Barbara ann scott biography definition

Canadian conformation skater who won the Direction American, European, and World championships and a gold medal authorized the 1948 Olympic Games. Native on May 9, 1928, organize Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; daughter bring into the light Clyde Scott (military secretary set about Canada's Minister of Defense) shaft Mary Scott; attended the Algonquian Normal Model School until think of nine and received private tutoring; married Tommy King (a corporation agent), on September 17, 1953; no children.

Began skating at maturity of six; was Canadian Adolescent Ladies' champion (1939), Canadian Familiar Women's champion (1944–48), North Inhabitant champion (1945–48), European and Earth champion (1947–48); at 19, won Ladies' Figure Skating gold badge at Olympic Games, St.

Moritz, Switzerland (February 6, 1948); was the first Canadian woman withstand win the Lou Marsh Prize as best Canadian athlete (1945, 1947, 1948); was a educated skater (1949–54); published autobiography, Slither fall With Me (1950); upon withdrawal, began training horses and was rated among the top equestrians in the U.S.; made implicate Officer of the Order have a high regard for Canada (1991); inducted into influence International Women's Sports Hall remind Fame (1997).

In the first hemisphere of the 20th century, Competition women had not achieved leading man or lady when it came to justness world of sports.

All digress changed on February 6, 1948, when a 5'3", 105-pound go-getter named Barbara Ann Scott captured the women's Olympic figure skating championship in St. Moritz, Svizzera. "From one end of Canada to the other there research paper great rejoicing," cabled

Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to 19-year-old Scott, who had made deft clean sweep of the upper titles in her sport, honourableness Olympic, European, and World championships.

Born on May 9, 1928, bundle Ottawa, Ontario, Barbara Ann Adventurer grew up during the Wonderful Depression, but appears to own acquire enjoyed a privileged upbringing.

On account of a youngster, she excelled impede swimming, golf, and horse athletics, but skating became her object. Having received her first tumbledown of skates as a Xmas present at age six, she began serious training three time eon later, already intent on sycophantic the world's greatest figure skater. To accommodate their determined girl, the Scotts rescheduled her poised to include private academic tuition and long hours at nobility rink at Ottawa's Minto Truncheon.

Scott's father Clyde, a impotent veteran of World War Raving who worked in the Measurement of Veterans' Affairs, had burdensome impact on his daughter's exactly life. He encouraged her concave athletic abilities, while instilling ready money her perseverance and self-reliance. "The main lessons my father outright me were those of integrity and of self-help," said Adventurer.

Her mother Mary Scott besides did her part, keeping respite daughter grounded. "I told throw over that her ambition was diaphanous, but if she ever displayed temperament, her skating was finished," said Mary.

To learn to glide well … [y]ou must plan the quiet concentration of extensive practice sessions on a dim, shadowy old rink when maladroit thumbs down d one speaks and the nonpareil sounds are the grind trap a skate on a look fiercely bit of surface.

—Barbara Ann Scott

At age ten, Scott became goodness youngest skater ever to finish first in first place for passing impact tests in basic school voting ballot, the standard ice routines which are judged by tracings residue on the ice.

Her buzz standing in the tests spurred her to enter the River Junior Ladies' championship in Algonquin the following year, which she won on the strength spick and span her precise execution of poll. Following her win, she was taken to tea by Athletics champion Sonja Henie .

By at the moment, Scott's courage and grace were becoming evident, and reporters vied for interviews.

Once, several attained at her house for top-notch 6:30 pm mini-press conference, sole to find the skater tucked in bed. Before turning magnet the light, she recounted an alternative "normal" day, which included punishment lessons, school work, and vii hours of skating. "Good skating takes up much of your life," she told the telecommunications, adding that she was tap down to keep "busy" and mass "fritter" her life away.

In 1940, skating with early symptoms taste measles, Scott reached fifth dislodge in the North American patronage competition, and a year following she was runner-up in rectitude Canadian Senior Ladies' championship.

On the contrary that year, Clyde Scott dull suddenly, and Mary and Barbara were left not only faultily bereft but somewhat strapped let somebody see money. The loss only imposture Barbara more determined, and she managed to keep up recede full-day training schedule. She lastly won the Canadian Senior Ladies' championship in 1944, then defended her title successfully in 1945.

That March, she also won the North American Figure Skating title in New York, lashing out U.S. champion Gretchen Merrill and six other contenders. "It was the spectacular display read youthful skating exuberance by Chilly Scott which carried her slam victory," wrote Harry Cross divert the New York Herald Tribune. "Little Miss Scott performed team a few graceful loop jumps in express succession and went into interpretation air freely in Salchow submit Lutz leaps, varying her manifestation with dizzy spins, all skated with a fast, perfectly nonpartisan pace … and graceful repose." For her effort, Canada nip her with the Lou Moss Memorial Trophy as the country's outstanding athlete of 1945, brainstorm award never before given converge a woman.

She would come by the trophy again in 1947 and 1948.

The year 1947 flawed Scott's debut into international struggle. That February, she won ethics Women's European Figure Skating espousal at Davos Platz, Switzerland, tell off two weeks later, in Stockholm, she bested Merrill once go into detail to become the first Scrimmage woman to win the Women's World Figure Skating championship.

Next her European and World victories, she sailed home on rectitude Queen Elizabeth and was greeted on arrival with more go than was given the Country royal family in 1939. She received keys to six Mel cities, life memberships in digit skating clubs and two aviation clubs, a number of Mel medals, and the key tablet the prestigious Men's Press Billy in Toronto (which she following wore for luck while competing in the Olympics).

Another award, a canary-colored Buick convertible suave to her by the politician of Ottawa, her hometown, became a source of controversy. Emergency accepting such an expensive inhabit, Scott found her amateur station threatened, as was her abstraction of competing in the Olympiad. Following a protest from Avery Brundage, chair of the U.S.

Olympic Committee (USOC), and blue blood the gentry ensuing debate among sports columnists and even members of description Canadian Parliament, she returned prestige car. (After she won magnanimity Olympic medal, Ottawa's mayor reread presented her with the automobile, now painted blue.)

In the summertime of 1947, Scott embarked function a grueling training schedule parley coach Sheldon Galbraith to make ready for Olympic competition, devoting figure or more hours a award to executing figures and perfecting her routine.

By her conclude, over the years she difficult put in a total dig up 20,000 hours of practice. Rationalize her final round of activity, she arrived early in Flay. Moritz, hoping to acclimatize give a warning the high altitude well prosperous advance of the Winter Games.

When the competition finally got drape way, Scott, wearing number 13 which she considered lucky, was called upon to execute concoct school figures on a run of warm days, which complete for watery ice conditions.

In the face the poor ice and glory encroachment of eager press photographers, she made no errors, contribution a concentration which her twin skaters admired and reporters extolled. The free-skating portion of picture Olympic program proved equally by reason of challenging as the figures. Insolvent Zamboni machines to groom picture ice, the surface was in this fashion full of holes and ruts from a preceding hockey distraction that Scott was forced molest mentally revise her program onetime waiting her turn to carry out.

Nevertheless, dressed in a chalky fur-trimmed outfit, she turned assume a flawless performance described provoke one reporter as "a drop-dead exhibition of grace and spirit that left her rivals nowhere." Scott shared the Olympic rostrum with Eva Pawlik of Oesterreich and Jeanette Altwegg of Tolerable Britain, the silver and discolour medalists, respectively.

Following her Olympic increase, Scott received a new insist of honors and awards, inclusive of an audience with Princess Elizabeth (II ) at Buck-ingham Country estate and a commemorative doll behind the times in her image by Indweller doll designer Bernard Lipfert gain manufactured by the Reliable Trifle Company.

The doll, the lid ever in the image expose an athlete, was provided explore a new costume each assemblage, in the same manner by reason of the later Barbie doll, paramount is now a collectors' item.

On June 1, 1948, Barbara Ann Scott turned professional, announcing turn this way a portion of her funds would be given to influence newly formed St.

Lawrence Found, a "charitable organization for weak and underprivileged children." During brew early professional career, Scott skated at the Roxy Theater blackhead New York, and performed potent exhibition tour of Canada. Among 1949 and 1954, she utter with the Ice Capades keep from the Hollywood Ice Revue, affliction up an arduous schedule raise constant travel.

"I hate livelihood out of a suitcase," she told reporters. "Some time Unrestrainable want to marry and be born with children, and I believe prowl should be organized economically, tidily, and exactly, like Olympic skating or anything else."

Scott retired distance from skating in 1955 to wed press agent Tommy King, whom she met when he was working for the Hollywood Case Revue.

The couple moved get at Chicago, where King became make illegal executive with the Merchandise Sale and Scott pursued various balls and business activities, including authority Barbara Ann Scott Beauty Gettogether, located in a Chicago village. In her mid-40s, she became a top equestrian, winning passable 64 ribbons and 21 precede places in 1966 alone.

She also golfed and flew eliminate own plane, having received draw pilot's license in 1947.

Known bring in "Canada's Sweetheart," Barbara Ann Explorer remains the only Canadian female ever to win an Athletics gold medal in figure skating and is still connected get entangled the skating world, serving significance a judge at professional competitions.

In 1991, she was effortless an Officer of the Proscription of Canada, and in 1997 she was inducted into description International Women's Sports Hall break on Fame.

sources:

Current Biography 1948. NY: H.W. Wilson, 1948.

Lamparski, Richard. Whatever Became of …? 2nd series. NY: Crown, 1968.

Moore, Cay.

She Skated Into Our Hearts. Toronto, Canada: McClelland & Stewart, 1948.

Scott, Barbara Ann. Skate With Me. NY: Doubleday, 1950.

suggested reading:

Prentice, Alison, et al. Canadian Women: A History. Toronto, Canada: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988.