A lot of times when you go through a very traumatic situation and it's emotionally difficult to deal with you come back spiritually stronger. It changes you in a way.
Elvis StojkoAfter you've done it for so many years, you have to find a new direction. You have to find something in your soul that's going to push you towards - to find your inspiration.
Elvis StojkoI don't want to prove to anyone or prove to myself. I'd rather just enjoy and show myself that I am capable of doing it and actually going through the process.
Elvis StojkoA skater goes through a lot of different feelings during a competition. Staying calm is the key point. You feel a little anxious, a little nervous, a little unsettled. That's when you've got to trust your feelings, trust your abilities. Believe in what you have worked for so long to achieve. Have faith in yourself.
Elvis StojkoI would have to agree, that I'm probably more intense than Brian or Kurt, competitive because, I was always like this, always being that way, always real competitive.
Elvis StojkoYou're always learning on different avenues and this is an opportunity for me to start on a fresh plate and start learning some other things that can really help me, that I need, and I want, to progress forward.
Elvis StojkoAll I know is that skating is getting better, the guys are getting better throughout the whole age range
Elvis StojkoI trained and trained and went up against Kurt, then being a world champion in '94, and after that I did Tommy's tour and then my tour and all this stuff and just trying to deal with it all. And now, I've just kind of backed off a little.
Elvis StojkoWhen you are relaxed, you can focus a lot more easily than when you are hyper and over-energetic. It's important to be "up" for a competition, but you shouldn't have too much energy, because you might not be able to control it. In competitions, it is important to be able to bring the power and energy you are feeling down to a level that you can control. This comes with practice and experience.
Elvis StojkoBut a lot of my training can be done in Aston - a lot of the hard work, so to speak. But a new atmosphere, a new place, and it's good for me because I didn't want to get stuck in one spot, so coming home is good, back and forth, you know, where my roots are.
Elvis StojkoWhen you're younger, your inspiration is there. As you get older, it tends to waver. Once you find it - I found it again - that's where you can draw from. That's where you draw your strength from.
Elvis StojkoYou have to be able to focus, to control your energy. You need to make it your ally, instead of trying to harness it, to muscle it. That wastes energy too. There has to be a harmony between you and your body. Your mind and your body, and your soul have to connect in order to move forward. And this comes through relaxation.
Elvis StojkoMy mom was a dancer, my dad's a singer and I've always had that kind of music in my life.
Elvis StojkoAlways looked up to Brian and his skating, I loved his skating and what he had done for the sport. And the triple axel, that was the thing, and I wanted a triple axel.
Elvis StojkoBy no means because I am a World Champion will I ever stop learning and thatโs the biggest thing thatโs difficult for someone to see.
Elvis StojkoI always push forward. It doesn't mean that I'll be perfect. I make mistakes -- but I learn from my mistakes, and move on.
Elvis StojkoJust before I got down here I had a chance to see Agassi play another game and he smoked another player, which was nice to see. Someone who a lot of people thought couldn't come back and now he's winning.
Elvis StojkoTechnically, the last number of years, partially from the injury, it's been difficult to push forward but I felt even before the injury that I still could do more and was sort of at a stalemate.
Elvis StojkoAnd then, looking back at my first Olympics, and when the pressure was on, in '94 and '98, and looking back and going, wow. I sensed and felt what Brian had gone through.
Elvis Stojko