I'd try to channel my nervous energy in a positive way into strength and endurance. It didn't always work.
At 6 years old, the ice became a place for me to express myself. Because I was so shy off the ice, it became my safe haven, with music and freedom and self-expression. That was my emotional outlet.
Now, I am thrilled to be a wife and mother, and I hope to be as good of a mother as my own mother, Carole.
They say, once you have a child, your heart is forever outside your body. I totally understand that now.
Being an athlete, you know how to train and prepare your body for a performance and you're able to do it under pressure.
Having achieved my own dreams, I want to give to kids who are less fortunate, who struggle with everyday obstacles. I want to give them something positive in their lives: support.
One of my mottos not only just in skating but in life in general and I try to enforce it as well, is like no regrets and just like going for it.
I'm kind of a homebody. My husband says I like to just stay home and do nothing, but that's just how I am
Growing up as an athlete, I started skating very young. My parents didn't know anything about the sport, so they went with the flow. I had two great coaches who gave great advice and gave guidelines for my parents. My parents let the coaches dictate what was going on on the ice.
Winning in women's singles felt surreal. I felt that everything I had done - the hard work, the tough times - was all worth it.