Beckie Scott
Cross-Country Skiing Athlete - Inducted 2004
Beckie Scott began cross-country skiing at the age of five, with the encouragement from her parents who are both avid skiers. Soon afterward, her mother helped to organize the local chapter of the Jackrabbit Ski League, which provided Beckie the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of skiing while having fun with her friends.
Beckie entered her first competition at age seven, but her racing career began in earnest at age 13 when a new coach, Les Parsons, moved to Vermilion. Under Parson’s tutelage, Beckie learned to think big and to believe in herself. The success she achieved on her first trip to the Junior National Championships – in 100 Mile House in 1988 – gave her a sense of her potential and a taste for high-level competition. The dream was born – and it was an Olympic dream.
In 2004, Beckie is in her ninth year on the National Cross Country Ski Team. During that nine-year period, through a combination of talent, hard work, and determination, Beckie has re-written the Canadian record book and firmly established herself as one of the world’s best cross-country ski racers.
In 1998, at the Nagano Winter Olympics, Beckie placed 45th. Four years later, in the pursuit race at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, Beckie became the first Canadian and the first North American woman to win an Olympic Gold medal in cross-country skiing. She is also the first North American of either gender to win a gold medal in cross-country skiing. Beckie placed in the top-10 in each of her other three Olympic events. In addition to these achievements, she has won six World Cup medals in sprint, individual, and relay events and has been consistently in the top-10 throughout the last three ski seasons.
Beyond her athletic prowess, Beckie also brings strong values and an active social conscience to bear on her life. An ardent advocate of drug-free sports, in 2001 Beckie spearheaded an athletes’ petition demanding the establishment of an independent drug-testing body for all World Cup and Olympic competitions. As an ambassador for UNICEF, Beckie Scott always finds time to give back to the community.
After Induction
Beckie finished her competitive career with 17 World Cup medals in individual, sprint, and relay cross-country races.
During the 2005-06 season, she finished second overall in the World Cup standings.
She has served on a number of boards and committees, continued to fight for drug-free sports, for the development of athletes, and worked to raise awareness and help for athletes as they transition to private life as their competitive years come to an end. In 2008, Beckie took on an ambassador role for Ski Fit North, a cross-country ski program for Alberta's Indigenous youth. Later, she became the organization's CEO and rebuilt the organization with a new name - Spirit North - and a new brand.
• 2005 World Anti-Doping Agency - foundation board, and on the WADA athlete's committee
• 2006 Torino Olympic Games - Silver medal along with teammate Sara Renner
• 2006 - Retired from competitive skiing
• 2006 - Vancouver 2010 Games - VANOC (Vancouver Organizing Committee) Board of Directors
• 2008-2012 - ambassador for Ski Fit North - a joint program operated by Cross Country Alberta and Cross Country Canada (gets First Nations young people started in the sport).
• International Olympic Committee - elected to the Athlete's commission
• 2010 - Vancouver 2010 Games - VANOC (Vancouver Organizing Committee) Board of Directors
• 2012 - World Anti-Doping Agency - named to the executive committee
o Later became CEO of Spirit North (formerly Ski Fit North).
• Sochi 2014 IOC co-ordination commission
• Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport - Board of Directors
• 2016 - named to Calgary's 2026 Olympic potential bid Exploration Committee
Awards & Honours
• 2004 - Alberta Sports Hall of Fame
• 2007 - Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
• 2011 – May - selected to the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame.
• 2012 - Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame
• 2012 - CAAWS Most Influential Women list - this is the seventh time Beckie made the list.
