Athletes tend to pay a little more attention when a world champion is speaking to them.
Nelson Skating Club head coach Sarah Gower noticed this as soon as her skaters began taking direction from retired Canadian figure skating star Kaetlyn Osmond.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 funny, because we might say the same thing to the skaters and they sort of listen, but if it comes out of her mouth, theyB次元官网网址檙e like, B次元官网网址榦h!B次元官网网址� They really pay attention.B次元官网网址�
Osmond, who won three Olympic medals and was the first Canadian in 45 years to win ladies singles at the , is working with young skaters for a week at the Nelson and District Community Complex.
While her words may carry a touch more weight than Gowers, Osmond says it doesnB次元官网网址檛 take long for athletes to relax around her.
B次元官网网址淚 think when they spend more than two minutes with me, they realize I joke a lot and make fun of people a lot along with myself, and that kind of loosens it up around them and they realize IB次元官网网址檓 more of a human than terrifying.B次元官网网址�
The club was able to invite Osmond thanks to a personal connection with coach Jordyn Eberts B次元官网网址� the pair previously trained in Edmonton together.
Osmond said she has been helping with skaters one-on-one, conducting practice drills and would also talk to them about how she dealt with issues such as competition nerves.
By the end of the week, she said she hopes to see the skaters had made a little progress with their own goals.
B次元官网网址淢iracles donB次元官网网址檛 happen in a week. I just like to see if the light switch goes off. They might not even be able to land something new or do something new, but even if something just makes that little tiny bit more sense, thatB次元官网网址檚 as much as I can get out of it. And thatB次元官网网址檚 super rewarding for me.B次元官网网址�
Since retiring in 2019 at 23 years old, Osmond has taken part in shows such as Stars on Ice while pursuing a media studies degree at EdmontonB次元官网网址檚 University of Alberta. Eventually she hopes to make a career in radio broadcasting.
Coaching has been the biggest surprise of her post-competition life. It wasnB次元官网网址檛 something she wanted to do B次元官网网址� Osmond admits being pushed into it by a friend B次元官网网址� yet mentoring young skaters has restored love for the sport she says had in part been lost once her career was over.
Now sheB次元官网网址檚 juggling a full-time coaching job with her studies.
B次元官网网址淭o be able to go back into the world and see thereB次元官网网址檚 still joy in a lot of younger skaters and watching them try to live their dream, it kind of gives me purpose in skating, which is amazing.B次元官网网址�
It doesnB次元官网网址檛 hurt that they are learning from one of the best.
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| tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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