When the going got tough, I really had to draw on many of the same competitive instincts I did when I was skating. I really had to put my head down and stay positive. I had to fight.

The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.

Then came the choreography... the impact of music and choreography tends to really emphasize an overall feeling of what you really want out of the program.

My sport taught me what I could do with my talents, whether in the rink or in the rest of my life

It's a level of strength and character that few of us can imagine; a grace under pressure that few of us will ever attain. It's why an Olympic gold medal would not have made us love or admire her more.

Giving life to music through skating was something I wanted to be known for

I really loved what the guys were doing more than anything, how high they jumped, how effortless it was.