Students from Kikino and Caslan got to spend some time last week with one of the greatest cross-country skiers in the world.
Two-time Olympic medalist Beckie Scott, who was born in Vegreville and raised in Vermilion, visited Kikino School Feb. 29 to speak to the students and have some fun outdoors for the school’s Ski Fit Day. The 37-year-old, who won a gold medal in Salt Lake City in 2002 and took home a silver medal in Turin in 2006, was the first North American woman to ever win an Olympic cross-country skiing medal.
“I’m from a small town in northern Alberta, and no one thought I could win an Olympic medal,” Scott told the students and faculty at Kikino School, who were joined by Caslan School for the day. “But you set your own limits, because it doesn’t matter where you come from – anything is possible.”
After talking to the students and screening some short videos about the Olympics and her successful career, she showed the crowd her Olympic medals, letting each student in the gym try them on and posing with many of them for pictures. The students had gifts of their own, and honoured Scott by giving her a traditional Métis sash.
After retiring in 2006 as the most decorated cross-country skier in Canadian history, Scott joined the International Olympic Committee – the group that organizes the Olympic games. Now, she said one of her favourite things to do is to visit schools and share her passion for a sport that was such a huge part of her life.
“Now that I’m retired and have left the sport for many years, it still affords me opportunities like this – to come to Kikino and meet kids and promote the sport at a grassroots development level,” Scott said. “And that is really fun for me.”
Kikino School principal Laurie Thompson said the day was an exciting way to engage her students and the visiting classes from Caslan.
“Today is about celebrating a lot of our partners,” Thompson said, noting the school recently got a $5,000 grant from TransCanada to purchase ski equipment. “And the guys from StatOil have helped us a lot – and today they brought an Olympic gold-medallist with them.”
After spending time with Scott at the school, the students boarded busses and went to the Silver Birch Resort for some outdoor fun. There, the Olympic medallist helped young ones put boots on and displayed some of her world-class cross-country skiing form on the groomed trails.
“Of all the things I do, I think opportunities like this – to come out to rural communities in northern Alberta – are the most meaningful to me,” Scott said.
