Everybody should be affected by their own realities in their own lives, their own struggles in their own lives. It makes us who we are, and we all know that.

I am proud of who I am, and nobody's going to steal that.

I wear my dad's cross. It's very important to me. I hang it in my locker before each game.

I'm just going to embrace every experience.

I've learned that winning isn't everything, and it's more about the journey. But at the end of the day, I just want to stand on the podium with the gold medal.

In truth, 2007 was the hardest year of my life. I lost my best friend. I lost my father.

Unfortunately, people think I'm negative and bitter all the time, and that's not the case.