Synopses & Reviews
& nbsp; After winning the Olympic Gold in 1976 at age 19, Dorothy Hamill was ???America??'s Sweetheart??? and an idol to millions.& nbsp; She swept the nation with her signature haircut, ???Hamill??? camel spin, and sparkling smile.& nbsp; But this gifted and supremely talented figure skater lived a life off the ice encumbered with family and financial tribulations.& nbsp; She and her mother spent long months away from her father and siblings so she could properly train, and Dorothy often questioned whether the outcome was worth the sacrifice as she attempted to handle an emotionally unavailable mother, alcoholic father, and a financial toll on her entire family.& nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; Skating has always been Dorothy??'s only means of escape, but an intense depression took over when Dorothy found that success did not wash away the constant stress of trying to please her parents and coaches.& nbsp; She married the love of her life, Dean Paul Martin, only to face devastation when he was tragically killed in a plane crash shortly after their marriage ended.& nbsp; Dorothy was plummeted into an even deeper depression and struggled to find fulfillment.& nbsp; When she was finally capable of opening her heart to love again, she remarried and gave birth to her daughter, only to be taken advantage of by her philandering second husband who stole her money.& nbsp; The burden of the strained relationship with her parents on top of her broken heart tested Dorothy??'s strength???but she prevailed.& nbsp; & nbsp; Dorothy has found the silver lining (or should I say ???gold??? lining?) in often painful times, and todayDorothy is content in her life with her daughter and a reconciliation with her mother???and as always, in her skating.
Synopsis
Three decades after her gold medal performance, America's Sweetheart finally speaks out about her behind-the-scenes trauma and the challenges she's faced ever since. 16-page full-color photo insert.
Synopsis
The dazzling smile, the signature haircut, the staple spin. "America's Sweetheart" Dorothy Hamill grew up on the ice, working toward the dream she was to accomplish by age nineteen: winning Olympic gold in figure skating. But life was not the picture of perfection it appeared to be. Dorothy faced a painful inner struggle from the time she was a young girl that followed her into adulthood--though she would not know about the depression that ran in her family until much later in life. Weeks and months away from home to train and compete took a difficult toll, yet little reprieve could be found in the tumultuous and fragile relationship she had with her parents.
Dorothy went on to marry the man of her dreams, only to have the partnership end in heartache and a tragedy that almost pushed her to her breaking point. Then, just when a light at the end of the tunnel finally began to appear, a second failed marriage tried and tested Dorothy's trust and strength yet again--a travesty that could have led her to give up. But, she found a remarkable strength in what she did have--her greatest love, her daughter Alexandra.
"Thank goodness, I had my skating. There was certainly a pattern to my life. When times were tough, I went skating. It was only while I was out on the ice, enjoying the freedom of movement and my love of music, that I was able to escape from my bottomless heartache."
In her deeply moving and honest memoir, Dorothy opens up for the first time about love, family, courage, and what it means to truly win both on and off the ice.
About the Author
Shortly after she was born in Chicago, Dorothy Hamill's family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut--though once she began skating, she was constantly on the road training and competing. She was a three-time United States National Champion (1974-76) and won the World Championship and Olympic Gold Medal in 1976. She was an inductee of both the U.S. and World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and a headliner for the Ice Capades for seven years before briefly owning it. She can be seen today as a judge on Skating with Celebrities as well as skating performing in skating exhibitions. Dorothy lives with her daughter Alexandra in Connecticut--and when asked when she plans on stopping skating, she contentedly declares: "never."