(AP ) A short track speed skater from Springfield who raised nearly $50,000 online to cover training costs is one of just two Missourians competing at the Winter Olympics in Russia.
The Columbia Missourian (bit.ly/1b9aeHt) reports that 24-year-old Emily Scott is one of three short track skaters on the U.S. women’s team in a sport compared to roller derby on ice. Competitors jockey for position in a tight oval.
More than 700 people contributed to Scott after learning about her financial struggles in 2013, when her national team stipend was slashed.
The other Missourian in Sochi is men’s hockey player Paul Stastny of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. He was born in Canada but grew up in St. Louis, where his father played for the Blues.