My Dad Always Used To Tell Me

I Rolled The Second Car That I Ever Owned, A Toyota 4 Runner. This Was Winter In Colorado, Two Weeks Before The 2002 Olympic Trials. I Was Driving In The Outside Lane, And My Rear Tire Caught Some Black Ice, And We Totally Turned Sideways To The Point Where We Were Heading Right Toward The Median.

Every Single Experience, Every Single Thing That's Happened In My Life, Struggle, Obstacle, Trials And Tribulations, I Think They've All Molded Me To Become The Character And The Person Who I Am.

All The Suits I Buy Have To Be Tailored, No Matter What. But It's Not Just Because Of My Height; It's Because I've Been Skating For So Long. My Waist Is Very Small, But My Legs Are Just Huge. Most Really Nice Suit Makers Are Italian, And Usually They Make Suit Pants For Italian Men. I'm Like, 'those Italians Must Have Pretty Skinny Legs.'

When I'm Done Skating, I Guarantee You That I Will Not Look Back And Remember Standing On The Podium. I'm Going To Remember These Days - Being With The Team. Training Alone, In My Basement. Training When Everybody Else Is Sleeping. Doing Things That Nobody Else Is Doing. Digging Down. Seeing What Kind Of Character I Truly Have. I Love That Stuff.

On The Ice, If I Slow Down, I Can Coast Behind Somebody For A Couple Of Laps. If I Slow Down On The Run, It'll Turn Into A Walk.