I've realized how precious life is. When I was younger, I was more adventurous. I felt invincible. I was game for everything. As a mom, I don't want to get injured because then I can't take care of my kids.

Being an athlete, you know how to train and prepare your body for a performance and you're able to do it under pressure.

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

Every day, someone realizes a dream. I believe dreams help light our darkness and give us the push we need to move across the rink of life.

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.

Dorothy Hamill was my big idol as a kid. She'd won the Olympics in 1976. She was America's sweetheart with her personality, her talent, her haircut.

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