2 minute read

Scott Hamilton

Leaping To Gold



The winter games in Lake Placid saw Hamilton finishing a respectable fifth in the men's individual division. Apparently the skater was just beginning to hit his stride, for following the Olympics Hamilton took fifteen consecutive titles. Though never the biggest man on the ice, Hamilton distinguished himself as one of the boldest, eschewing sequins and spins for utilitarian attire and athletic triple-jumps. "My size is perfect for skating," he said in a New York Times interview with Frank Litsky. "I have a lower center of balance. I don't have as much body to adjust when I make a mistake, and not as much body to get tired."



Chronology

1958 Born August 28, in Toledo, Ohio
1958 Adopted by Ernest and Dorothy Hamilton
1966 Diagnosed with Schwachmann's Syndrome
1966 Begins figure skating
1971 Leaves home to train with Olympic medalist Pierre Brunet
1976 Temporarily stops competitive skating
1980 Represents U.S. at Olympic winter games, Lake Placid, NY
1984 Represents U.S. at Olympic winter games, Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
1985 Begins career as professional figure skater and commentator
1996 Co-founder, Discover Cards Stars on Ice
1997 Diagnosed with testicular cancer
1998 Returns to professional skating
2002 Launches Chemocare.com
2002 Marries Tracie Robinson

By 1984, Hamilton was considered the man to beat at the Olympic winter games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia: he had not lost a competition since September 1980, and his credits included four U.S. and world titles. He performed to expectation in the now-abandoned school-figures competition, but Hamilton's uncharacteristic shaky performance in the short program landed the skater in second place, behind Canada's Brian Orser, going into the freestyle long program. Quoted by Time reporter B. J. Phillips as saying he "wasn't into the ice" that day, Hamilton doubled two of his planned triple jumps. Despite the disappointing free skate, however, Hamilton had collected enough points in the school-figures and short programs to secure the gold medal and his place in sports history. As the Time article noted, Hamilton come to Sarajevo with a cold and an ear infection. "Though he refused to blame his curtailed performance on the illness, close observers noticed its effect." But, Phillips added, "nothing was wrong with his theatrical instincts." Hamilton provided an encore to the medals ceremony by skating a victory lap with the American flag held high.

Following Sarajevo Hamilton turned competitive professional, winning such contests as the Nutrasweet/NBC World Professional Figures Skating Championship. He also toured with the Ice Capades and formed the Scott Hamilton Amateur Tour before co-founding the Discover Stars on Ice touring company in 1986. For several years it seemed that no TV figure-skating show was complete without a turn by the gold medalist: A Very Special Christmas, An Olympic Calgary Christmas, Scott Hamilton's Celebration on Ice, A Salute to Dorothy Hamill, Vail Skating Special, A Disney Christmas on Ice, and Nancy Kerrigan & Friends are just a sample of his appearances. And when he wasn't skating, Hamilton was in the announcer's booth, providing expert analysis during televised competition.

Additional topics

Famous Sports StarsFigure SkatingScott Hamilton Biography - Finding His Place In The Rink, Leaping To Gold, Chronology, Overcoming Another Obstacle, Awards And Accomplishments