But it seems that the judging maybe they shouldn't at least see the practices all week long. That can taint the way they go into the judging and the outlook of what's going to happen, instead of just watching those four minutes and judging on those minutes alone.

It is a process of finding the right music then planning a costume to fit that style of music.

I get to see the different sides of skating now which involves not only competing, but entertainment.

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 started skating when I was six years old.

I was a tomboy who liked to play rough just like my two older brothers. That's probably why I liked the athletic part of skating - especially the jumping!