“You know you gotta cut loose-footloose
Kick off your Sunday shoes!” – “Footloose”, Kenny Loggins
That is exactly what will be happening in Nashville, Tennessee this coming Sunday, November 24th when shoes get magically turned into blades. For the fourth year in a row, figure skating champion and backflipping extraordinaire Scott Hamilton will be bringing his “Scott Hamilton and Friends” event to the Bridgestone Arena for a day of lights, choreography, music, and family fun all to raise money for cancer research thru The Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation. And even though we are days away, you can still get great tickets for this fundraising event as part of the 501 c (3) non-profit that works not only to fund innovate research, but also to treat patients’ specific needs during their cancer journey. Tickets for reserved seating start at $35.90 plus service charges and preferred seating is still available for $50 and $77 thru the Bridgestone Arena Box Office and ticketmaster.com. For super VIP treatment, look into the sponsorship packages that include an After Show Celebration at the Omni Hotel, featuring dinner, live music, and a silent auction. Those tickets are available for purchase thru the Foundation event page.
What makes it even more special is that this year, we celebrate Scott’s 35th Anniversary of his Olympic Gold medal which means we’re heading to the “Danger Zone” . . . also known as the 80s!!! So, plan to be transported back to a time of mixed tapes, one hit wonders, funky neon costumes, crimped hair, and side ponytails! In fact, we specifically asked Scott a few weeks back if he could give us any insight into the 80s looks that we’re so excited about. His response? “Knowing ice dancers, they like to do all of that, so it’ll be fun to see what they come up with!” One thing he is sure of is the recurring GOLD theme that will be taking over the home of the Predators as part of his Olympic Gold Medalist 35th celebration. All of the skaters are gold medalists of some sort, on National, International, and Olympic levels. Skaters like Olympic Ice Dancing Gold Medalists and Dancing with the Stars champion MERYL DAVIS and her partner Olympic Ice Dancing Gold Medalist CHARLIE WHITE, 2x Olympic Pairs Gold Medalist KATIA GORDEEVA, Ice Dance World Medalists KAITLYN WEAVER and ANDREW POJE, World Champion JEFFREY BUTTLE, U.S. National Champion MIRAI NAGASU, 2x U.S. National Champion ALISSA CZISNY, U.S. National Champions ASHLEY CAIN-GRIBBLE and TIMOTHY LE DUC, U.S. National Champion RYAN BRADLEY and U.S. National Champion MAX AARON will shine bright on the ice to eliminate cancer.
Now what would skaters be without music to triple toe loop jump too? They may have rehearsed to pre-recorded music, but this is Music City and we don’t believe in tracks. We believe in the real thing. That’s right! The ice rink shares space with a stage as part of the magic of a one of a kind Nashville show. Backed up by the well-known band Sixwire (remember the show Nashville?), guests like platinum recording singer/songwriter Gavin DeGraw and country’s hottest female trio Runaway June will have the audience and skaters rocking out to their tunes. And keeping with the 80s, Jonathan Cain from Journey and John Elefante from Kansas will be blaring their biggest hits. So how exactly does all the music come together? The Country Note asked Scott that very question.
“It all kinda fell together as they do in a really cool way. We reached out to Kenny Loggins as I worked with him in the past raising money for cancer research. And we thought, with ‘84, you gotta have “Footloose” in a show, right? So, we reached out and said, ‘here’s what we need.’ And they said, ‘what date is it?’ And we said, ‘November 24th’ and their response was, ‘Wow!’ I thought, is that a good wow or a bad wow? We found out that he is actually going to be in Nashville that same weekend!”
Scott chuckled with excitement and finished with, “It was meant to be!”
Mercy Me’s Bart Millard has also been playing Scott’s show for years now solo, but even he is taking it up a notch for the GOLD celebration by bringing the other members of the band! So, we ‘can only imagine’ the full Mercy Me experience we’re about to get! Scott also mentioned that Kenny Loggins is bringing his guitar and keyboard players to really set the mood for songs like “Footloose” and “Danger Zone”.
Well, he didn’t exactly tell us that those songs were being played for sure, but we can assume and hope right?! In fact, Scott didn’t give away any of the songs, which is driving us crazy here at The Country Note! But he did tell us how it is that the songs and the dancers come together.
“Skaters know the songs ahead of time and rehearses on their own where they are. I send them their music once I get it from the artist. Once we get our ears on the music, it’s all about coming up with set list. I don’t put two Runaway June songs and then two Gavin DeGraw songs back to back. We mix and match like the songwriter’s rounds that we have here so that they take turns.”
As if that is not work enough, Scott goes the extra mile to pair up the right song with the right dancer. “I kinda go thru it all and really pick something that I think the skater would enjoy. Generally, people trust me because if I give them a piece of music that isn’t in their normal run of the meal wheelhouse that means I am stretching them. And if I hear a piece of music that totally suits somebody, I’ll give it to them. Like there’s a Journey song that 100% fits Ryan Bradley so I gave it to him. One of Gavin’s songs was perfect for Steven Cousins, so I gave it to him. The song that Meryl and Charlie have is perfect for them. I just listen to it and watch them skate in my mind’s eye.”
And as for the super detailed and unforgettable group numbers we are used to seeing year after year? “We choreograph those the day before,” Scott remarks. And now our mind is blown.
Which also makes us wonder. . .does this happen all over the country or is it a NASHVILLE tradition that we can claim as our own? Because we are more than ready to claim it.
According to Scott, “We do events all over the country as part of SK8 to Elimin8 and the CARES Foundation, but this is the big one! This one takes all year to put together. Other ones are managed by skating rinks or skating clubs thru our SK8 to Elimina8 Cancer direction. We assist and I show up for the celebration, but they handle it for the most part.”
In fact, just this past August, The Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation and local ice rinks, skating clubs and communities announced seven additional Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer™ fundraising events in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Washington D.C. and beyond, ending with the Nashville November 24th event. His foundation introduced this peer-to-peer fundraising campaign in 2015 and to date, over 60 successful events have been held across the nation. Proceeds not only benefit The Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation, but a local charity of choice as well. Visit www.mysk8.org and click on the local event to support to see how you can help!
Okay Scott. So, if you had to choose an 80s song that you have either done a routine too or would do a routine too. . . what would be it? Deep thoughts came trickling in over the phone waves with a slight, “hmmm. . .”
“I loved skating to Aerosmith a lot. I did “Walk This Way” although that’s more 70s than 80s. Probably something I never skated too? I love Kenny Loggins– love, love, love Journey stuff so probably something from Journey ‘cause they owned the 80s—ALL OF IT. We’re trying to raise money for cancer and I’m not guaranteeing it but “Don’t Stop Believin” would be a great last thought!!!” (Hint hint.)
Also returning this year is one of Scott’s closest friends, nine-time GRAMMY Award winner Sheryl Crow. Crow, who has performed hits in years past like “Everyday is a Winding Road”, “Soak Up The Sun” and “All I Wanna Do” is trading in performing this year for co-hosting duties.
“This has been a huge year for her,” advocates Scott. “She recently released what she calls her “last” album and these days you don’t need to do an album with singles. But for artists of her generation, an album is a really cool thing because it’s got an art to it. So, her latest album is a masterpiece and it could be one of her best. It’s really cool the way she brought in other artists. Maybe next year we’ll do that record with all the guest artists of that record. It’s just an idea but hey! Throw it out to the Heavens and see if you get an answer!” (We do love your planning and optimism, Scott and we are not opposed to that idea!)
He finished with this: “She wanted to take the year off, but she is still gonna be Ringmaster on stage for the bands and I’m gonna be Ringmaster for the skaters and it’s gonna be awesome!!!”
And of course, no show would be complete without the Overcomer Project. All year, aspiring skaters build teams, skate, and fundraise for Sk8 to Elimin8 so that they can potentially earn the right to skate at the Bridgestone in a group number. All of the money that they raise stays in Nashville as part of the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund at Vanderbilt.
“We are all about immunotherapy acting as the silver bullet that defeats cancer once and for all. But that takes lots of research and financial resources. This year, the Overcomers are skating to a big song that was a part of my comeback in 1997 right after I survived cancer. This is one event where we try to create a family destination, and everybody comes together to celebrate life. And we use that financial resource to fund the next miracle!”
Scott’s passion for young people goes beyond ice dancers. He also works with young hockey players and recently hosted a small skills competition at the Ford Ice Center in Bellevue, in which the money went directly back to Sk8 to Elimin8. Former Preds captain Mike Fisher stopped by after church for a special Q&A.
“Mike is the best guy and such a blessing to the community,” Scott said about his friend.
Scott is a blessing to the community as well and was recognized earlier this month at the 11th Annual Cherish the Night event with the STARS organization (Students Taking a Right Stand.) He was honored with the Troy Gentry Compassion Award so we would like to send out a special congratulations to him on that. Not only does Scott inspire as a world renowned skater, commentator, speaker, and cancer survivor, he also shares his optimism and faith thru his books. With two best sellers under his belt, he will now release a children’s book on February 4, 2020 (World Cancer Day) called Frizzy Finds A Hat. The gentle tale, illustrated by country music star Brad Paisley and his boys, helps children deal with cancer and was inspired by his late mother’s battle. So pre order yours today on Amazon.
The future of skating is looking bright in Nashville thanks to our Olympic Gold Medalist friend who may have one of the biggest hearts of anybody we know! Make plans to join us this coming Sunday for “Scott Hamilton and Friends” and while you’re at it, start planning for the 2022 US figure skating championships because they’re coming to Music City for the first time ever!!!!
To say that Scott, who is still currently battling a benign brain tumor (although it has shrunk thankfully), is a busy man is an understatement. After all of this, he is definitely looking forward to rest and relaxation with his family, having a low key holiday season.
“We’ll stick around for the holidays. There’s six of us—ages 18-11, so let’s just stay home in our pajamas and drink hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies! That sounds good to me!”
That sounds good to us too, Scott! But first, we’re going to dance, sing, and channel our childhood with the magic of the 80s! You are in for one wild ride to kick off your Thanksgiving week so don’t miss it!