One of the unsung coaches of American Figure skating, Don Laws can say he was the factor that changed Scott Hamilton from a good skater into a Champion skater.

Scott and Don met in the late 70s while Scott was training under legendary coach, Carlo Fassi. Scott would train at different skating camps in the summer, and when in Philadelphia he often would be under the watchful eye of Laws. Fassi and Laws were friends, so it was no surprise that when Scott felt he no longer was Fassi's number one priority--or really any priority at all--Scott contacted Don.

Don was not the stickler for rules that Carlo had been, which was a welcome change for Scott. The only rule he had was, no matter how either he or Scott felt, Scott better skate two clean run thrus. Scott only tested this rule once, after his 21st birthday, and was able to skate cleanly. 

The first major competition that Scott and Don faced together was the 1980 US Championships. The top two places were basically spoken for, but the third spot was going to go to one of two Scotts. Through a narrow margin, Hamilton beat Scott Cramer and landed the third berth for the US Olympic team. A month later, Scott--a virtual unknown by casual viewers--made a statement by placing fifth at the games. He and Don never looked back.

Don Laws still coaches, in fact he is coaching Canadian skater Patrick Chan, and was recently awarded Coach of the Year by the Michael Weiss Skating Foundation. Here's hoping Don sees many more years of success!

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