Searching for funds to continue my skating career when I was 17, I called the Women's Sports Foundation in New York. The intern who answered the phone suggested that I might be a great candidate for the Travel and Training fund, and she sent me an application form. I applied for a grant. With the funds I was awarded, I bought a new pair of skates and a plane ticket to the 1988 National Championships, where I achieved my highest national finish. Four years later, I won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games.

Training for the Olympics was a lifelong endeavor and took many years.

I never wanted to feel I hadn't worked hard enough.

Childhood reading is so important.

I burnt myself out of skating. I was ready to focus on being a mom.

At 6 years old, the ice became a place for me to express myself. Because I was so shy off the ice, it became my safe haven, with music and freedom and self-expression. That was my emotional outlet.

Winning in women's singles felt surreal. I felt that everything I had done - the hard work, the tough times - was all worth it.