A not-so-perfect skating life
Dorothy Hamill chats about her new book
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Her hair is a few shades lighter, but the famous "Hamill wedge" style is still there, as flattering as ever. The infectious smile is intact. And more than three decades after she won gold at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, she doesn't seem to have gained an ounce.
But the 51-year-old skater, whose well-timed performances and girl-next-door looks, paved the way to fame and fortune is the first to admit she made a few mistakes along the way.
"I experienced incredible early success in my life, and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the next part of it," she said. "I had the four minutes of glory, that great Olympic performance, and one minute on top of the podium. I thought things would be a piece of cake, but it wasn't as easy as that. Some times were good, some were a little rocky. I had things to deal with as everybody does."
Hamill's challenges included two painful divorces, a very public bankruptcy, and a difficult relationship with her parents. Talking about these events isn't easy for her, and she battled a longtime fear of public speaking during the recent media blitz for her new autobiography, "A Skating Life: My Story" (Hyperion Books).
Competing didn't come naturally, either; often, Hamill became ill before an event.
"I always hated the day of competition," she remembered. "Just the act of waiting made me sick. Fortunately, there were only about four competitions a year in my day. But it was good experience, because (after Innsbruck) this painfully shy young person had big press conferences and was out there speaking and acting in front of people. I was poor at it, and it was probably painful to watch sometimes."
Fortunately, Hamill developed a trick that helped her win three U.S. titles, three world medals (including the 1976 world title) and Olympic gold: she created distractions for herself. In Innsbruck, it was a Sound of Music tour. Before Hamill's recent appearance on CNN's Larry King Live, she struck up a friendship with the make-up artist, eagerly listening to the woman's moving stories of saving Hurricane Katrina animals. And at a well-attended discussion and book signing in her hometown of Greenwich this month, she lingered outside the auditorium, catching up with older sister Marcia and greeting old friends.
"She needs to focus on something else, take her mind off what's coming up," said co-author, Deborah Amelon. "Then, at the last minute, she just plunges in."
It took Amelon, a former Ice Follies performer best known for television and movie screenplays, seven years to attract a publisher for the skater's story.
"I have a very good literary agent, and we couldn't get any interest," Amelon, a long-time friend of Hamill's, recalled. "It wasn't until after Dorothy was a judge on the (short-lived) Skating with Celebrities show that publishers realized she was still out there." Its unlikely Hamill would have unveiled her life story if she didn't feel sharing her private demons could help others. Despite her triumphs, the skater suffered from depression so severe that, after her second divorce, she had "trouble getting off the couch." It took years to properly diagnose. "When I think back now, probably my first bout (with depression) was right after the Olympics when I had all these wonderful offers," she said. "I couldn't function; I was just sleepwalking from one meeting to the next. "After my first marriage crumbled, I had another serious bout. Finally, after my second marriage collapsed, I sought out doctors. Although I had been to a psychiatrist once before, that was the first time I took medication. At first it was like being on a yo-yo, but two years ago I got to the bottom of it. I've been lucky to find professionals who were able to get me on a good program. I don't have those days where I can't do anything anymore." Even Hamill's Olympic triumph wasn't as joyful as it appeared. She claimed that judging politics alone won her a third U.S. title at the 1976 U.S. Championships in Colorado Springs. "Linda Fratianne, who was only 15 at the time, was this little dynamo," Hamill remembered. "She had a great (free program). She did triple toe loops, which I didn't do. But I was the older one, considered more established and a better bet for the Olympics. Politics played in my favor. I knew I didn't deserve it; (winning) was a horrible, hollow feeling." To make matters worse, according to Hamill, after her disappointing performance her coach, the late Carlo Fassi, lost faith in her and decided to devote most of his energy to his other high-profile pupil, Great Britain's John Curry. "Carlo said, 'I'll see you in Innsbruck,' which was about three weeks later," Hamill said. "My mom and I were living in Colorado at the time, and within 48 hours of winning the U.S. Championships we packed up and headed back to Connecticut. Then my mom called Peter Burroughs, who was coaching in Long Island, and asked, 'Can you get Dorothy in shape over the next couple of weeks?' "It's thanks to Peter Burroughs I won the Olympics. He was on me; he told me what to do and how to do it. Carlo was easier going, and (Burroughs) was the kind of coach I needed at that time." The International Judging System, installed after the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic pairs' judging scandal, was adopted to help prevent the sort of favoritism Hamill despised. But like many former champions, she has mixed feelings about it and is a bit ambivalent about the state of the sport today. "I don't really understand the new scoring system, but as it's always been said, it's not the judging system but the judges," she said. "So I'm not sure (the new system) solves anything. I do admire the skaters today, and I'm sure glad I'm not competing with them. "Skating has changed so much. Now there's no difference between amateurs and professionals. It used to be when you competed you did the athletic stuff and then when you turned professional you focused more on the artistry and the inherent beauty of skating. I miss the compulsory figures, the way they taught basic skating, the flowing edges and turns. Nothing has replaced that." Hamill's edges and turns, along with her classic layback spin and self-invented "Hamill camel," are still on display as she continues performing into her fifth decade. "I took last year off, to concentrate on the whole college application process," she said. (Daughter Alex, 19, is now a student at Trinity College in Hartford.) "This year I will be doing the Broadway on Ice tour and a few TV shows, including Brian Boitano's Skating Spectacular. As long as I can keep skating, I'll be out there." Despite the skater's travails, "A Skating Life" - and Hamill herself -- is optimistic. "Yes, I've been through a couple of marriages, a couple of divorces," she said. "I've had financial trouble. But all in all, it's a great life. I have a beautiful daughter, and her love has saved me. "I think what I would tell people when times get tough is don't be afraid or ashamed to get help, and to try to find that one thing you really love. Skating has been that for me."