Here Comes Self-Help Scotty

Get ready to consider a new book for your personal library, come early next year. Scott Hamilton already penned his autobiography a few years back, but according to this article, he’s about to enter the self-help market with the release of The Great Eight in January. Or, “eight concepts to guide you towards building that happy muscle in your soul,” he explains in the article.

Which might sound a little clichéd, but if there’s anyone in the skating community—in any community—to write something like that, it should be him. The childhood illness, the brain tumor, the cancer… the string of international championships, the Olympic Gold Medal, the founding of Stars on Ice, at least a dozen other things of significance… yep, I might take a peek at his book.

I say this even though I secretly rooted for his U.S. rival, David Santee, back in the day. I couldn’t help it; Santee lived about 30 minutes away from me when I was growing up! (Besides, my efforts didn’t seem to thwart Hamilton much.)

Their combined competitive heyday arguably hit its peak in 1981, when Hamilton/Santee took gold & silver not only at Nationals, but Worlds too. The
Clip of the Day showcases Hamilton’s part in that Worlds battle and features some classic Button & McKay commentary. Watch for the little slip up near the end, when McKay shouts “And down he goes!!”, and Button spends the next 20 seconds assuring everyone it shouldn’t count much against him.