Hamilton 'not dreading the show'
| Source: |
Times Union (Albany) |
| Date: |
November 26, 2000 |
Copyright 2000 The Hearst Corporation
LAKE PLACID -- Scott Hamilton says after three years of pain and
recovery from cancer and ankle injury he is ''not dreading'' going back
on the ice as his last full touring year with the Stars On Ice show
begins.
It marks the end of a string of emotional and physical battles that
began with the death of his adoptive father, Ernie, in 1994, and
included a fight with testicular cancer and surgery to rebuild a
painfully locked and frozen ankle.
''For the first time, I am not dreading the show,'' said Hamilton,
42, the 1984 Olympic men's champion.
The Target Stars On Ice show is scheduled to preview tonight at the
Olympic Center in Lake Placid prior to the launch of a 65-city tour
slated to end April 7.
The severely damaged ankle that was rebuilt in 1998 after a run of
shows in that year's tour often forced him to alter his program to
include double jumps instead of his signature triples -- a change that
made him believe he was not pulling his weight with the other
skaters. Hamilton said that just last week the ankle stopped hurting and
he is almost back to the form that made him one of the world's
best-known skaters -- with high jumps and razor-sharp turns.
''Until the middle of last week, I never thought I'd skate another
program without pain on the tour,'' he said while lacing up skates
between workouts at the Olympic Center. ''Now, I feel I have a chance of
really doing a tour without agony.''
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