You have to be able to be a good loser. You have to be okay knowing you're going to fail every day in something without getting mad and upset.

The decathlon includes ten separate events and they all matter. You can't work on just one of them.

And there is such a thing as a decathlon high. It's like a rock rolling down hill, picking up momentum. You get better and better.

You need to become more than one type of athlete. You have to be a sprinter, a weight man and a distance guy all in one.

I got interested in decathlon because a coach that I had was a big fan of Bruce Jenner, and he just saw the ability in me - but when it came down to it, I knew my best chance at a college scholarship would be in track and field.

As a young athlete, it was first about having fun; then it was about winning.

To me, the decathlon is its own little society and I am part of that culture.