'Stars' to Lose a Top Draw in Hamilton

Copyright 2001 Omaha World-Herald

Amid the thrilling triple loops and double axles at the Target "Stars on Ice" show this weekend, there might be a few tears.

Scott Hamilton and cast members of "Stars on Ice".

After all, the skaters are losing one of the profession's greatest showmen after this season's tour ends.

Olympic Champion Scott Hamilton announced last year that this 65-city tour, including a Tuesday performance in Omaha, would be his finale. Hamilton - who has talked publicly about his battle with cancer - - has said he decided to leave the touring troupe to pursue other interests, such as performing in a Broadway skating show.

Tuesday's show is at 7:30 p.m. at the Civic Auditorium Arena, 18th Street and Capitol Avenue. Tickets, which range from $32.50 to $55.50, can be reserved by calling Ticketmaster at 422-1212 (or online at www.ticketmaster.com).

Hamilton's comrades-in-skates say he will be irreplaceable as a peer and as a friend.

"He's been the best professional to learn from," said "Stars on Ice" skater Kristi Yamaguchi, an Olympic gold medalist, by phone from Albuquerque, N.M. "He started out as a mentor and now he's one of my best friends."

Yamaguchi said that Hamilton, who founded "Stars on Ice" in 1986, has served as a spokesman for the group, a mediator between the skaters and management and a big-brother figure to those who knew him intimately.

"He's just an amazing person," Yamaguchi said. "He's kind of been the glue to this tour."

Hamilton is also beloved by crowds, winning them over with his theatrics and aerodynamic flips.

"He's quite a character and a pretty funny guy," said Omahan Eric Goolsby, who took his girlfriend to see the show as a Valentine's Day gift two years ago. "He's also a great entertainer with a lot of skill. He's the reason I went to see it."

Other skaters joining Hamilton and Yamaguchi at the performance in Omaha's Civic Auditorium Arena include Olympic champions Tara Lipinski and Ilia Kulik, four-time World Champion Kurt Browning, three-time U.S. National Pair Champions Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, World Champion Yuka Sato, Olympic Silver medalist Denis Petrov, U.S. National Dance Champions Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur and eight-time British Champion Steven Cousins.

Missing from the lineup for the first time in about a decade is two-time Olympic champion Ekaterina Gordeeva, who has taken a leave of absence to spend more time with her family and 8-year-old daughter. Gordeeva has co-headlined the event with Hamilton since 1991.

The program will celebrate the careers of each skater and the relationships they have had with Hamilton. Background music will include James Brown's "I Feel Good," "Higher" by Creed, Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now," and other songs by the Dixie Chicks, Dido, Marvin Gaye and more.