Landing It: My Life on and Off the Ice [Abridged] [Audio CD]

Scott Hamilton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1999

One of the most beloved sports figures in the world today tells his own story for the first time.
-- "Landing It" was a New York Times bestseller for 4 weeks.
-- Scott Hamilton is one of today's most universally admired and visible athletes.
-- Includes personal stories about his close friends and colleagues, including Kristi Yamaguchi, Tara Lipinsky, Katia Gordeeva, Kurt Browning, Brian Boitano and others.
-- Scott Hamilton has been enormously influential in making figure skating the most watched sport after NFL football.

For more than two decades, incomparable figure skater Scott Hamilton has earned the admiration and won the hearts of people everywhere. Now, in "Landing It", Scott Hamilton shares a lifetime of reaching for the stars -- and always beating the odds. He vividly recounts the highs and lows, the victories and defeats, of his remarkable life and career, including his brave battle against cancer and triumphant return to professional skating. With stunning candor, he offers a rare glimpse inside the world of skating superstardom.

Scott Hamilton's honors include:
-- U.S. Olympic Committee Athlete of the Year
-- 4-time United States Champion and 4-time World Champion
-- Olympic gold medallist
-- Inducted in to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame and U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
-- He has been the color commentator on CBS since 1985.
-- He is the producer and star of the "Stars on Ice" tour, which is seen by more than 1.1 million people each season.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers seeking a peek at the world of competitive figure skating will be more than satisfied with Hamilton's book. Like Peggy Fleming (see above), Hamilton is a cancer survivor. He opens his story with the diagnosis of his testicular cancer, but the illness is just one aspect of Hamilton's difficult but ultimately satisfying life. An adopted child, Hamilton was quite ill as a child and spent much of his early years in and out of hospitals, on intravenous feedings, weak and falling behind in school. Gradually, as Hamilton gained strength, his mother suggested he try to ice skate. Whether Hamilton's various illnesses had run their course or the skating cured him, Hamilton was healthy enough to pursue skating. His route to the Olympics is familiar to skating fansAliving away from home with other families, constant practice sessions and the nervous tension and rivalries. Hamilton is far more willing than Fleming to write about his relationships with other skaters and his feelings about the skating world. He addresses the confusion over his sexuality: "Frankly I was sick of people constantly assuming I was gay because I was a figure skater." Hamilton also writes about how critical reviewers were of his early appearances as a skating commentator and how he finally had to do the best he could rather than try to measure up to one of his idols, Dick Button. A little more brassy than Fleming, Hamilton strikes a nice balance between the personal and the professional. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The autobiography of skating star Hamilton ranges from his Olympic heights to his sportscaster career to his successful battle with testicular cancer. In a departure for Books on Tape, the publisher, which recently opened a retail store, is releasing abridged cassette and CD versions along with its standard unabridged recordings. Doug Ordunio does the reading.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Books on Tape; Abridged edition (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736646825
• ISBN-13: 978-0736646826
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,752,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating glimpses, November 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Landing It: My Life On And Off The Ice (Hardcover)

While written in standard un-memorable "as-told-to" style, the book provides not only a great deal of information about Scott's life and times on the ice and off, but fascinating glimpses of many other skaters. For the knowledgeable fan, the book will evoke many memories of competitions and skaters past (and current.) I enjoyed the accounts of some of the wonderful friendships and support, and particularly his moving tribute to Sergei Grinkov and Katia Gordeeva. A good holiday gift for lovers of the sport.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book---BUY IT!, January 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Landing It: My Life On And Off The Ice (Hardcover)

I have just finished reading Scott's book and feel as if he were sitting across from me having a long conversation....this is a great book. Any fan of ice skating, Stars on Ice, sports commentary, Winter Olympics, and/or overcoming numerous adversities--BUY THIS BOOK! Scott gives the insiders view to training for the Olympics and the politics of skating. He also devotes a touching chapter to Sergei Grinkov and Katia Gordeeva the former pairs skaters (Sergei died unexpectedly from heart problems, leaving his partner in skating/wife Katia and their young daughter.) A truly WONDERFUL book. I am looking forward to later years when Scott Hamilton writes a sequal!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FOOT-WORK FOR LIFE, December 9, 1999

By 

BRUCE D. (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Landing It: My Life On And Off The Ice (Hardcover)

SCOTT HAMILTON SHARES HIS LIFE, HOPES, DREAMS AND MISTAKES WITH ARTFUL CANDOR. THE DETERMINATION AND HUMOR WE HAVE COME TO EXPECT OF SCOTT SHINES CLEARLY. HIS CHOICES TO REVEAL OR KEEP PRIVATE ARE APPLAUDABLE. SCOTT TAKES YOU WITH HIM IN HIS LIFE JOURNEY, AND ONE COMES AWAY KNOWING THAT THIS MODERN DAY "HERO" IS ALSO QUITE HUMAN. SCOTT SHARES SOME OF HIS PRIVATE THOUGHTS ABOUT SKATING AND ON SOME OTHER STARS THAT PROVOKE THOUGHT AND RE-APPRAISAL OF ASSUMPTIONS. WE ALL WILL FACE CHALLANGES IN OUR LIVES, AND SCOTT'S LIFE, SO FAR HAS BOTH INSPIRATION AND TOOLS WE CAN ALL UTILIZE. LOVE, HUMOR, FRIENDSHIP, FAMILY AND FAITH ARE WOUND INTO OUR LIVING AND SCOTT GIVE US GLIMPSES OF SUCCESS AND FAILURES. THIS BOOK IS VERY READABLE, AND ONE THAT YOU WILL OPEN AGAIN AFTER THE FIRST READING!