SEE VIDEO http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/10/01/scott-an-inspiration-to-young-skaters
Iconic athlete Barbara Ann Scott will remain a role model in the eyes of young skaters, years after her passing.
In the tough world of figure skating, “a lot of people don’t make it and you have to keep on going, just like she did,” said Analisa Love-Tedjoutomo, 13.
Love-Tedjoutomo is striving to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The young skater said she cried upon hearing of Scott’s death through Facebook.
“She had a passion for figure skating that it’s hard to find in a lot of people…” she said.
Scott, 84, died Sunday night at her Amelia Island, Florida home.
The cause of death is unknown.
Scott ruled the ice.
The Ottawa native is the only Canadian to win gold in women’s figure skating at a Winter Games, dazzling crowds at the 1948 Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Shortly after, a doll was created by the Reliable Toy Company.
On Monday, a Barbara Ann Scott doll was listed for $265 U.S on the online auction site eBay.
Love-Tedjoutomo got to meet Scott over the summer.
“She (was) really nice, and she liked to be really coordinated with her clothes,” Love-Tedjoutomo said before hitting the ice at the Minto Skating Club.
In 2004 Scott donated $100,000 to the club, where she began skating at the age of six.
“We always hear her name and…we especially look up to her,” said 11-year-old Hannah Dawson.
Photos of Scott decorate the lobby “and whenever I walk into the arena, I always see her and I always think, ‘OK I can do this. She could do it, I can do this,’” said Dawson, who’s also a fan of Olympic bronze medallist Joannie Rochette.
Dawson’s parents told her Scott died.
“I was really amazed, ’cause she had a really good life. Last time I saw her she was doing really well so I was really surprised. I was kind of sad, too,” she said.
Funeral and memorial arrangements are pending.
Kelly Roche - Storyteller 