New stars on ice learn from master

Copyright 2000 The Deseret News Publishing Co.

Wednesday, Jan. 3, in the E Center will probably be the last time Scott Hamilton skates in Utah. He started the Stars on Ice tour back in 1986. Now, at 42, he will retire from Target Stars on Ice after this upcoming 65-city tour.

Fellow skaters Jenni Meno and Todd Sand are loathe to see him go. In the two years since the couple joined the show, they say Hamilton has taught them a lot about what it means to be professional, about how to perform for an audience rather than for the Olympic judges.

Meno and Sand say they've also learned something by watching Hamilton make a decision to move on. Knowing that someday they too will leave the tour, Meno and Sand say they have learned to fully appreciate what they are doing now.

"We both realize we can't do this forever," Meno said as she and Sand spoke to the Deseret News from their home in Orange County, Calif.

Someday, when they have to stop, she said, they will look back on this as the best time of their lives. That knowledge keeps them from complaining when they get tired or from missing their house too much -- or from wondering what marriage is like for couples who aren't skating partners.

In 1992, when Meno and Sand met, they were both skating with other partners. But the spark between them was undeniable, said Sand. A friend suggested he skate with Meno, and he said "No" instantly. Then, just as quickly, he started to reconsider.

The couple did begin skating together, immediately discovering that they had the same goals, the same approach to their work, Sand said. They skate the way they do not just because they love each other, but because they understand each other, he believes. The two became engaged at the 1994 Winter Olympics -- where they placed fifth.

After placing second in the 1998 World Championships, they turned professional. On tour, Meno said, they are together much more than most married couples, "staying in small hotel rooms for four months" at a time.

They get so used to spending time together that they know instinctively when the other person needs some space. At that point, Sand will go golfing with the guys from the tour and Meno will spend the day with the women.

The people on the tour have become their best friends, she explained. (The other stars include Kristi Yamaguchi, Tara Lipinski, Kurt Browning, Ilia Kulik, Renee Roca, Gorsha Sur and Steven Cousins.)

Early in their partnership, Meno and Sand developed what their coach called a sixth sense. They know what step the other person is going to take, of course, but they often know what interpretation the person will be putting on that step, even as they are taking it.

They find their intuition has developed even more now that they are dancing on ice, occasionally having their backs turned to each other, consistently having to interpret the mood of the music.

This year, in addition to their group numbers, Meno and Sand will skate to the Bonnie Raitt song "I Can't Make You Love Me." Because it is a song about heartache, the couple has a chance to portray deep emotion, which they enjoy, Sand said.

As for Hamilton, he won fifth place in the 1980 Olympics at Lake Placid and went on to win first place in 16 consecutive events, including the U.S. National and World Championships. He won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo and turned professional shortly thereafter.

In 1997, after a much publicized bout of testicular cancer, he came back to skating. After retiring from Target Stars on Ice in April, he hopes to perform on Broadway.

Says Meno, "We are lucky that we had the opportunity to tour with Scott Hamilton. No matter how he is feeling or what is going on in his personal life, he gives 150 percent to every audience.