Scott's last skate

Cincinnati is a skating-savvy city. That's why the 1987 World Championships were held he re and why all the traveling skate shows stop here. But fans will attend Sunday's Target Stars On Ice performance with mixed emotions as long-time favorite Scott Hamilton makes his last visit as a member of the Stars cast.

EVENT SPOTLIGHT
'Scott Hamilton Farewell Tour: Target Stars On Ice'

7 p.m. Sunday, Firstar Center. Tickets: $56, $43 & $33, available through Firstar Center box office and Ticketmaster (513) 562-4949.

''I've been doing this for a long time,'' said the co-creator and co-producer of the tour, which is now in its 15th season. ''It's been an amazing run, but it's time for me to pull back. You'll still hear from me. I'm not retiring, but I'm ready to take the next step.''< p> Joining Hamilton for the 2000-2001 ''Stars'' season are Olympic champions Tara Lipinski, Kristi Yamaguchi and Ilia Kulik, as well as four-time World and Canadian winner Kurt Browning and eight-time British champ Steven Cousins. World gold medallist Yuka Sato is making her debut with the cast, while Olympic pairs silver medallist Denis Petrov is performing solo for the first time in his career.

Rounding out the cast are national pair champions Jenni Meno & Todd Sand and two-time U.S. national dance champions Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur.

Clearly the show is stuffed with stars, but this time, the spotlight stays on Scott.

''The show is emotional, there's no way to avoid that, but it isn't sad, it's wonderful ,'' said Hamilton, who suggested seeing one of these last shows should be like watching a sunset. ''Sunsets can be beautiful amazing things. Yes, the sun is going down, but is that a bad thing? No, because it isn't the end of the sun, it's just the end of the day.''

The much loved and deeply respected athlete and entertainer is taking advantage of the chance to give back to the people who have cheered and supported him throughout his long career.

''On this tour, every night is special to me,'' he said, ''because this is my opportunity to say thank you. There is a moment at the beginning of each performance when I first come onto the ice and there's such a warm greeting. I know it isn't just for this night, but for all the nights. It isn't just a here and now thing, but a then and there thing too.''

Since his early amateur days he has been skating's foremost ambassador, putting heart, soul, body and brain into every appearance on and off the ice, in front of and behind the camera. His affection for fellow skaters, endless dedication to the sport and abiding faith in keeping a positive attitude has endured, even through the cancer that threatened his life a few years back.

''I have a lot of reasons to celebrate,'' said the man whose magical footwork still garners the kind of applause generally reserved for triple or even quadruple jumps, ''I have a lot of people to celebrate with. That's what this tour is -- a 65-city celebration.''

As for his memories of Cincinnati, they are many and mostly good.

''My dad came to see me skate there once and I introduced him out of the audience. They gave him a huge hand. That was nice. And I had a wonderful time doing commentary for the World Championships,'' said Hamilton. ''But I also got dumped off the world team after skating there once in the early days.

''I skated well too,'' Hamilton said with a mock pout in his voice. ''I got two standing ovations and finished fifth in the long program and still got dumped off the team. Of course, I don't hold that against Cincinnati.

''I love Cincinnati,'' he continued. ''The people there are great. There are dedicated skating fans there and that makes it fun to come back. That's probably why we've skated ther e so often. It's one of the places I'll miss.''