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.

As a young child, I played the violin. I think that that started the spark

Love your sport. Never do it to please someone else; it has to be yours. That is all that will justify the hard work. Compete against yourself, not others, for that is who is truly your best competition.

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.

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.

In 1968, in the midst of the tumultuous 1960s, the Olympics were much more than just another event