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Ari Zakarian told the media at 2009 Cancer.Net Skate America that Evgeni Plushenko is working on a quad-quad combination. (Getty Images)

By Lynn Rutherford, special to icenetwork.com

(11/15/2009) - Cancer.Net may be an unlikely name sponsor for a sporting event, but to cancer survivors like Scott Hamilton, it's a perfect fit.

When Hamilton was diagnosed was cancer during a Stars on Ice tour in 1997, the first thing he wanted was information.

"I have lots of titles, but the most significant is cancer survivor," Hamilton said.

"After [the diagnosis] comes a great wave of fear; after that came an extreme wave of courage. I wanted the tools and information to fight the battle and get back to living my life."

Hamilton looked for research, but as he remembered, "I decided either I was really sick or not very smart, because I couldn't understand it. Information was probably the most needed thing in the cancer community, and what was out there was not patient-friendly at all."

Enter Cancer.Net, a website created by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). It provides oncologist-approved information to help patients, caregivers and supporters make informed decisions about treating and coping with cancer.

"When I started in the cancer field 35 years ago, it was very common not to use the word 'cancer,'" said Dr. Allen S. Lichter, ASCO's chief executive officer.

"The word had a horrible stigma, so then came this charade of people asking me not to tell their loved ones they had cancer. Of course, it would turn out they knew anyway.

"Its important people are not afraid of the word, and that's why we embrace this opportunity and partnership."

So far, the sponsorship is for one year, but both OSCO and U.S. Figure Skating hoped it might continue in the years ahead.

"When I first came to U.S. Skating there were so many calls for our skaters to do [benefits] for breast cancer, colon cancer and other cancer causes," David Raith, executive director of U.S. Figure Skating, said.

"It's a natural fit for our athletes to embrace education about cancer and help people learn where to find it. [Cancer.net] is not useful for just one cancer, its for all [types] of cancer. So many of our champions -- Scott; Dorothy Hamill; Peggy Fleming -- have been touched by the disease, and almost every one of us has been touched by it personally."

Is a quad, quad combo in Plushenko's future?

Evgeni Plushenko's irrepressible agent, Ari Zakarian, sat with the media yesterday. Like any good rep, he was putting out news about his client, who plans to compete at another small regional competition next week in Moscow.

Both Zakarian and Plushenko's longtime coach, Alexei Mishin, have been sidling up to reporters here, showing videos of the skater practicing a triple Axel, quad toe combination on their i Phones. According to Zakarian, that's not the only surprise Plushenko has in store.

"He's also practicing a quad-quad combination," the agent said. "He may do it next week."

How about the vaunted triple Axel, quad toe?

"He may try that too," Zakarian laughed. "Who knows?"

I reminded Ari it might be time Evgeni turned his attention to other aspects of skating, like spins, choreography and transitions.

"He will, he will," Zakarian said. "You know, he is not [Stephane] Lambiel. Lambiel's spins are crazy; they're great. Evgeni's body doesn't move like that. Evgeni should have Lambiel's spins, and Lambiel should have Evgeni's jumps.

"But he's working on his spins. He's working on everything. He's been working for months. Believe me; I've been following him week by week."