Falling down became second nature and it really didn't bother me.
Part of being a champ is acting like a champ. You have to learn how to win and not run away when you lose.
I won my first medal when I was nine years old. It was at the Boston Open.
My parents never pressured me to skate. They always said I could quit if I wanted to. They only expected me to skate when they had already paid for the expensive lessons. But, otherwise they said I could do what I wanted to do.
I worked also, doing things such as our paper route and, later on, waitressing.
I was thrilled one year when I was younger when not only did my brothers get hockey sticks for Christmas - but I did too!