Following a phenomenal gold and bronze performance at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, The Herald caught up with Marystown’s own, Kaetlyn Osmond
Olympic fever has come to an end yet again, but that’s not to say it’s time to stop celebrating all of the accomplishments we witnessed this year in Pyeongchang, South Korea. From bobsledding to alpine skiing, all the way to snowboarding and curling, there were a total of 102 events within 15 sports.
GIVING IT ALL
Figure skating may have been the most watched sport in the 2018 Winter Olympics within Newfoundland and Labrador, for the obvious reason that our own Kaetlyn Osmond was one of 153 competitors at the Gangneung Ice Arena, giving it all in a fight for the gold.
Last year, Osmond helped make Canadian history at the 2017 World Championships where she won the silver medal to share the podium with bronze medalist and teammate, Gabrielle Daleman. It was the first time two Canadian women had stood together on the world championship podium.
This year, the reigning world silver medalist from Marystown skated to music from Black Swan, scoring 152.15 in her long program for a combined score of 231.02 and proudly winning a bronze medal in women’s singles figure skating, and taking gold in the team event.
“It was incredible. At the team event, when we were on the ice, we were all so nervous, we were fighting for that gold medal. We were second in Sochi, so we wanted to improve on that. The whole team was dedicated to the team event to get that gold medal, and we fought for it so hard,” Osmond shared in an exclusive interview with The Newfoundland Herald.
“When we found out that we won, we all just celebrated together. We’re like a family, we’ve become so close in the last couple of years. To be able to be up on the podium with them was amazing. We had a huge group hug up on the top of the podium and we were all just so excited. When I was standing up there all I could think about was that I wanna be back up on this podium enjoying this once again, and when I stepped out on the edge for my own program, I felt so good and so comfortable. I was terrified, I was so nervous, but I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be and exactly where I wanted to be.”
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SILVER BLADES
“I’ve gotten to travel the world a lot more than I was expecting to. I’ve been to a couple places that I never thought I would like Korea – I never thought I’d end up there. I’ve gone to Japan numerous times, also a place I never thought I would go and it’s now one of my favourite places,” she shared.
“There’s a place in Germany called Obertsdorf, I do a competition there sometimes and that is incredible. I competed in France, it’s hard not to love France. I’d love to go to Australia. Right now the only thing on my mind is somewhere warm. At the moment, anything warm I’m very much okay with.”
Originally from Newfoundland and currently residing in Alberta, Osmond has been around the world, something that most 22-year-olds can’t say they’ve done. No matter how many countries and cities she tours abroad, she always makes time to come back to the island for a visit.
“I make it into St. John’s usually once a year at least, but I haven’t been back to Marystown in four years so I’m very excited to go back there. I’m going to Newfoundland for a number of things. One weekend I’ll be making a trip to Marys-town, doing a few things there. Couple things in CBS, and the following weekend is when I’ll be in Corner Brook. I do have an agent, but when it comes to Newfoundland, I feel like my dad just takes over,” she shared with a laugh.
The Silver Blades Skating Club in Corner Brook has a long history of phenomenal year end ice shows. In recent years, they’ve been honoured to have skaters like Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Elvis Stojko, and Joannie Rochette. In 2013, Kaetlyn Osmond headlined the show. Lisa Young, coach at the Silver Blades Skating Club, is beyond thrilled to announce that Kaetlyn Osmond will be back this year as their headline performer.
“We are beyond thrilled and honoured this year to have 2018 Olympic medalist (gold and bronze) Kaetlyn Osmond back as our headline performer! Artistic direction will be provided again this year by the incredibly talented choreographer Nathalie Deschênes, and the show will feature the very entertaining and very excited skaters of the Silver Blades Skating Club. It will be an ice show evening of Olympic proportions,” Young shared.
Kaetlyn elaborated, “I get to guest skate in Silver Blades! I’ll be around a little bit after, sign some autographs and I’ll have my medals on me this year anywhere I go, people can take pictures with those and hold them. It’s quite exciting to hold them. Seeing it is one thing, feeling the weight of it is another.”
The Olympics may be over, but there’s no time to rest for the figure skating star. Back on her skates, Osmond has already begun training for the World Figure Skating Championships in Milan, which begins in just a couple of weeks.
PURSUING HER DREAM
“For the next couple of months, I’m pretty flat out. I was trying to organize my schedule yesterday and it was even overwhelming me a little bit, but I think now that it’s settled, I’m okay,” she laughs.
“I go straight from Worlds to Japan for Stars on Ice. Then I’ll be here in Edmonton for a couple of days before I head to Newfoundland. In between my two weekends in Newfoundland I’ll be in Toronto getting some choreography done, and after Newfoundland I’ll go straight to Halifax, which is where we start our Canadian Stars on Ice tour.”
As she began travelling to pursue her dream at such a young age, Osmond says she is pretty use to being away from friends and family. “I feel like being away from my animals is more troublesome. I have a cat and a dog, and they both sleep with me when I’m home so it’s sometimes a little hard when I’m away for so long. I’m still debating, my dog might come to Newfoundland with me because I’ll be away for so long.”