BAUIL BIRTHDAY
Oxana Bauil turns 30 years old.
Translation of an interview with Oxana Bauil (OB) by Lubomir Lukanjuk (LL), a correspondent of the Russian language Ukrainian internet publication “Sport.com.ua” published on November 16, 2007.
The fist Olympic champion of independent Ukraine turns 30. Tons of books and miles of film were written and taped about her fate. The ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan, and this swan is now turning 30.
The phone call from this correspondent caught her busily preparing her party. She said that she was rushing out the door to a special store to buy a kosher cake for the celebration. The reason for that was that the party will take place in the central synagogue of New York City. She expected to have about 500 guests there.
LL – Why at the synagogue?
OB – I remember from my childhood that my mother and grandmother were called "dirty jews." When a few years ago I met my father, I asked him if it was true that I had Jewish blood and he told me that it was true. My grandmother and my grandfather met during the war. She was a Romanian Jew.
LL – What will you wear for the celebration?
OB – In the first part of the program I will be in a simple dress over which I will wear a tallis. The second part of the party will be a fashion show which I organized with a well known fashion designer, Levi Okunov. In the beginning of the second part I will come out in a wedding gown. It is not a hint. It is just a tradition in fashion shows that to be successful it has to be opened with a wedding gown.
LL – What presents are you expecting?
OB – My friends are keeping it secret but I guess that they invited Adriano Chelentano to sing for me. It was hinted to me that before the fashion show he will sing and after the show the TEQULAJAZZ will perform for me.
In the last few years Oxana became very active in philanthropy. In particular, she is sponsoring Jewish boarding schools and children’s homes. Whenever the Olympic Champion has free time she comes back home and spends time with the orphans.
The head mistress of the Odessa children’s home, Tikva, Ms. Hala Melamet, told us that Oxana is a frequent guest at their facility. When she arrives she takes the children out to the skating rink, and to concerts and restaurants, where they play and are generally having a good time. The children adore her.
LL – Are you planning to have kids?
OB – When my schedule will be less crowded, I will definitely have kids. There is no higher happiness for a woman than to have kids. Children are the reason for living.
That may be why Oxana became so attached to a six years old little girl named Vera at Tikva. Oxana is seriously considering adopting her. Vera lost her mother a year ago and became very attached to Oxana. Oxana says that she understood Vera very much because she was an orphan herself and knows firsthand the feeling of being alone. When Oxana was leaving for the States, the girl was very sad and Oxana promised to come back for her. Next year, she is planning to start the adoption process. Oxana thinks that she will have to overcome a lot of obstacles but hopes that she will be able to adopt Vera. When asked if she would like her adopted daughter to become a figure skater, Oxana replied that she would not push her and that children should select their own activities.
The next project for Oxana is a Broadway show – “Cold As Ice.”
History of Oxana:
Oxana was born in the city of Dnepropetrovsk on November 17, 1977. Two years later, her parents divorced and the girl lived with her mother and grandmother. She dreamed of becoming a ballerina, but she was told that she was too fat for it. Then her grandmother took her to a skating rink, assuring Oxana that figure skating was like a ballet on ice.
At the age of 8, Oxana was traveling all over the former Soviet Union. After the break up of the USSR, Oxana went to live in Odessa, Ukraine and worked with the duet of coaches – Galina Zmievskaya and Valentin Nikilaev. In 1993, at the World Championship in Prague, Oxana won a Gold medal.
At the Olympic Games of 1994, during practice, Oxana collided with Tatiana Shevchenko. She received a cut on her leg and a trauma to her shoulder.
She overcame her pain and went on the ice. The tears came afterwards – the tears of victory. Oxana became the first Olympic Champion of an Independent Ukraine.
After the victory, Oxana moved to the USA. She was showered with fame and money and she cracked under the pressure. She developed a drinking problem. In the winter of 1997, she crashed her Mercedes into a tree. She recovered from a brain contusion and was sentenced to three months of detoxification treatment.
Last year, for the first time in many years, Oxana skated in Ukraine. She performed at the "Stars on Ice" show at the Kiev Palace of Sports. She looked as if she were only a shadow of the former Bauil – the champion.
* * *
"Skate Crime," Book #5 in The Figure Skating Mystery series is out today! The perfect Christmas gift for the skating fan on your list!
Translation of an interview with Oxana Bauil (OB) by Lubomir Lukanjuk (LL), a correspondent of the Russian language Ukrainian internet publication “Sport.com.ua” published on November 16, 2007.
The fist Olympic champion of independent Ukraine turns 30. Tons of books and miles of film were written and taped about her fate. The ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan, and this swan is now turning 30.
The phone call from this correspondent caught her busily preparing her party. She said that she was rushing out the door to a special store to buy a kosher cake for the celebration. The reason for that was that the party will take place in the central synagogue of New York City. She expected to have about 500 guests there.
LL – Why at the synagogue?
OB – I remember from my childhood that my mother and grandmother were called "dirty jews." When a few years ago I met my father, I asked him if it was true that I had Jewish blood and he told me that it was true. My grandmother and my grandfather met during the war. She was a Romanian Jew.
LL – What will you wear for the celebration?
OB – In the first part of the program I will be in a simple dress over which I will wear a tallis. The second part of the party will be a fashion show which I organized with a well known fashion designer, Levi Okunov. In the beginning of the second part I will come out in a wedding gown. It is not a hint. It is just a tradition in fashion shows that to be successful it has to be opened with a wedding gown.
LL – What presents are you expecting?
OB – My friends are keeping it secret but I guess that they invited Adriano Chelentano to sing for me. It was hinted to me that before the fashion show he will sing and after the show the TEQULAJAZZ will perform for me.
In the last few years Oxana became very active in philanthropy. In particular, she is sponsoring Jewish boarding schools and children’s homes. Whenever the Olympic Champion has free time she comes back home and spends time with the orphans.
The head mistress of the Odessa children’s home, Tikva, Ms. Hala Melamet, told us that Oxana is a frequent guest at their facility. When she arrives she takes the children out to the skating rink, and to concerts and restaurants, where they play and are generally having a good time. The children adore her.
LL – Are you planning to have kids?
OB – When my schedule will be less crowded, I will definitely have kids. There is no higher happiness for a woman than to have kids. Children are the reason for living.
That may be why Oxana became so attached to a six years old little girl named Vera at Tikva. Oxana is seriously considering adopting her. Vera lost her mother a year ago and became very attached to Oxana. Oxana says that she understood Vera very much because she was an orphan herself and knows firsthand the feeling of being alone. When Oxana was leaving for the States, the girl was very sad and Oxana promised to come back for her. Next year, she is planning to start the adoption process. Oxana thinks that she will have to overcome a lot of obstacles but hopes that she will be able to adopt Vera. When asked if she would like her adopted daughter to become a figure skater, Oxana replied that she would not push her and that children should select their own activities.
The next project for Oxana is a Broadway show – “Cold As Ice.”
History of Oxana:
Oxana was born in the city of Dnepropetrovsk on November 17, 1977. Two years later, her parents divorced and the girl lived with her mother and grandmother. She dreamed of becoming a ballerina, but she was told that she was too fat for it. Then her grandmother took her to a skating rink, assuring Oxana that figure skating was like a ballet on ice.
At the age of 8, Oxana was traveling all over the former Soviet Union. After the break up of the USSR, Oxana went to live in Odessa, Ukraine and worked with the duet of coaches – Galina Zmievskaya and Valentin Nikilaev. In 1993, at the World Championship in Prague, Oxana won a Gold medal.
At the Olympic Games of 1994, during practice, Oxana collided with Tatiana Shevchenko. She received a cut on her leg and a trauma to her shoulder.
She overcame her pain and went on the ice. The tears came afterwards – the tears of victory. Oxana became the first Olympic Champion of an Independent Ukraine.
After the victory, Oxana moved to the USA. She was showered with fame and money and she cracked under the pressure. She developed a drinking problem. In the winter of 1997, she crashed her Mercedes into a tree. She recovered from a brain contusion and was sentenced to three months of detoxification treatment.
Last year, for the first time in many years, Oxana skated in Ukraine. She performed at the "Stars on Ice" show at the Kiev Palace of Sports. She looked as if she were only a shadow of the former Bauil – the champion.
* * *
"Skate Crime," Book #5 in The Figure Skating Mystery series is out today! The perfect Christmas gift for the skating fan on your list!
posted by Alina Adams at 3:46 AM
1 Comments:
At March 17, 2009 10:18 PM,
Anonymous said…
Thank you for the story. To me she will always be the tiny white snow flake that seemed to float across the ice. She was then and remains now so very lovely. thank you for the memory
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