Scott, Barbara Ann
Figure Skating
b. May 9, 1928, Ottawa, ONT
At the age of 10, Scott was the youngest skater ever to pass Canada's gold figures test and, at 12, she finished second in the Canadian seniors championship. She won the title in from 1944 through 1946 and 1948. In 1947 she became the first North American skater to win a world singles championship and she repeated in 1948.
The free skating portion of the 1948 Olympic figures competition was skated on ice that had been badly scarred and rutted by two hockey games earlier in the day. Eileen Seigh of the United States, who skated before Scott, gave her a thorough description of the ice surface that helped her turn in a nearly flawless performance to win the gold medal. She and Dick Button of the U. S., who won the men's singles, ended a long period of European supremacy in the sport.
After her victory in the Olympics, Scott became a professional and joined the Hollywood Ice Revue. She retired from skating in 1953. Later, she trained and showed horses, winning many medals. Scott also often serves as a figure skating judge.
Scott won the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's top athlete of the year in 1945, 1947 and 1948. In 1991, ahe became an Officer of the Order of Canada.