Dorothy Hamill, "America's Sweetheart" | Golden Skate

Dorothy Hamill, "America's Sweetheart"

S

SkateFan4Life

Guest
One of my fondest memories as a figure skating fan was watching 19-year-old Dorothy Hamill of Riverside, Connecticut, skate to the Olympic gold medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics, held in Innsbruck, Austria. She won the gold medal on Valentine’s Day – what a great present for her!

Dorothy had entered the Olympics as the three-time US champion and two-time World silver medalist. She was considered the best free skater in the world, with her strong, athletic style, crisp spins, and interesting choreography; however, she had not yet won the World title, as she was prone to make one or two costly errors. In those days, the singles competitions included the compulsory school figures, the short program, and the long program. While Dorothy wasn’t the gold medal favorite (reigning World champion Dianne deLeeuw of the Netherlands was the favorite) she was definitely expected to win an Olympic medal.

Just prior to the Olympics, Dorothy had split with her coach, Carlo Fassi (with whom she had trained for several years in Colorado Springs). She and her mother, who had lived in Colorado Springs so that Dorothy could train there, closed up their apartment in one day in order to return to the East Coast. Hamill arrived at the Olympics barely on speaking terms with Fassi, but they managed to patch things up so that they worked well together for the Olympic competition.

Hamill's American beauty rose dress, snazzy hair-do, and brilliant smile really won the day for many in the audience. Dorothy's haircut became a rage, as many young girls had their hair cut in the "Dorothy Do".

There was a sixteen-year draught with American women winning the Olympic gold medal in figure skating, so from 1976 until 1992, when Kristi Yamaguchi won the gold medal, Dorothy reigned as "American's Sweetheart on the Ice".

I saw Dorothy perform with Ice Capades in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She always skated beautifully, always looked gorgeous, and her smile reached to the top row of the ice arenas. I recall one Ice Capades performance in which she had called out sick. The announcer told us that "We regret to inform you that, due to illness, Dorothy Hamill will not skate in this afternoon's performance". The audience responded with a chorus of groans.

I also remember Dorothy's enjoyable television specials, one of which featured a number with her dressed in a '50's poodle skirt and skating with "saddle skates".

Dorothy's personal life hasn't been exactly been easy. She's been divorced twice - to Dean Paul Martin, who died a number of years ago in a plane crash, and to Ken Forsythe, a former Canadian Olympic skiier, with whom she had her daughter, Alexandra, who is now 16. Dorothy now lives in the Baltimore area.

During the early 1990s Dorothy and then-husband Forsythe purchased the Ice Capades, and she ran the company for a few seasons. I saw her "Cinderalla on Ice" show and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a very lavish production, and very well presented, I thought. Unfortunately, her Ice Capades went bankrupt, and she sold the company.

A few years ago Dorothy was diagnosed with osteoarthitis, a condition that almost ended her skating career. Once she realized what was wrong with her body, she received proper medication and was able to return to skating. She was a member of the cast for a SOI tour a few years ago.

Several of my all-time favorite Hamill programs are:

"Pie Jesu"
"One Rock 'n Roll Too Many"
"The Music of the Night"
"Zippidy Doo-Da"
"Nutcracker"

Dorothy has always conducted herself with grace, good sportsmanship, and class. She represented herself and her country with honor. She one said (to paraphrase), "It still shocks me how people sometimes react when they meet me. The warmth and affection they show me is so moving."

Hats off to you, Dorothy! :clap: :clap:
 

wvgal57

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 23, 2003
Dorothy Hamil is definitely a household name. Her exuberance, athletic appeal and obvious love of the sport steered her to her legendary status. What achievements in this sport and in this life.

She's a jewel in the sport. I do not know of another skater who I'd like to just watch simply skate! She is a rare breed and indeed a legend.
 

Yazmeen

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
As an aside, Diane de Leeuw had dual citizenship, I believe, (one being US) but chose to compete for the Netherlands. I have had the chance to speak with her and enjoy her fabulous teaching at two, national ISI (Ice Skating Institute) conferences. You actually take exams to judge in ISI (I'm a Bronze level judge, the first certification) and she was an amazing trainer. She's very active in ISI and supportive of its programs and skaters. She's also very down to earth and easy to talk to. Lovely skater, lovely woman, marvelous teacher.
 
S

SkateFan4Life

Guest
wvgal57 said:
Dorothy Hamil is definitely a household name. Her exuberance, athletic appeal and obvious love of the sport steered her to her legendary status. What achievements in this sport and in this life.

She's a jewel in the sport. I do not know of another skater who I'd like to just watch simply skate! She is a rare breed and indeed a legend.

Dorothy is, indeed, a jewel in the sport of figure skating. :agree:

The first time I saw Dorothy skate with Ice Capades, her first name was emblazed in neon lights at the back of the set. She was brilliant! What a wonderful, magnetic skater. I, too, enjoy just watching her skate. She has a magical quality that simply cannot be taught. :clap:
 
S

SkateFan4Life

Guest
Dorothy showed her competitive spirit at the 1974 Worlds, which were held in Munich - then West Germany. The 17-year-old Dorothy had recently won her first US title, and she was considered a good shot at a medal at Worlds.

Preceding Dorothy at the Worlds long program was a German skater who performed well and who received a loud ovation from the audience. This skater was a lesser-ranked skater, and although she skated well, the judges gave her marks that reflected her second-tier ranking. The audience erupted with boos, catcalls, and screams. Just at that moment, Dorothy's name was announced as the next skater. She came onto the ice, and thinking that the audience was booing her, she burst into tears and fled off the ice, into her father's arms.

The referee told Dorothy she could have a few minutes rest to regain her composure, and she replied, "I don't need extra consideration". With that, she marched back onto the ice, took her position, and skated one of the best programs of her amateur career. By the time she finished, the audience was on its feet, cheering.

Dorothy won the World silver medal that year. :clap: :clap:
 

33leprechaun

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
agree - dorothy is wonderful

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evie4me

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 15, 2003
Dorothy Hamill ' America's Sweeheart"

I agree, she is wonderful even at her age - she could still score extremely well if she competed today. I just wish she would update her website - it's been a very long time since the website was activated
 
S

SkateFan4Life

Guest
evie4me said:
I agree, she is wonderful even at her age - she could still score extremely well if she competed today. I just wish she would update her website - it's been a very long time since the website was activated


YES! I wish the DorothyHamill.com website was updated. The last time I visited the site, all I saw was the first frame - nothing more. I remember a few years ago that the site had some nice photos and articles on Dorothy, and it contained a long letter from Dorothy to her fans. She thanked everyone for their support, and she, half-jokingly, apologized for the delay in updating her letters.
"I'm still learning to type with a computer keyboard", she wrote.

Maybe she's still mastering this skill! :laugh:

Come on, Dorothy, if you can win an Olympic gold medal, you can learn to work with a computer. :clap:
 
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