Gold Medal Winning Olympian Loves the Ice in Shreveport, LA

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Did you know that an Olympic gold medal winner lives in Shreveport, LA?

Who is Oksana Baiul?

Oksana Serhiyivna Baiul-Farina is a retired Ukrainian world champion and gold medal-winning Olympic figure skater who now makes her home in Shreveport, LA. She won the world championship in 1993 and was the first and only Ukrainian skater to win gold at the Olympics in 1994. Additionally, she's the first Olympic champion of independent Ukraine in any sport. In short, Oksana is kind of a big deal :)

As a little girl growing up, my family always watched the Olympics. My favorite sports to watch were figure skating, gymnastics, and equestrian sports. While I know there are individual world championships for each sport, nothing can match the magic of the Olympics in my eyes. That's why it's so darn special that Oksana made her home in Shreveport, LA of all places. After all, we're not noted for our winter weather or for having an overabundance of ice skating rinks other than the one at George's Pond at Hirsch Coliseum.

However, Oksana and her family were ready when Mother Nature dumped a bunch of white stuff on us this week. Check it out!

Check out this precious moment! I love the fact that even Olympic royalty will resort to 'redneckery,' ie: using a pool float to slide on the ice!

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Oksana and her family are definitely embracing life in Louisiana!