It's different today than it was then. In those days we were strictly amateurs. If I had wanted to stay in for the '80 Olympics, my parents couldn't have afforded it.

[citation needed] After the Ice Capades folded due to competition and changing national tastes in entertainment (notably favoring the professional sports of football and basketball) Hamill bought the financially strapped company's assets in 1993 in an effort to revive earlier successes but eventually sold it to Pat Robertson's International Family Entertainment Inc. She began training with Peter Burrows instead. Before her free program supporters held a sign saying "Which of the West? Dorothy!" The sign was asking which skater would defeat East Germany's Christine Errath for the gold medal.

She is the 1976 Olympic champion in ladies' singles and the 1976 World champion.