It was very much like Norman Rockwell: small town America. We walked to school or rode our bikes, stopped at the penny candy store on the way home from school, skated on the pond.

Meaning of the quote

This quote from American athlete Dorothy Hamill describes what life was like growing up in a small town. It was similar to the paintings of artist Norman Rockwell, which showed simple, everyday scenes from American life. In Hamill's town, people walked or rode their bikes to school, stopped for penny candy on the way home, and skated on the pond. This quote paints a picture of a peaceful, friendly community where people enjoyed simple pleasures.

About Dorothy Hamill

Dorothy Hamill is a former American figure skater who won the gold medal at the 1976 Olympics and the 1976 World Championships. She is known for her iconic hairstyle and her graceful, innovative skating style that influenced the sport for years to come.

More about the author

More quotes from Dorothy Hamill

My coach was a great politician, so he did most of the work. He was good.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

I was just ice skating. I had no concept of that. In those days you couldn’t see the judges. I was this little person on the ice and they were just people that would stand around the boards.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

I wanted to learn how to skate backwards and they wouldn’t help me and they went off and left me on my own.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

I wouldn’t say that there’s ever been an Olympic champion that didn’t deserve to win an Olympic Gold Medal.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

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.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

I hated to read. My mother could not get me to read. I’m going through the same thing with my daughter now. I love to read now, but I don’t remember reading.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

I was passionate. I found something that I loved. I could be all alone in a big old skating rink and nobody could get near me and I didn’t have to talk to anybody because of my shyness. It was great. I was in my fantasy world.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

I was a bratty little sister. I was the youngest of three, and I often felt as though I didn’t fit in.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

My mother stopped working when she had my brother. She was a full time mom until I started getting heavily into ice skating lessons, and it got to the point where they really needed my mom to earn an income.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

They’re still considered Olympic eligibles, so there’s never an issue whether they’re going to turn pro or not. When they get to that level, money is never an issue. They make so much money now.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

My parents didn’t have a lot of money, but we never knew that. They really did the best they could.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

In group lesson number six I think we learned how to turn backwards and then just kind of wiggle. That wasn’t really skating backward, but I guess I was going in the right direction.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

I don’t really think they saw anything in me, except the fact that I was interested in it. Some of the kids would miss a week here and miss a week there, I think they could see that I really enjoyed it.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

It was very much like Norman Rockwell: small town America. We walked to school or rode our bikes, stopped at the penny candy store on the way home from school, skated on the pond.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

Every time you go out on the ice, there are slight flaws. You can always think of something you should have done better. These are the things you must work on.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater

There were no competitions on television. The first skating competition I ever remember seeing on television was the 1968 Olympics when Peggy Fleming won.

Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater