Dorothy Hamill: A TSL Interview (1976 Olympic Champion)
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- Dorothy Hamill is a renowned figure skater who captured the hearts of millions with her grace, talent, Hamill camel spin and iconic hairstyle at the 1976 Olympic Games. With her captivating performances on the ice, she became a true legend in the world of figure skating.
Hamill's rise to stardom began at a young age when she discovered her passion for figure skating. Her dedication and innate talent propelled her to the top, earning her numerous accolades and prestigious titles. In 1976, she soared to new heights by winning the Olympic gold medal in women's figure skating at the Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria. This triumph solidified her status as a national hero and an inspiration to aspiring skaters worldwide. She followed up the win with another victory at the 1976 World Figure Skating Championships.
One of the defining aspects of Hamill's career was her signature hairstyle, known as the "Hamill Wedge." This hairstyle became a sensation in the 1970s, with countless individuals imitating her unique look. The popularity of the "Hamill Wedge" even extended beyond the skating community, making her an influential fashion icon of her time.
Following her Olympic victory, Hamill continued to make significant contributions to the sport. She mesmerized audiences with her impeccable technique and artistry. Hamill was an icon on and off the ice, being featured in television specials, serving as the spokesperson in countless national commercials, and starring in the Ice Capades.
At the high of her fame, she was sued by coach Carlo Fassi and faced backlash from the national press who felt she wasn't living up to the image of 'America's sweetheart'. Dorothy Hamill bounced back and eventually joined the skating company of John Curry and won five consecutive World Professional Figure Skating Championships.
In addition to her success on the ice, Hamill has led an inspiring personal life. She faced several challenges, including a battle with depression and a diagnosis of breast cancer. Despite these obstacles, she demonstrated immense resilience and became an advocate for mental health and cancer awareness. Through her openness and courage, she has touched the lives of many and given hope to those facing similar struggles.
Throughout her career, Hamill has received numerous accolades for her contributions to figure skating. She was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, cementing her legacy as one of the sport's greatest icons. Moreover, she has shared her expertise as a skating commentator and has been involved in various charitable endeavors. - Sport
A living legend, iconic
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Dave, I could tell you were awestruck. Clearly, a dream come true for you. Heck, it was a dream come true for many of us to hear Dorothy so unfiltered. For many of us, she is still that mythical unicorn in the figure skating forest who people are still chasing … her perfect layback, her gorgeous sit spins, the presentation with the head held high, the polish, uh, she was that IT girl. (I said I would watch just a few minutes because I thought I was busy tonight. But I ended up watching the entire interview, and taking notes.)
DOROTHY IF YOU READ THIS - YOU’RE A LIVING FREAKING ICON. WE LOVE YOU!
Now, let’s get in to it!
Very revealing interview - from an OLYMPIC CHAMPION, no less. Her words should not be taken lightly. Notice how she said: “And when I hear about the kids today, training 3 or 4 run throughs [back to back] … I couldn’t do ONE run through half the time. I was just exhausted always.”
We ALL were exhausted. It’s normal for people who are not on DRUGS. And Dave, given you’re a student of history, you will know that before Eteri came along (particularly during the era of Irina Slutskaya), the Russians were notorious for NOT running through their programs. (Many SMOKED!!!!) Regarding Alexander Fedeev … Dick Button commented on the fact that Alexander did not run through his programs in practice, and thus, that’s why Alexander struggled to finish his marathon programs half the time.
Also, the comment about how Dorothy “skated with clowns… “ and John Curry refused to do that ... man, it says so much about life. That moment of vulnerability truly spoke to Dorothy’s genuine humbleness.
All in all, while the interview was great … I can’t deny there was a feeling of melancholy there. For us fans who have never had this level of access to Dorothy, in our minds, we’re still living in 1976, sort of. And that has sort of cast a spell over us. And then today’s interview - seeing Dorothy - it really hits home that she has moved on, obviously, so much has transpired, and that golden fantasy that was so alive in our heads, is indeed, over.
But this interview is such a beautiful work of art. It was such a mature and nuanced conversation, not sensational, nor did it have to be. Dorothy, whether she realizes it or not, is a fantastic interviewee. If you were to read her answers on a sheet of paper, you might not be so struck. But to hear the authenticity of it all ... man ... it revealed likely more than Dorothy realized. It was fascinating. The interview was a work of art, it was so quiet and seamless, and truly a shining example of the human condition. It was literature. Bravo!
Thank you for speaking so eloquently on behalf of many of us (me!) who watched this
Dorothy, the reason you were unable to compete like the kids of today do is because you were raised as a decent living human being with reasonability and humility, unlike the narcissistic kids today whose competitiveness propels them to do 3 or 4 run-throughs and compete in every event possible. Yes, you had a "skating mom" and a sensitive dad (where you got your sensitivity from) but indeed they loved you. You had the best coaches and all the privileges of a star pupil. BUT, you were also a good person deep down and humility was your golden nugget that everybody loved. You are a living legend person and skater!
What a treat to hear Dorothy talk about skating then and now. She looks amazing! Thank you!!! ❤❤❤
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I'm going to have to go back and watch her on Dancing with the Stars. I love you Dorothy Hamill 😍 You're my favorite all time figure skater ever.
Such an honest interview from the absolutely iconic and legendary Dorothy Hamill!! And Dave is right; she did do that 2nd double axel and was beautifully prepared for the 1976 Olympics.
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I remember watching her Olympic performance, and it's one of my fondest memories of figure skating ⛸️ She was so much fun to watch 😊
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The 1974 Worlds incident.. she recovered so well and skated brilliantly
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This was a fantastic interview! It was lovely to hear from Dorothy.
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Dorothy ages in reverse, it's just not fair!
What an icon Dorothy is, but even on television in her early years of rising fame, she always came off as a real person also, which was part of her later mega-popularity. Everyone, except the skater who tried to run her over -- loved Dorothy. Our lives would intersect for a few seconds. At the age of 20, as an American studying abroad, I quit music school in Vienna and took my first skating lesson in Innsbruck in 1974, deciding to try another passion of mine besides classical music. I stayed in Innsbruck for about five months learning to jump and spin, and then my money was out. So, Dorothy won the 1976 Olympics in that same rink a few years later. I also skated in Garmisch for a week, when I bought my first custom-fitted skates from the German boot-maker there, Zwerger.
A few years later, after my show career ended prematurely with HOI International, because I just couldn't take all the travel -- just too delicate -- as thrilling as it was to get in a show, making a real dream come true, except for getting sick and feeling like a zombie, I came home, recovered my health, and worked my way to finish college and go on to grad school.
But before that, my on ice path would cross with the real-life Dorothy, only a month or two into her starting with Ice Capades. I showed up for the open audition for the line, and it turned out Dorothy scheduled the ice because she wanted to go over her program after the show, to work on something. So, after a short time warming up on the full ice -- there was only one other person auditioning -- Dorothy skated a few feet from me and said "Hi." And at that time she was pretty much one of the most famous people in the world. So, it was great, but I had to audition in the dark space behind the curtain and stumbled through the difficult jazz step the Ice Capades line captain had us do. She told me I should try again, but I needed to study jazz dance. That was my third and last Ice Capades audition. The men's line of Capades was smaller than HOI Int, and besides, did I really want to see Scranton, Binghamton, Detroit etc.? No, I wanted to travel the world, and learn other languages. HOI International actually went to the freaking Soviet Union and throughout South America.
So, I worked and saved, and went back to Europe to train with a terrific choreographer and former show skater for four months, learned a lot of toe work, ice dancing, and show steps, and I apprenticed his teaching, learning to teach triples and everything, except figures. I had no interest or ability in those. Finally, on my second try, I passed an audition with International HOI. The first audition with them, they told me to come back in two months, because they didn't have an opening. So now in a real show, Instead of just skating by an Olympic gold medalist, I was skating on the same show ice as one, eating at a table near her sometimes, chatting with her. We both had VIenna in common. It was Trixi. Everyone knows her, right? Best back change loop in history. She liked it so much she even did it in the show.
Yeah, gold medalists are all human beings. Pretty much everyone in our show, even in the line, had a lot more in the way of training and tests passed than I did. I passed no tests. So, it was through a lot of determination and especially coming in contact with a very special coach in Europe, that enabled me to make that dream come true. The combination of talent, coming in contact with the right coach or coaches, and being in the right place at the right time is the key to success in a lot of things, at any level. For competitive skaters though, parental support is pretty much always a common factor. I never would have had that. I didn't have my first private music lessons until my first year in music school, and I played five instruments, and was a NY state finalist on two different wind instruments in high school.
And in middle age, another Dorothy venue for me, I skated at the Broadmoor for several years, public sessions, where an old friend of mine told me Dorothy Hamill stories, from when Dorothy trained there. They were nothing scandalous. I got to see the next generation of Broadmoor skaters being trained by Fassi and later Kathy Casey and others, and becoming National champions.
A writer friend of mine in NYC, Amy, told me that interviewing John Curry was the most difficult interview she ever did, even though she grew up skating, and had never done an interview with a skater before. He may have been a little spaced out on AZT at the time, an awful drug HIV-infected patients were given before protease inhibitors came out nearly ten years later.
In contrast, what a wonderful interview Dorothy gave here, just being herself and could anyone be more prepared and knowledgeable than Dave? Of course, some of this may be age-related, because I am Janet Lynn's age, but Dorothy caused the biggest sensation, had the biggest influence on popular culture, of any skater during my lifetime. It was always interesting to follow, even if for Dorothy, it probably wasn't always fun to be her.
When I was a child, I thought the greatest thing to be, would be to like Mozart, or maybe a really good-looking actor, or Janet Lynn, or Nijinsky -- he was my idol. I was okay looking, but what I thought of as "circus skinny." I had to diet to gain weight, just to feel like an ice show would take me. But I started reading biographies of famous people, and realized everyone, even the rich, beautiful and famous, have their tragedies and struggles. And given a choice, I think it is much easier not to be a celebrity of any kind. I would not like being recognized, or have everyone looking at me everywhere I went, wondering if I was THAT person.
She looks amazing and I just adore her!❤
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At 5 yrs old, I became a life-long figure skating fan because of her performance in '76 Olys. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
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Still looking great! She’s pretty much my age, I held her in the “ideal” category. Pretty, but more importantly, you could see she was doing something no one…no man, even, could do, because she had the right mixture of grace and strength. Still my favorite all time skater
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Gosh! She is royalty.
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Amazing interview! Thanks Dave & Dorothy! ❤ 🇨🇦
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David, many thanks for this chat with Dorothy. You are such an amazing interviewer. You ALWA"YS ask the exact questions that pop into my mind, or that have been wanting answers for years! And then you always allow the person to respond fully, without interrupting them. It makes all your interviews very enjoyable. Dorothy has been my favorite female skater ever since I saw her skate US Nationals way back when. Her body and back positions, spins, and that incandescent smile!! OMG, I could watch reruns of her all day long! And she is so real, down to earth, and humble. Yes, Dorothy is the ULTIMATE skater, and we all know it and love her! :-)
What a treat! Thanks, Dave and Dorothy. ❤
I love her honesty about figures and nerves before competing!
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She really is a harsh critic of her skating. Her Olympic performance was a fairy tale. It transcended all of the extremely hard training and exhibited all of the incredible beauty on ice she achieved. I've watched her Olympic performance many times and never even noticed her bauble after the split jump.
It seems like Dorothy would actually be a lot of fun to be around! She seems so much more relaxed than she was when she was 19-20!
That was a great interview, Dave! You ask the questions normal reporters don't ask that we skating fans are dying to know the answers to. I love her candidness, and she just emanates such positive energy. However, it pained me to see how she seemed physically uncomfortable talking about her mother. There's a recurring theme with all the skating greats dealing with troubling, even traumatic, experiences during their training years. I was always aware of some of the recent skaters dealing with tough parents and coaches, but I guess I never realized that this happened in the 60s and 70s as well. It almost makes me feel guilty enjoying the fruits of their labor, even though they are masking the emotional pain they've gone through in order to share their art. I hope there can be a change in attitude to just allow kids to enjoy the sport without feeling immense, paralyzing pressure from the adults in their lives.
Someone on the FS subreddit posted a clip of Dorothy doing a scratch spin in one of the shows from the 90s. Followed by a discussion of how PERFECTLY centered (and very fast) it was. I mean, I watched it on a loop for 5 minutes. It’s a basic spin position, but it’s debatable whether today’s top elite skaters could execute it as well as Dorothy did there. No figures and emphasis on position changes means that doing the basics correctly gets glossed over. When was the last time you saw a skater in competition whose spins didn’t travel at all?
Dorothy is one of the best spinners of all time. She didn’t do biellmanns or the crazy positions of today, but her actual mechanics are phenomenal and superior.
Oh my Goodness me!!! ❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉 I am going to absolutely love listening to this - thank you thank you thank you 🙏 get well soon to Ms Hamill
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Great interview with the always beautiful and charming Dorothy!💕 I took some lessons at the Dorothy Hamill rink in Greenwich,CT.
Such an awesome interview, enjoyed watching it.
Glad you enjoyed it!
What a great discussion.
Dorothy kept it real, but every time she stepped on the ice it was artistry on ice and touched my heart! 💖
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DH seemed nervous - amazing, such an icon
She's interesting, seems nice, smart, and still ADORABLE!
What a lovely interview! Thank you BOTH for this!
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Icon. Amazing how transparent she was about not being into training/run-thrus etc and being a difficult student. Hilarious. Glad to hear her health is improving.
The subject of the flying sitspin was very interesting in this interview. At the 1975:World Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado, both US champions Dorothy Hamill and Gordon McKellen both fell of the flying sitspin in the short program. At 1975 US nationals in the senior ladies short program after landing a triple salchow / double loop combination, Barbara Smith fell on her flying sit spin as well. Kind of sad that this element is no longer performed .
Sorry for the typos! Dorothy is my all time favorite not just for her skating but for her CLASS. And you are my favorite on line guy, Dave. So the two of you, WOW. Cheri NYC
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Such a great interview, thank you Dave!
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What a wonderful interview. Great job!
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Congratulations Dave! Really great interview. You were always good but you are getting better even with someone you famously admire!!
I totally agree. It was seamless. Both Dave and Dorothy were on the same wavelength. There was a chemistry at work. Hypnotizing almost. In fact, I kept saying that I was going to pause the video and run to the bathroom real quick, but I just could not bring myself to pause the video. I was so hooked! And before I knew it the interview was over!
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Fabulous, thank you!
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I can not believe, Dave, that Dorothy get you spend time with you and you with her and we get to enjoy this. An absolute legend, the very best ever. She is what inspired me to skate as a girl. Thank you so so so much!
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THANK YOU, Dave!! ... and with perfect timing 😙 My GODDESS ~ Love Dorothy, STILL makes my heart skip a beat ❤ The BEST of the best xx
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Great interview. Good job!! 😊❤
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Love Dorothy!
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Dave! I'm so jealous! She's the OG!!! Beautiful as ever!
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No one has edges like Dorothy Hamill. I really miss her style and grace. I wish figure skating would stop it with the quads and bring back the purity.
I saw Dorothy in the early '80s at MSG with the Ice Capades. Her layback and scratch spins were out of this world,
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I also miss the purity today. I miss the times of Dorothy and John Curry.
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Thank you, I enjoyed this interview with the legendary Dorothy Hamill so very much! It is also extraordinary how Dorothy seems to become even more beautiful with each passing year! 🥇⛸️⛸️😍💖💖💖
Glad you enjoyed it!
precious angel!
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Magnificent interview
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@@TheSkatingLesson I shared on my FB page
Amazing Dorothy - well done Dave!
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I had the DH hairdo and the doll with stand so you could make her do a spiral.
What a treat to see her today 💗
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This is very fun!
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Nice interview with Dorothy!
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Love her!
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I'm finally getting to watch this and what an interview it is! Thank you so much Dave. I couldn't agree more with Dorothy about the current state of skating. In the very rare instance when a skater actually hits a really lovely position (Ina Bauer or spiral) they can't hold it long enough that it takes your breath away. All the spiny jumpy programs all look alike as a result and it gets boring. Very sad.
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@@TheSkatingLesson ☺
Yeah!!!!!
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I don't know why, I feel like I've seen this before. Maybe it was a clip a month ago or something? So weird. No matter, I just enjoy hearing her tell her story.
I never knew Carlo sued her. The Hamills apparently counter-sued him. Was this ever resolved?
It was settled by the Ice Capades
They need to bring back figures! Figures show command of the blades which is very important to figure skating! Not jumping! I so agree with you that watching Jadon Brown is watching pure figure skating!
What happened to the Roz Sumners interview?
It is on our Patreon
Do either of you know of anyone struggling with vestibular issues and learning to skate?
She is definitely a sweet heart.
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She is so beautiful . Always❤ and forever
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What happened to the Roz Sumners interview. Answer the question
It is on our Patreon
Diane De Leeuw's coach is the one who tried to run her over fyi
Promo>SM 😆