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| Vol. 18, No. 8 | Oct. 22, 1998 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 8 | Oct. 22, 1998 |
Seated at the press conference Oct. 15 announcing Oskana Baiul's decision to train at
UD are (from left) Jack O'Neill, health and exercise sciences; Natalia Linitchuck,
Olympic medalist and Baiul's coach; Ron Ludington, director,
Ice Skating Science Development Center;
Betty Paulanka, dean, College of Health and Nursing Sciences; and Baiul.
Baiul is training at UD with Natalia Linitchuck, a former Olympian who was named one of the Top 25 most influential forces in the world of figure skating by International Figure Skating magazine in 1996.
"I am very happy to welcome Oksana Baiul to the University of Delaware's Ice Skating Science Development Center," Paulanka said.
"Oksana Baiul joins an impressive list of skaters from America and around the world who have come to the University of Delaware to train. Since its establishment in 1986, our Ice Skating Science Development Center has served as a training site for many of the world's top skaters.
"For the athletes of all ages and all ability levels who skate here-from the casual, recreational skater to the international stars-Ms. Baiul's talent and her revitalized commitment to skating are inspirational.
"Her affiliation with UD is further affirmation of the center's reputation as a world-class training facility," Paulanka said.
"I've known Oksana from the time she was 14," Linitchuck said. "We were originally from the same country, then she started representing the Ukraine. I've followed her career. I've always been interested in how she was developing, how she viewed herself, her sport and her life.
"The first time I spoke with her in this country was about two years ago. At that time, I never thought about asking her to come here and train because, you know, she is Oksana. She knows how her life is.
"Then, this summer, I went to her and invited her to work with me," Linitchuck said.
"I told her how much I liked her and how I thought I could help her maximize her career. She has fantastic talent. Some skaters you can watch perform a routine and then you think, 'Okay. I'm ready to see someone else.' But, with Oksana, I could watch her skate all day. I never want to stop watching her. I want to watch her more and more.
"Oksana has quickly become a part of my family and my life," Linitchuck said. "Really, all of the kids here are like family to us. It's like we have lots of kids. Oksana is no different; they all have problems of some sort.
"Oksana is treated like everyone else. She trains with my other students. Sometimes, she will see something she likes in my dance team and decide to take something from them. Sometimes, they will see her do something and decide to put that into their routine.
"Oksana will be in the exhibition here and then she will enter her first professional competition in December," Linitchuck said. "She does want to regain her amateur status and that is very possible for her. We have a general plan and are working in that direction.
"Everyone here, especially the small girls, love watching Oksana.
"I trust Oksana, I believe in her. She works very seriously. She is very professional and her work is very clever," Linitchuck said.
"It's very exciting for us to have Oksana here," Ron Ludington, director of the Ice Skating Science Development Center, said.
"She's one of the highest profile skaters in the world, and there's an excitement that trickles down to our other skaters-especially the little ones. They really look up to her. She's an inspiration for the whole program.
"She is training to compete as an amateur again and we have a good game plan worked out," he said.
Linitchuck and her husband, Gennadiy Karponosov, came to UD's Ice Skating Science Development Center in 1994.
They themselves won a gold medal in the 1980 Olympics, as well as the European and World Championships. Also currently training with Linitchuck at UD are Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov, 1998 World Champions and 1998 silver medalists at the Nagano, Japan, Olympics.
The University of Delaware Ice Skating Science Development Center is directed by Ron Ludington, who has taken part as a skater or coach in every Olympics since 1960, when he won a bronze medal.
In 1993, he was elected to the U.S. Figure Skating Association's Hall of Fame. Under his direction, the center has produced numerous U.S. and world-class champions.
-John Brennan
