When 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.

I always push forward. It doesn't mean that I'll be perfect. I make mistakes -- but I learn from my mistakes, and move on.

And 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.

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.

It takes a lot of patience and a lot of time to create something worthwhile.

You 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.

A 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.