Hamilton ready for 'other things'

Copyright 2001 Gannett Company, Inc.

Scott Hamilton displays the same enthusiasm with which he started so long ago as he discusses his farewell tour with Stars on Ice, the popular skating show he founded in 1986.

"It's been a phenomenal experience," says Hamilton, 42. "It's not just filled my life but made it."

The Olympic champion even credits Stars on Ice for his eventual well being after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1997. He endured 3 months of chemotherapy, followed by surgery.

"The unbelievable support I got from people and all of the positive feelings that came with that, I really feel made a huge difference in my recovery," Hamilton says. "I felt going through my cancer there was no way I could fail. There were just too many people participating in trying to make me well."

Hamilton is now cancer-free, and his schedule of medical checkups has been reduced to every 6 months. As Stars on Ice winds its way toward an April 7 finale in Portland, Maine, Hamilton is doing everything he can to make all 65 stops special.

"I really wanted this year, above all others, to remember every moment, every city, every face," he says. "I'm in the moment."

Hamilton emphasizes that his farewell tour does not mean an end to skating.

"It's not a retirement thing," he says. "It's just that, at this point in my life after so many years of being on the road, I'm craving balance. My body is telling me it's hard to sustain that level for that length of time. It's just time for me to experience other things."

As Hamilton ponders his future, he dreams of developing a skating show worthy of Broadway.