Scott Hamilton is at Skate America in Lake Placid this weekend. One of the first items on the 1984 Olympic gold medalist’s agenda was to talk about the U.S. Figure Skating Association’s partnership with Cancer.net, the title sponsor of Skate America this year.

Cancer.net was developed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and is a source of cancer information for people living with cancer and those who care for them.

“I’ve earned a lot of titles, but the one that’s been most significant in my life is cancer survivor,” said Hamilton, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in March 1997.

Hamilton added that so many people are touched by cancer, and this has been especially true in the figure skating community. Dorothy Hamill and Peggy Fleming are also cancer survivors. Both gold medalists battled breast cancer.

Asked if young figure skaters ask him about his fight with cancer, Hamilton said that in this Olympic year, he has received several emails asking, “How did you endure this?”

But it’s not so much the cancer issue as it is the struggles of qualifying for the Olympics. The U.S. qualified to send 2 women, 3 men, 2 pairs teams, and 3 dance teams to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

So what does Hamilton tell the skaters who ask how he handled the months leading up to the Sarajevo 1984 Olympic Winter Games?

“Eliminate the would haves, could haves, should haves,” he said. “When you step on that ice, anything can happen at any moment.”

Like the deer Hamilton hit with his car near his home in Tennessee the night before he traveled to Lake Placid for Skate America. “I could have been killed, it happened like that,” he said, snapping his fingers.

“Anything can happen at any give time, so you just respect the moment and you hope that everything works out the way that it’s supposed to,” he added. “All you can do is prepare.”

“It’s the same with cancer awareness.”

For more on how Hamilton eliminated his own “would-haves, could-haves, should-haves” leading up to the 1984 Olympics, check back with teamusa.org. I’ll have a series of 12 “Golden Moments” posted weekly, starting November 26.