Scott Hamilton (figure skater) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Scott Hamilton
Scott Hamilton, 2022
Personal information
Country represented	United States
Born	(1958-08-28) August 28, 1958 (age 66) Bowling Green, Ohio, U.S.
Residence	Franklin, Tennessee, U.S.
Height	5 ft 4 in
Former coach	Don Laws, Carlo Fassi, Pierre Brunet
Skating club	Philadelphia SC & HS
Began skating	Age 9
Retired	2009
Medal record Men's figure skating Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 1984 Sarajevo Men's singles World Championships Gold 1981 Hartford Men's singles Gold 1982 Copenhagen Men's singles Gold 1983 Helsinki Men's singles Gold 1984 Ottawa Men's singles

Scott Scovell Hamilton (born August 28, 1958) is a famous retired American figure skater. He is an Olympic gold medalist. Scott won a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics. He also won four World Championships in a row from 1981 to 1984. He also won four U.S. championships during the same years.

Scott Hamilton was known for his special move, the backflip. Not many other skaters could do this trick. It was against the rules in official competitions like the Olympics. But Scott would still do it in his exhibition shows to make the crowd happy. He later used the backflip in his professional shows too. People also admired his amazing footwork on the ice. After he stopped competing, Scott helped many charities and wrote three books.

Scott Hamilton's Early Life

Scott Hamilton was born in Toledo, Ohio, on August 28, 1958. He was adopted when he was six weeks old. His parents were Dorothy and Ernest S. Hamilton, both professors. He grew up in Bowling Green, Ohio. Scott has an older sister, Susan, and a younger adopted brother, Steven.

When Scott was two years old, he got a mysterious illness. It made him stop growing. Doctors did many tests and gave him different diagnoses. At one point, they thought he had cystic fibrosis and only had six months to live. But then, the illness started to get better on its own. Years later, doctors found out he had a brain tumor from birth. This was the cause of his childhood sickness. When he was at the top of his amateur skating career, Scott weighed about 49 kg and was about 1.59 meters tall. He later grew to be about 1.63 meters tall.

Starting His Skating Journey

At age 13, Scott began training with Pierre Brunet. Pierre was a former Olympic champion. In 1976, Scott almost had to stop skating. The training costs were too high, and he started college. But then, Helen and Frank McLoraine offered to help him financially. This allowed Scott to keep training. Scott later worked with the McLoraines to support figure skating through charity. He went to Bowling Green State University in Ohio. A street in Bowling Green was even named Scott Hamilton Avenue in his honor.

Scott Hamilton's Skating Career

In 1980, Scott Hamilton placed third in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. This earned him a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. His coach at this time was Don Laws. He finished fifth at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Scott also had the honor of carrying the American flag during the opening ceremony.

His big moment came at the 1981 U.S. Championships. He skated perfectly, and the audience gave him a standing ovation before he even finished. After this, he never lost another amateur competition. In 1981, he won the gold medal at the World Figure Skating Championships. During his long program, he received very high scores for both his technical skills and artistic performance. He started with a difficult triple Lutz jump, which was his strongest jump. He skated a powerful program even with a small mistake. He continued to win gold medals in 1982 and 1983 at both the U.S. and World Championships.

Hamilton's final performance on the Stars on Ice tour

At the 1984 Olympics, Scott won the compulsory figures part of the competition. He then placed second in the short program. For his long program, he planned five jumps. He completed three of them. He won the gold medal overall. This victory ended a 24-year wait for a gold medal for U.S. men in Olympic figure skating. After winning that year's World Championships, Scott became a professional skater in April 1984.

Life as a Professional Skater

After becoming a professional, Scott Hamilton toured with the Ice Capades for two years. Then, he created his own show called "Scott Hamilton's American Tour." This show later became known as Stars on Ice. He helped create, produce, and perform in Stars on Ice for 15 years. He retired from the tour in 2001, but he still comes back for special guest performances sometimes.

As a professional, Scott often performed his famous backflip. This move is not allowed in competitions governed by the International Skating Union (ISU). But in professional shows, he could do it.

Scott has received many awards for his skating. In 1988, he was the first male solo figure skater to win the Jacques Favart Award. In 1990, he was added to the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.

Scott Hamilton's Personal Life

Family Life

On November 14, 2002, Scott married Tracie Robinson, who is a nutritionist. They had their first son in 2004 and a second son in 2008. In 2013, they adopted two brothers from Haiti who had lost their parents. The family lives in Franklin, Tennessee.

His Faith

Scott Hamilton is a Christian. He has said that his faith helps him through tough times. He believes that with a strong relationship with God, you can get through anything.

Overcoming Illnesses

Scott Hamilton has faced several health challenges. In 2004, it was announced that he had a benign brain tumor. A benign tumor is not cancerous. He received treatment for it.

On June 23, 2010, Scott had brain surgery to stop the tumor from coming back. This type of tumor, called craniopharyngioma, could cause blindness if not treated. The surgery was successful. In November 2010, Scott was back in the hospital. During the tumor removal, a small blood vessel in his brain was nicked. The bleeding stopped, but an aneurysm formed days later. An aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel. Scott had another surgery and recovered well.

In 2016, Scott announced that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor for the third time. However, in March 2017, he shared good news: the tumor had shrunk without needing chemotherapy.

Charitable Work

Scott Hamilton is very involved in helping others. In 1990, the Make-A-Wish Foundation honored him. He was recognized as their first "Celebrity Wish Granter of the Year." This award is for celebrities who help grant wishes for children with critical illnesses.

He started the Scott Hamilton Cares Foundation. This foundation helps people who are battling cancer. Scott has also been a longtime volunteer for the Special Olympics. He is currently a Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics. He also supports St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

Awards and Recognition

Scott Hamilton has received many awards for his courage and achievements:

• 1985 – He received the Most Courageous Athlete Award from the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association.
• 1993 – A national sports study by the Associated Press ranked Scott as one of the top eight most popular athletes in America. He was more popular than many other famous sports stars.
• 1996 – He received the Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias Courage Award. This award recognized his bravery in overcoming challenges to succeed in sports.
• 1996 – Scott received the Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award.
• 2023 – He received the Kurt Thomas Foundation Flair Award.

Images for kids

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  Scott Hamilton performs during a Stars on Ice show

See also

In Spanish: Scott Hamilton (patinador) para niños