Profile of Scott Hamilton on Famous Like Me

photo © Andrea "Hoo" Chempinsky.

Scott Scovell Hamilton (born August 28, 1958) is an American figure skater and Olympic gold medalist known for his originality and engaging on-ice personalities.

Childhood

He was adopted at the age of six weeks by Ernest and Dorothy Hamilton of Bowling Green, Ohio. He has two siblings, older sister Susan and younger brother Steven (also adopted). When Scott was just two years old he contracted a mysterious illness that caused him to stop growing. After numerous tests and several false diagnoses (including a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis that gave the boy just six months to live), the disease began to correct itself. It was never properly diagnosed and it is not known what corrected it; whether it was the latest of multiple diets his doctors had suggested or whether it was all the vigorous exercise he was suddenly getting from taking up figure skating. Whatever the cause, he began to grow again (although he never grew very tall).

He was now passionate about his skating and at age 13 began training with Pierre Brunet, a former Olympic champion. In 1976, however, he was forced to quit skating and enroll in college due to financial difficulties. However, an anonymous couple stepped in to provide financial support for Scott to continue his training.

Career

In 1980 Scott finished third in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, earning him a place on the US Olympic team. He finished in fifth place at the 1980 Winter Olympics, where he also had the honor of carrying the American flag in the opening ceremony. In 1981 he won gold in the World Figure Skating Championships. He won gold again in 1982 and 1983 at the U.S. and World championships, and in the 1984 Winter Olympics took home the gold medal. He won the 1984 World Championships and then turned professional in April 1984.

After turning professional Scott toured with Ice Capades for two years, and then created "Scott Hamilton's American Tour", which later was renamed Stars on Ice. He co-founded, co-produced and performed in Stars on Ice for fifteen years before retiring from the tour in 2001 (though he still returns for the occasional guest performance).

He has been awarded numerous skating honors, including being the first solo male figure skater to be awarded the Jacques Farvat Award (in 1988). In 1990 he was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.

Hamilton was a skating commentator for CBS television for many years, beginning in 1985. He has also worked for NBC television.

Personal

In 1997 Scott had a much-publicized battle with testicular cancer. He made a return to skating after his treatment and his story was featured in magazines and on television. It was also announced on November 12, 2004 that Scott has a benign brain tumor, which was treated at the Cleveland Clinic.

On November 14, 2002 he married Tracie Robinson, a nutritionist. The couple have one child, Aidan McIntosh (born September 16, 2003).

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Scott Hamilton