Dorothy Hamill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dorothy Hamill
Hamill in 2001
Personal information
Country represented	United States
Born	(1956-07-26) July 26, 1956 (age 69) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height	5 ft 4 in
Former coach	Otto Gold, Gustave Lussi, Sonya Dunfield, Carlo Fassi, Peter Burrows
Retired	1976
Medal record Figure skating: Ladies' singles Representing the  United States Winter Olympics Gold 1976 Innsbruck Ladies' singles World Championships Gold 1976 Gothenburg Ladies' singles Silver 1975 Colorado Springs Ladies' singles Silver 1974 Munich Ladies' singles

Dorothy Stuart Hamill (born July 26, 1956) is a famous American figure skater. She is best known for winning the gold medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics. She also became the 1976 World Champion in ladies' singles.

Early Life and Skating Start

Dorothy Hamill was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her family soon moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, where she grew up. She has two older siblings, Sandy and Marcia.

Dorothy began skating when she was 8 years old in 1965. She started with group lessons once a week. The next year, she became more serious about skating. She took private lessons and practiced very early in the morning. Sometimes she would wake up at 4:30 am to go to the rink!

Training and Coaches

Dorothy's first coaches were Otto Gold and Gustave Lussi. Because there wasn't much ice time in her area, she often trained in New York City. She would sometimes stay overnight with friends there. In the summers, she trained in Lake Placid, New York, and later in Toronto. Her coach at that time was Sonya Dunfield.

To help with her skating schedule, Dorothy switched to a special school in 1970. This school offered flexible tutoring. She later graduated from Colorado Academy high school.

Dorothy Hamill's Skating Career

Dorothy's first big success came in 1969. She won the novice ladies' title at the U.S. Championships. She was only 12 years old! After this, she was invited to perform in Madison Square Garden. This was part of a special tour that followed the 1969 World Figure Skating Championships.

She placed second in the junior level at the 1970 Championships. Dorothy then made her senior debut in 1971. The U.S. Figure Skating Association arranged for her to be coached by Carlo Fassi. This happened when she started competing internationally.

National and World Success

Dorothy Hamill was the U.S. champion for three years in a row, from 1974 to 1976.

At the 1974 World Championships in Munich, Germany, she was in third place. During her performance, the crowd was very noisy. Dorothy left the ice for a moment, upset by the noise. But she returned and won the silver medal! She finished behind Christine Errath from East Germany.

In 1975, Dorothy competed with an injured leg at the U.S. Championships. She had a pulled hamstring. Despite this, she won a silver medal at the 1975 World Championships. This event was held in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Olympic Gold Medal

Dorothy was not happy with her performance at the 1976 U.S. Championships. She felt she had not trained enough. Just before the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, her coach Carlo Fassi left to help another skater. Dorothy then trained with Peter Burrows.

At the 1976 Olympics, Dorothy placed second in the compulsory figures. But she won both the short and long programs! This earned her the gold medal. She was the last single skater to win the Olympics without doing a triple jump. After the Olympics, Dorothy also won the 1976 World Championships. She then decided to become a professional skater.

Hamill's Impact and Style

Dorothy Hamill is famous for creating a new skating move. It's a camel spin that smoothly changes into a sit spin. This move is now known as the "Hamill camel."

Her short, bobbed haircut also became very popular. It was called the "short and sassy" look. Her eyeglasses with large frames also started a trend in the 1970s. The media often called her "America's sweetheart."

Her skating style was seen as "athletic." People compared it to the more artistic styles of other skaters like Peggy Fleming. However, Dorothy was also praised for her elegant movements. She became the face of Clairol's Short & Sassy shampoo. Her iconic haircut was seen by millions after her Olympic win.

Life After Amateur Skating

After turning professional, Dorothy Hamill became a main performer for Ice Capades. This was a popular ice show. She starred in Ice Capades from 1977 to 1984. Later, she and her husband tried to bring the show back, but it didn't work out.

In 1993, a national sports study showed how popular Dorothy was. She was tied with fellow Olympian Mary Lou Retton as one of the most popular athletes in America. She ranked higher than many other famous sports stars.

Dorothy has continued to skate in shows. She has been a regular performer with "Broadway on Ice." She also appeared as a special guest in a skating show in San Francisco in 2007.

Television Appearances

In 2013, Dorothy Hamill joined the TV show Dancing with the Stars. She partnered with Tristan MacManus. However, she had to leave the competition early. This was due to a back injury she got during practice.

In 2017, Dorothy was a contestant on the Food Network TV show Chopped. This was a cooking competition for celebrities. She competed against other athletes. She made it to the final round but was eliminated.

Personal Life

Dorothy Hamill has written two autobiographies. The first was called On and Off the Ice. Her second book, A Skating Life: My Story, was published in 2007.

She has been married three times. Her first marriage was to Dean Paul Martin (1982–1984). Her second marriage was to Kenneth Forsythe (1987–1995). With Kenneth, she had a daughter named Alexandra. Dorothy married her third husband, John MacColl, in 2009.

Dorothy has also been a mentor to other skaters. She helped guide Rachael Flatt, who became the 2010 U.S. national champion.

Skating Achievements

Dorothy Hamill has many impressive achievements in figure skating.

Amateur Achievements

• Olympic Champion (1976)
• World Champion (1976)
• Three-time United States National Champion (1974–1976)
• Invented the Hamill camel spin

Professional Achievements

• World Professional Champion (1983–1987)

Awards and Honors

• Awarded the National Young American Award
• Won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1983 for her work on "Romeo and Juliet on Ice"
• Inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame (1991)
• Received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement (1996)
• Inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame (2000)
• A skating rink in her hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut, is named after her: the "Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink."

Competition Results

See also

In Spanish: Dorothy Hamill para niños