformances She was not completelyvirtuous, she hadimperfections Oksana had flair andcharisma She showed greatconfidence Oksana was financiallysuccessful Photo Credit 6 17. Photo Credit 5 18. I recommend these links to anyoneinterested in witnessing Oksanas talentor re-living her unique performances1994 Olympic Black SwanPerformance1994 Olympic WinningPerformance 19. A Promise Kept: The Oksana Baiul Story. Dir. Charles Jarrott. Perf. Monica Keena, Miguel Ferrer, Sonja Lanzener and Susana Thompson. Company, 1994. DVD. Baiul, Oksana, and Heather Alexander. Oksana: My Own Story. New York: Random House, 1997. Print. Baiul, Oksana. Secrets of Skating. New York: Universe Publishing, 1997. Print. Bondy, Filip. "Oksana Baiul: Orphan at 13 and Champion at 15." New York Times 23 Apr. 1993: 14. Print. Bugayova, Nataliya Oksana Baiul: Ukrainian Star Still Shines, 14 Years After Triumph. Kyiv Post, 27 Aug. 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2012 . DuPont, Lonnie H. Oksana Baiul. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1999. Print. Malinowski, Mark Examiner.com. Examiner.com, 15 Aug. 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2012 . Official Website of the Olympic Movement. 2012. 9 May 2012 . Oksana Baiul: After the Glory. Biography. Ed. Charlie Wiener. Narrator: Harry Smith. A&EHome Video, 2002. VHS. Smindak, Helen. "Dateline New York: The Story of Oksana Baiul." Ukrainian Weekly 16 Mar. 1997. Web. 25 Apr. 2012 . Swift, E. M. "Teen Ice Queen." Sports Illustrated 23 Mar. 1993: 22-23. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. US Figure Skating. 2010. 9 May 2012 . 20. 1. Alena. Oksana Baiul. 2010. FrankRankWeb. 9 May 2012. . Jpeg.2. andrew_b. Best Olympic Style Moments. 2008. Alibaba.com, Hong Kong. Web. 9 May 2012. . Jpeg.3. CelePic. 2005. JPeg. Mabinty.comWeb. 9 May 2012. . Jpeg.4. Couls. Olympic Nostalgia: 1988 Ladies Short Program. 2010. Pop Culture WastelandWeb. 9 May2012. . Jpeg.5. David, Tim. Figure Skating. 2011. Tim DavidWeb. 9 May 2012. .Jpeg.6. Evil Beet. Oksana Baiul is Gunning for the Gold Medal in Botox. 2008. Evil Beet GossipWeb. 9 May 2012. .Jpeg.7. Figure Skaters Cookbook. 2009. Glens Falls Figure Skating Club, Inc., Glens Falls. Web. 9 May 2012.. Jpeg.8. Oksana Photo Gallery. 2012. JPeg. OksanaStyleWeb. 9 May 2012. .Jpeg.9. Sousa, Isabela. Figure Skating. 2010. Bailarina de Corpo & AlmaWeb. 9 May 2012. . Jpeg.