Scott HAMilton brings his farewell tour to the Bay Area

And the Oscar goes to . . . Scott Hamilton.

World class ice skater Scott Hamilton hanging up his skates for a career in films?

Well, not exactly.

Hamilton, 42, is making his farewell appearances in Stars on Ice, which comes to the Bay Area this weekend. Once the tour ends in April, his future plans remain unclear. Yet they are more likely to include a Broadway-style production on ice than appearances on the silver screen - with one minor exception.

Hamilton will ham it up in an entry to the upcoming Aspen film festival.

``I play a demented judge named Ricky," says Hamilton from his car phone while cruising down a Southern California freeway on Monday.

``Ricky thinks the last hope for purity and hope in the world is ice skating."

So did Hamilton nail the part as naturally as he conquered the ice, where he has collected an Olympic gold medal, four World Championship titles and dozens of other amateur and professional laurels?

``Oh, I don't know," he says. ``I thought the whole thing was over-the-top, melodramatic."

That's how he played the role, anyway.

Hamilton has not yet seen the completed version of the mock documentary, ``On Edge." But friends working on the movie tell him the final edit resulted in a less wacky film than he expected.

``I hope it works," says Hamilton, displaying his characteristic optimism.

A positive outlook combined with a dogged work ethic undoubtedly have helped Hamilton overcome setbacks and achieve professional and personal victories. Outside the loss of his mother when he was about 19, perhaps his greatest upset came in 1997 when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Hamilton underwent months of chemotherapy treatments then rested for only about six weeks before returning to tour with Stars on Ice, the production company he formed in 1986. The recovery seems complete.

Today, Hamilton says he's skating in top form and that Stars on Ice has far exceeded his expectations.

``Since my cancer, I've been struggling with confidence," says Hamilton, one night after executing three triple spins, two lutzes and a host of other complicated spins in one act. ``(Now) I've been able to skate the way I've wanted to."

Stars on Ice appears equally healthy, although its creator confesses he didn't go into the venture with high flying ambitions.

``I was just hoping it would survive," Hamilton says.

The show he established after leaving a two-year stint with the now-defunct Ice Capades - where managers claimed male skaters didn't sell tickets - has drawn both top ice skating talent and millions of fans over the years.

``It was new. It was innovative," he says. ``It was putting a lot of high level Olympic skaters on the ice at the same time."

The mix of professionally choreographed routines, stunning athleticism and recognizable faces, from Katerina Witt to Kristi Yamaguchi, worked. Audiences responded by showing up year after year in greater numbers. Today, the 66-city tour regularly plays to around 10,000 people per show.

``Familiarity with the skaters was a big hook," Hamilton says.

After nursing Stars on Ice through its infancy and well into adolescence, Hamilton says its time to pass the torch to the next generation of skaters.

``It's time for me to look toward more life things," he says. ``Second, it's time for the show to take the next step and it can't do that with me there."

It would also be nice, Hamilton says, to spend less time on the road and one day start a family - goals that are difficult to realize while working on this tour, which closes April in Maine.

Hamilton says even though he'll stop performing on the tour, he plans to act as consultant to the production, and he reserves the right to return for occasional guest appearances. Far from giving up skating, he says he'll also keep up his daily two- to three-hour training sessions and may organize a new limited engagement show in the future.

``There are still some people I haven't toured with," Hamilton says. ``I like sharing the ice."

He hasn't delved into a formal exploratory process yet, but he also harbors dreams of creating a production on ice for Broadway. In his characteristic, humble style, Hamilton acknowledges that he doesn't expect Broadway to come pounding on his door just because he's expressed interest in performing there. He's ready to pay his theatrical dues.

``For me to go into the theater world, I'm going to have to learn the new rules of the new world," Hamilton says.

When he finally gets time to rest between future stints commentating for NBC at the 2002 Winter Olympics or efforts to start a Broadway show, Hamilton says he'll miss the view from center stage on the Stars on Ice tour.

``It's knowing I'm in the middle of everything and I can see everyone," he says. ``At the end, when you feel the warmth and the audience being so supportive, it's the greatest feeling in the world."