An Evening with Scott Hamilton & Friends on Ice

The third annual Scott CARES Gala on Saturday, September 21, drew record attendance and resounding applause that was topped only by the surprise engagement of Olympic Champion figure skater Scott Hamilton to his girlfriend, Tracie Rose Robinson.

Hamilton proposed at the conclusion of “Scott Hamilton and Friends on Ice,” a fundraising performance to benefit The Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center, astonishing the audience of nearly 3,000 skating fans who attended the show at Gund Arena.

After thanking the world-renowned skaters who participated in the program, volunteers and others in attendance, Hamilton introduced Robinson, declaring “I really should marry this woman” before asking her, “Will you?” Following a brief pause, Hamilton informed the audience of her affirmative reply and was met with roaring applause.

Hamilton, a four-time U.S. National Champion, four-time World Champion and 1984 Olympic Gold medalist, met Robinson, a native of Tennessee, in March 2000 at a “Stars On Ice” skating performance. A wedding date has not been set.

This year’s “Scott Hamilton and Friends on Ice” and Hamilton’s engagement set a jubilant tone for the third annual Scott Hamilton CARES Gala, which again was chaired by noted civic leader and philanthropist Maria Miller.

At Gund Arena, Scott’s skating performance was accompanied by those of Olympic Gold Medalists Kristi Yamaguchi, Ekaterina Gordeeva, and Ilia Kulik, Olympic Silver Medalist Rosalynn Sumners, Olympic Bronze Medalist Jozef Sabovcik, World Champion Yuka Sato (who appeared with her husband and two-time U.S. National Champion Jason Dungjen), two-time U.S. National Dance Champions Renee Roca & Gorsha Sur, the up and coming brother and sister pair team of Tiffany and John Stiegler, and World Junior Champion Jennifer Kirk.

In addition to the ice show, the CARES Gala included a dinner and silent auction at The Renaissance Hotel Grand Ballroom on Public Square. The event’s proceeds benefit the Scott CARES Initiative, the Cancer Alliance for Research, Education and Survivorship, a project launched by Hamilton more than three years ago. The initiative has raised more than $2.5 million for research and patient programs at The Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center.

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