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"Canada's Valentine": A Barbara Ann Scott Poem

"Barbara Ann Scott, 1946" by Yousuf Karsh, Library and Archives Canada, c058196

Over the holidays, the blog took an in depth look into the popularity of the Barbara Ann Scott Doll and seeing how fabulous the late, great four time Canadian Champion, two time World Champion and 1948 Olympic Gold Medallist truly was, I thought it only fitting that another holiday be celebrated on Skate Guard in true Barbara Ann Scott style. It didn't hurt that I stumbled across an absolutely charming poem that was published on Valentine's Day in 1948 in "Saturday Night" accompanied by a stunning portrait by the acclaimed Armenian Canadian portrait photographer Yousof Karsh. The poem "Canada's Valentine" was written by Mary Lowrey Ross, a journalist and author from Brantford, Ontario and here it is in its entirety:

"Dear Barbara Ann: Your Public would
Prefer to show you its gratitude
With tributes rare and wonderful,
And preferably, tangible.
A rope of pearls, a wrap of mink
A private indoor skating rink,
A larger Buick still and creamier
With testimonials from the Premier
But since such gifts are out of line
We send you this simple Valentine
A license issued to your art,
To skate school figures in our heart."

How adorable is that?


Wishing you ALL a happy Valentine's Day and thank you all for supporting the blog! And remember... chocolate goes on sale on February 15 and with the stress of the World Championships coming up, you just might want to stock up there sunshine!

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on FacebookTwitterPinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.