Barbara Ann Scott (1929 - )
Written by Gail Whiteside
Published by 50plus.com
Barbara Ann Scott
remains this country's only woman ever to win an Olympic gold medal. The
Ottawa native won the coveted medal for singles skating at the 1948 Winter
Games in St. Moritz. Scott says the biggest thing that carried her through
more than eight hours of training each day was a genuine love of the
sport. She wanted to be like Sonja Henie - the sport’s first true
women’s skating superstar. Under the coaching of Sheldon Galbraith,
Scott practiced diligently and didn’t stop until she had won the gold
medal - her ultimate dream. Scott was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall
of Fame in 1955. Earlier this year, while attending a skating championship
in Ottawa she had this to say about figure skaters: "You don't
manufacture them out of a box. It takes time and dedication." Scott
says she felt very sad when there was no Canadian woman to cheer for at
the Nagano Olympics in ’98. "Hopefully, we've got one or two in
training who will become Olympic champions”. In 1998, Scott was invited
to take part in the Legendary Night of Skating, an ice show at Toronto's
Air Canada Centre. It involved over 100 former national champs and world
or Olympic medallists. Large screens showed footage of Scott on the ice
during her medal winning years. To date, she remains grateful, if not a
little surprised, about such recognition. "I think it's so nice when
they remember ... it makes me feel very humble," she said. Many
Canadians will never forget Barbara Ann Scott’s golden moment on the ice
at the 1948 Winter Olympics.
Photo courtesy of Skate Canada
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