The only disability in life is a bad attitude.
Without strength and courage it's really hard to perform at the highest levels of international figure skating, because you're alone on the ice and you only have seven minutes over two nights to prove yourself.
What was really funny is that as I got older all those guys who called me a sissy in junior high school wanted me to be their best friend because they wanted to meet all the girls that I knew in figure skating.
And the fact that I liked to show off and be the center of attention really lends itself to figure skating very well.
But I never really thought that I would be extraordinarily successful at skating, it's just something that happened, you know.
I started skating and I kind of liked it because I could run circles around the guys that wouldn't pick me to play baseball.
I didn't want to be the sissy figure skater, you know.
I was nine-years-old when I first put on skates.
I was more interested in skating and the girls and traveling than I was in calculus.
From the fall of October, 1980 to March, 1984 I never lost a competition.
I don't think most teachers realize how much impact they have.
When you're expected to win and you have the press saying that you are going to win the Olympic gold medal, and you're the only sure thing in the Olympics, it can undermine your confidence.
Half of figure skating is opinion, convincing judges.
Most other competitions are individual achievements, but the Olympic Games is something that belongs to everybody.
That's what makes the Ryder Cup in golf so much better than the Masters or the U.S. Open. To be a part of something that is not about personal achievement, but about representing everyone and sharing it with the whole country, it's wonderful.
I'm very accessible. I don't get into this ego thing.
I just try to touch people's hearts in a way through skating, so they're not just witnessing a performance, they're feeling a performance and they're a part of it.
Adversity, and perseverance and all these things can shape you. They can give you a value and a self-esteem that is priceless.
Male figure skating is different than female figure skating; we're not America's sweetheart.
When you turn professional, you become an entertainer, and like every other entertainer, you don't want to get a bad review.
