Stories from Bosque Bello

The lives they led…

Barbara Ann Scott King

In 1948 in St. Merits, during the Sixth Winter Olympics, this premier athlete was awarded the Gold Medal in the ladies' singles event. Her married name was Mrs. King, but most people on Amelia Island or in , her country of birth, just called her "Barbara Ann."

Dubbed “Canada's Sweetheart," Barbara Ann was born in 1928 in , the daughter of an army colonel. She began skating at age 6. By age 9, she had a daily 7-hour training routine. She was 11 when she won the national junior championship. At 13, Barbara Ann became the first female skater to complete a double lutz in competition. By the age of 15, Barbara Ann was Canada's senior National Champion. She was also the only Canadian to win the European Championship twice, in both 1947 and 1948. Following these wins, she competed in the Winter Olympics where she won her gold medal at the age of 18.

The Canadian Prime Minister said that Barbara Ann helped "lift Canada out of its post-war gloom." She is the only woman to simultaneously hold the Canadian, North American, European and World championship titles and the Olympic gold medal in Women’s Figure Skating.

Following her Olympic win, Barbara Ann became a Canadian national hero and was so popular that dolls were made in her image. The Scott doll was the gift to have for a generation of young Canadians. She later toured as a professional as part of the Hollywood Ice Revue. Not long after, Barbara Ann married Tom King, a former Marine Corps officer and Detroit Falcons NBA player, who then worked as a publicist for the ice revue show.

In retirement, Barbara Ann trained show horses, and in her mid-40s, was rated among the top equestrians in the United States. She also continued to remain very active in figure skating as a judge and as a public sports figure. In her private life, she was an advocate and philanthropist to many animal charities and causes.

In 1995 Barbara Ann was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Her home city of Ottawa created a permanent public exhibit which holds her Olympic gold medal, trophies and historic career photographs.

In 2009, she carried the Olympic torch into the House of Commons on its journey to for the 2010 Winter Games.

Barbara Ann died in her Amelia Island home on September 30, 2012 at the age of 84.