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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 15 general entries.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Dorothy Hamill
| Dorothy Hamill has left an enduring mark on the world of figure skating. During her career, she became known for a specific skating move, which she invented herself. Her creation was a modification on the form of two standard skating spins, with a uniquely "Dorothy" twist. It has become known as the ____. What was Dorothy's signature move called? | Dorothy Hamill: America's Sweetheart
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Hamill Camel. The Hamill Camel combines two standard elements, the camel spin and the sit spin, into one unique move. It is performed by executing a camel spin, and then moving directly and fluidly into the sit spin position. Dorothy's original creation has maintained its popularity, and continues to be performed regularly by other skaters.
| To break herself of a bad habit, Dorothy once utilized the assistance of a professional hypnotist, Pat Collins. What did Ms. Collins help Dorothy stop doing? | Dorothy Hamill: America's Sweetheart
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Smoking cigarettes. Dorothy worked with Pat Collins to quit smoking, a habit she'd had since her teenage years. In 1976 (at age 20), Dorothy told "People" magazine, "I've been puffing these - maybe half a pack a day - since I was 15." Pat Collins was a celebrity hypnotist who attained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, making numerous appearances on US television. Collins died of a stroke in 1997. At the time of Collins' death, the E! television network described Dorothy as "one of her serious students".
| During her amateur figure skating career, Dorothy suffered from an affliction which often proved challenging for her to overcome. What hampered Dorothy? | Dorothy Hamill: America's Sweetheart
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Shyness and nervousness. Dorothy was painfully shy throughout her youth. Her coach, Carlo Fassi, was quoted by ESPN as saying, "Dorothy had a strong handicap in that she was negative. She had to be pushed and always said she couldn't win in competition. She was her own worst enemy. Frankly, I didn't think she could do it, either, for a long while." During a June 2000 interview with the Academy of Achievement (www.achievement.org), Dorothy herself said that nervous pressure often caused her to throw up before competitions, adding, "I really would get violently ill. So I never ate very much before I competed because I couldn't keep it down. I often thought it was really like going to your own execution".
Much later in life, as she entered her 40s, Dorothy was diagnosed with osteoarthritis (a painful medical condition involving degeneration of the joint cartilage). Her skating career was threatened, but Dorothy responded well to treatment and medication, and has been able to maintain her agenda of skating appearances. In 2001, Dorothy became a paid spokesperson for a major pharmaceutical house, Merck, marketing their drug Vioxx, which is used to combat osteoarthritis.
| Dorothy's second marriage lasted eight years, but ended in divorce. Her second husband was a physician, Dr. Kenneth Forsythe, MD. Their marriage produced a daughter, Dorothy's only child. What is the name of Dorothy's daughter? | Dorothy Hamill: America's Sweetheart
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Alexandra. Dorothy and Kenneth were married in 1987, separated in 1995, and later divorced. By most media accounts, it was a very contentious, unpleasant divorce. Their daughter Alexandra ("Alex") was born in 1988. Dorothy and Alex subsequently moved to Baltimore, Maryland, a city which Dorothy has said reminds her of Riverside, the small Connecticut town where she was raised.
Dean Paul Martin. Dorothy's first husband was the son of the legendary "Rat Pack" entertainer Dean Martin. Dorothy and Dean Paul were married for only two and a half years before divorcing, and they had no children during their brief marriage. In addition to his work in the entertainment field, Dean Paul was also a military pilot in the United States (California) Air National Guard. During a routine training flight, he was killed in an aircraft crash at the age of 35, in March of 1987.
| After turning professional, Dorothy signed a lucrative contract to skate for a major North American ice show. Several years later, when the same ice show was in dire financial straits, Dorothy purchased it. Which ice show did Dorothy perform with and later own? | Dorothy Hamill: America's Sweetheart
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Ice Capades. When Dorothy signed with the Ice Capades, she became the first female athlete to ever sign a million dollar a year contract. She later purchased the Ice Capades in 1993, and was credited with improving the working conditions for the skaters in the cast, increasing the amount of training and practice time available, and eliminating hated weekly weigh-ins. Dorothy revised the format of the show, changing it into an ice ballet. Her new format proved to be an unpopular failure, and Dorothy sold her interest in the Ice Capades in 1995. Her ill-fated experience owning the Ice Capades was one factor which contributed to Dorothy declaring bankruptcy in 1996.
| Aside from amateur and professional ice skating competitions and exhibitions, Dorothy has made numerous television appearances in the United States. She has appeared in cameo roles, and has also starred in special programs created specifically around her. Has Dorothy ever won an Emmy, awarded by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences? | Dorothy Hamill: America's Sweetheart
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Yes. Dorothy won an Emmy in 1984 for "Romeo and Juliet", which aired on the CBS television network. She starred as Juliet.
| After winning her Gold Medal at the Olympics, Dorothy became an overnight sensation in the United States, and her popularity far exceeded traditional figure skating circles. Two aspects of her personal appearance had a major impact on popular women's fashion/style trends of the era. Obviously, one was her famous short hairstyle which became known as "the wedge". She was also known for another trademark item which became popular among many women. What was Dorothy's other signature item? | Dorothy Hamill: America's Sweetheart
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Oversized eyeglasses. Dorothy's instant popularity was partly attributable to her well-scrubbed, attractive "girl next door" appearance. Her unique "wedge" hairstyle was created by the noted stylist Yusuke Suga of New York. The styling caused such an impact, "Life" magazine described it as "one of the most important fashion statements of the last 50 years". Dorothy later became a paid spokesperson for Clairol, endorsing their "Short and Sassy" line of hair care products.
Dorothy's vision problems were first discovered by her coach, Carlo Fassi. He suggested the large frames, so that Dorothy could more easily see the ice surface when tracing compulsory school figures.
Yes. Dorothy was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2000. Previously, she was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame (1991), and the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame (1992).
| Historically, Dorothy has been known for her spins, precision, and grace, more than for her jumping ability. Did Dorothy even attempt a triple jump during her gold medal performance at the 1976 Olympics? | Dorothy Hamill: America's Sweetheart
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No. Dorothy practiced triple jumps while training, but didn't feature them in her competitive routines. In the contemporary era, successfully landing "a triple" is almost a defacto requirement for any winning program, but the triple jump was not yet considered an essential element in 1976 when Dorothy won her gold medal. Dorothy was the last female figure skater to win a gold medal at the Olympics without featuring at least one triple jump.
| In 1970, Dorothy moved to Colorado to train at the Broadmore Skating Club, under the tutelage of a renowned coach who was instrumental in helping her attain an Olympic gold medal. Who was Dorothy's famous coach? | Dorothy Hamill: America's Sweetheart
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Carlo Fassi. Carlo Fassi was an Italian National Champion in the 1950s, but achieved his greatest success and notoriety as a skating coach. He died of a heart attack in 1997 at the age of 67. Prior to working with Dorothy, Fassi coached Peggy Fleming to her gold medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Grenoble.
Dick Button was a champion skater, not a coach, winning five World Championships and two Olympic gold medals from 1948 to 1952. Button has become best known for providing expert analysis and commentary during television broadcasts of figure skating competitions. John Nicks was a champion pairs skater in Great Britain during the 1950s, also winning a pairs World Championship in the same era. As a coach, Nicks has specialized in what he knows best, pairs skating, coaching many famous duos including Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner. Jutta Muller coached many prominent East German skaters, most notably Katarina Witt.
| After retiring from amateur competition, Dorothy went on to compete as a professional skater for several years. How many times did Dorothy win the World Professional Figure Skating Championships during the 1980s? | Dorothy Hamill: America's Sweetheart
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5. Dorothy won five consecutive World Professional Figure Skating Championships from 1983 through 1987.
| In addition to her 1976 Olympic victory, Dorothy was the United States National Champion for three consecutive years, 1974 to 1976. What year did Dorothy win her only World Championship? | Dorothy Hamill: America's Sweetheart
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1976. Dorothy won the 1976 World Championship in Gothenberg, Sweden, shortly after she took the gold medal at the Innsbruck Winter Games. She had previously won two silver medals in World Championship competition in 1974 and 1975. Earlier, in 1973, Dorothy took second place at the US National competition, and fourth place at the World Championships. Of her many skating accomplishments, Dorothy has often said that she is most proud of her World Championship victory. She was once quoted by ESPN as saying, "In some ways this victory meant more to me than any other. I won the Olympics for my country, but I won the World Championship for myself".
| The highlight of Dorothy's career as an amateur figure skater was her gold medal triumph at the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. Where did Dorothy win her only Olympic medal? | Dorothy Hamill: America's Sweetheart
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Innsbruck, Austria. Dorothy was 19 years old when she took the gold medal at Innsbruck, and the judges awarded her a perfect score of 6.0 for her short program. 1976 marked the second time that Innsbruck played host to the Olympic Winter Games; the first was 12 years earlier, in 1964. The Grenoble Winter Games were held in 1968, and the site of Peggy Fleming's gold medal triumph. Calgary hosted the Winter Games in 1988, and Katarina Witt took home the gold medal (her second). The Lake Placid Games took place in 1980, and are most often remembered for the US Men's Ice Hockey Team and the "Miracle on Ice".
Chicago, Illinois. Shortly after Dorothy was born in Chicago, her parents, Carol and Chalmers Hamill, moved to Riverside, Connecticut. Riverside is a community in the town of Greenwich. Dorothy was the youngest of three children. She has an older brother, Sandy, and an older sister, Marcia.
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