Things have changed quite a bit since Dorothy Hamill won a gold medal in figure skating back in 1976.
With her short and sassy hairdo, the 5’4” dynamo became the last figure skater to take home the top prize at the Olympics by performing just double jumps. These days, athletes are expected to show off triple jumps at the very least.
“They have to do such difficult things right now,” says Hamill.
But the physical demands aren’t the only things that have shifted. Hamill says entering the sport, with costumes that can cost thousands of dollars -- let alone turning professional -- is much harder now, too.
“I used to skate on a pond, go to public sessions and spend all day [there] for $5,” says Hamill.
Heightened media attention and intense international competition have put today’s skaters under more pressure, she says.
“My heart goes out to them because they’re so young.”
Hamill’s comments come a day after the Olympics’ short program, in which all three female American figure skaters took tumbles on the ice, putting together the worst performance in the event since before Hamill’s time.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/figure-skating-legend-dorothy-hamill-shares-advice-for-americas-young-figure-skaters).
Two-time Olympic ice skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan is back on her skates this holiday season in the Holiday Spectacular on Ice at the Gateway Playhouse in Bellport, N.Y.
A strong back is critical for body health. To start, try the Bird Dog!
Kickboxing may seem like a tough sport, but one woman is proof that it can change your life.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. says the team is satisfied with the NBA’s latest punishment for Green, the four-time NBA champion who was indefinitely banned Wednesday after hitting Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic in the face.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended indefinitely by the NBA on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after he hit Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face and received a Flagrant 2 foul and ejection.
Shohei Ohtani's jaw-dropping deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers has some similarities to other contracts for the world's biggest sports stars, including soccer icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, along with NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But in terms of his marketability, experts point to another name. The real comparison? Try Taylor Swift.
Bronx Highschool Student and Basketball Player in Wheelchair Makes History
The police department in the remote north woods Minnesota town of Ely faces the same challenges of recruiting and keeping new officers as countless other law enforcement agencies across the country. So it's offering a unique incentive: canoes.
President Joe Biden told a gathering of Native American nations that he would support the bid by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which invented lacrosse, to compete in the sport under its own flag in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
NCAA President Charlie Baker announced Tuesday that he wants the organization to create a new tier of Division I athletics where schools with the most resources can offer unlimited educational benefits, enter into name, image and likeness partnerships with athletes and directly pay them through a trust fund.
Load More