If I had never won a single medal, I'd still be skating in a rink somewhere. There wouldn't be an audience or camera flashes or autograph seekers, but I'd still be skating.

Plus the public's attention span is so short right now, if a skater doesn't strike while the iron is hot... well it's not like people will forget you, but they just won't care anymore.

Kat and I were in our 20s when we won in '88. Our personalities were already established. We were ready to move on to a life of professional skating.

Sasha gets a raw deal from the press. She makes one mistake in her program and people rip her for not pulling it off when it counts. But she never falls apart. She never just completely folds and misses everything. Usually it's just one mistake.

So the programs all start to all look the same. I watched one free skating competition, and I thought I was watching a short program. Everyone was doing exactly the same elements.

Yeah, I am a little bit, and I think it is a natural progression of the sport, of going upwards in technical ability and everything like that.

First and foremost I am an American athlete and I am proud to live in a country that encourages diversity, openness and tolerance.