What's next for Kaetlyn Osmond? Maybe a skating school in Newfoundland
Osmond's father hints more news could be coming soon
Olympic medallist and world champion figure skater Kaetlyn Osmond says she has a few things in the works for post-retirement life, including a possible return to Newfoundland.
Osmond spoke to the St. John's Morning Show on Friday, a day after announcing her departure from competitive skating, and was asked what's next.
"There's a few doors open, I'm just trying to figure out which one I want to really, really dive into," she said.
"I have small plans for a camp in Newfoundland hopefully that helps develop young skaters in the province. So I'm excited for that and I hope it works out."
Osmond, originally from Marystown, also said she hopes to get into broadcasting someday, a path that could lead her to post-secondary schooling somewhere in the country.
For now, she's travelling with the Stars On Ice tour, which concludes in Vancouver in May.
Five years after her first Olympic appearance, Osmond announced on Thursday she'd be stepping away from that side of the sport.
She has OIympic gold, silver and bronze medals, as well as a stunning world championships win in 2018.
Whatever she chooses next, her father, Jeff, said she'll do it well.
"She's pretty level-headed and she's got a lot of good ideas," he said.
"It's just getting the time to get them started. I'm sure what she's thinking about for Newfoundland, the skating kids in Newfoundland will be pretty excited. And I'm sure in the next couple of weeks they'll be hearing more."
Finished her exit strategy
In a first-person essay for CBC Player's Own Voice, Osmond said she had "end goals" in place for her retirement.
One was landing on the podium in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, and the other was winning the 2018 World Figure Skating Championships.
When she accomplished both, Osmond said she knew it was her time to walk away.
Competitive skating has taken a toll on the 23-year-old's body. She kicked off the four-year cycle leading into PyeonChang with a stress fracture in her foot. When she thought things couldn't get worse, she fell and broke her leg.
After each setback, she rallied hard.
"Competition is all I've ever known," she said. "I think my first competition I was five years old. And up until the 2018 World Championships, competitions were all I actually did and that's what I knew."
Despite all the battles behind the scenes, most people know Osmond for her smiling face and positive attitude.
"A lot of people see me as the happy-go-lucky skater," she said.
"Which means that I did my job right."
With files from the St. John's Morning Show