Scott Hamilton Quotes

Without strength and courage it`s really hard to perform at the highest levels of international figure skating, because you`re alone on the ice and you only have seven minutes over two nights to prove yourself.

Adversity, and perseverance and all these things can shape you. They can give you a value and a self-esteem that is priceless.

But I never really thought that I would be extraordinarily successful at skating, it`s just something that happened, you know.

Male figure skating is different than female figure skating; we`re not America`s sweetheart.

I was more interested in skating and the girls and traveling than I was in calculus.

When you`re expected to win and you have the press saying that you are going to win the Olympic gold medal, and you`re the only sure thing in the Olympics, it can undermine your confidence.

And the fact that I liked to show off and be the center of attention really lends itself to figure skating very well.

So as an amateur Olympic competitor I loved criticism, because it made me better. But now as a professional I don`t really know how to channel it or where to take it, so I don`t take it quite as well.

I started skating and I kind of liked it because I could run circles around the guys that wouldn`t pick me to play baseball.

Always try to maintain complete tolerance and always make an effort to give people more than they expect.

Rationality is not one of this industry`s attributes.

I`m very accessible. I don`t get into this ego thing.

Everything that I`ve ever been able to accomplish in skating and in life has come out of adversity and perseverance.

Half of figure skating is opinion, convincing judges.

And so figure skating was a great vehicle for me to kind of be competitive at something, without having to be big.

The high road is always respected. Honesty and integrity are always rewarded.

Fame is a very confusing thing, because you are recognized by a lot of people that you`ve never seen before, and they`re at a great advantage.

I graduated a the top of my class in the `84 Olympic Games; I won a gold medal.

I just try to touch people`s hearts in a way through skating, so they`re not just witnessing a performance, they`re feeling a performance and they`re a part of it.

From the fall of October, 1980 to March, 1984 I never lost a competition.

I was nine-years-old when I first put on skates.

I had a ninth grade teacher who told me I was much smarter and much better than I was allowing myself to be.

The only disability in life is a bad attitude.

What was really funny is that as I got older all those guys who called me a sissy in junior high school wanted me to be their best friend because they wanted to meet all the girls that I knew in figure skating.

That`s what makes the Ryder Cup in golf so much better than the Masters or the U.S. Open. To be a part of something that is not about personal achievement, but about representing everyone and sharing it with the whole country, it`s wonderful.

Most other competitions are individual achievements, but the Olympic Games is something that belongs to everybody.

I don`t think most teachers realize how much impact they have.

When you turn professional, you become an entertainer, and like every other entertainer, you don`t want to get a bad review.

I didn`t want to be the sissy figure skater, you know.