Vintage Scott Hamilton: "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" by Frank Sinatra

On this glorious, sunny Monday afternoon--which is even more glorious, considering the gloom, torrential downpours and flooding of yesterday-- I'd like to share a little vintage Scott Hamilton with you. Scott skated this program to "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" by Frank Sinatra during the 1995/1996 professional season. Scott was supposed to debut it in the fall of 1995 at a pro-competition at which Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov were also scheduled to skate in, until Sergei's untimely death. Scott decided to dedicate this program to Sergei for the rest of the season. At one point in the middle of the program, and at the end, Scott looks up to the sky. One has to think that he was looking up to his dear friend Sergei.

What's wonderful about this program is that it is marvelously understated in contrast to Scott's usual over-the-top antics and humor on the ice. Scott's purity of technique is one of his hallmarks, and he showcases that seamlessly here. This program has a cool, breezy, jazzy, feel enhanced by solid triple jumps, quick footwork, and a simple authenticity of performance. The presentation is warm and genuine.

My favorite part of the program are the three beautiful "falling leaves" that Scott does proceeding his blurring footwork sequence toward the end. The falling leaves are a throwback to an older more pure style of skating from a generation long before the quadruple jumps and complex combination spins of today's International Judging System. Here, Scott shows us that less is more.

Scott is a master of blending the classic skating moves with new and exciting ones, such as the back flip that is his trademark. However, Scott actually stumbles a bit at the end of his back flip here, his only miscue, in an otherwise terrific performance. The back flip almost literally doesn't seem to work with the rest of the traditional fare served in this skate.

This is Scott at his finest, and a reminder, at least for me, that Scott doesn't need the gimmicks in his skating to be great. Even though I love his humorous programs full of wacky costume changes and props as much as the next person, I love the simplicity of this performance even more. Scott's true skating skills and abilities shine through, and that is what made Scott a 4-time National, World, and 1984 Olympic Champion in the first place.

Enjoy!!