A lot of times you're skating for people that are complete strangers, but they're giving you this warmth and this acceptance, just by the look on their faces and the way that they're sitting while they're watching, that really makes you feel comfortable.
Adversity, and perseverance and all these things can shape you. They can give you a value and a self-esteem that is priceless.
After years, and years, and years of living in hospitals and being away from other kids and not growing and not developing, I went home to live a normal life.
Always try to maintain complete tolerance and always make an effort to give people more than they expect.
And after 13 seasons of being professional, I've been given a prime time, network television special.
And I ended up playing hockey just out of peer pressure.
And I started winning competitions, and I started improving in spurts that were really pretty fortunate, because I was at a technical level that was higher than the rest of the guys that were my age, which happened kind of all at once.
And it gave me some self-esteem that I didn't have growing up, because I was the shortest one in the class, and sick, and couldn't really compete - couldn't play all those reindeer games, I guess.
And my parents noticed that I wasn't developing like the other children and it scared them a great deal.
And so figure skating was a great vehicle for me to kind of be competitive at something, without having to be big.
And the fact that I liked to show off and be the center of attention really lends itself to figure skating very well.
And you get to a level of expertise, or you get to a level competitively and you just try to be as good as you can be.
As my skating got more expensive, she became an associate professor at Bowling Green in the home economics department.
Because without knowing your family history, medical history, you really don't know how to react, or what to expect from your adopted children.
But I never really thought that I would be extraordinarily successful at skating, it's just something that happened, you know.
Every performance is different, so it makes each one special and unique.
Everything that I've ever been able to accomplish in skating and in life has come out of adversity and perseverance.
Fame is a very confusing thing, because you are recognized by a lot of people that you've never seen before, and they're at a great advantage.
From the fall of October, 1980 to March, 1984 I never lost a competition.
Half of figure skating is opinion, convincing judges.
I could determine my own development on the ice and improvement.
I didn't really think that I was gifted, or I didn't really think that I was super talented, I was just lucky to have a body that was the right proportion to pick up skating, because I was pretty agile.
I didn't want to be the sissy figure skater, you know.
I don't think most teachers realize how much impact they have.
I graduated a the top of my class in the '84 Olympic Games; I won a gold medal.
I graduated from high school, which was a negotiation, because I had switched schools so many times in my senior year that I missed some credits.
I grew up blessed with loving parents and a great household.
I had a ninth grade teacher who told me I was much smarter and much better than I was allowing myself to be.
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.
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 try to remember that today is special, and that tomorrow is going to be a lot different.
I was adopted at six weeks old by two school teachers.
I was adopted because my parents had trouble having children.
I was more interested in skating and the girls and traveling than I was in calculus.
I was nine-years-old when I first put on skates.
I went undefeated for four years.
I won the National Junior Championship in '76, the year I graduated from high school.
I'm very accessible. I don't get into this ego thing.
If I have an opportunity to win a competition, then I'm going to win it, regardless of what it's called.
If the judges are willing to give me the mark before I even show up, then it was worth all the effort of trying to win consistently for those four years.
Male figure skating is different than female figure skating; we're not America's sweetheart.
Most other competitions are individual achievements, but the Olympic Games is something that belongs to everybody.
My father was a professor of biology at Bowling Green State University.
My mother was a second grade school teacher.
My sister is from my parents, and my brother and I were both adopted.
Rationality is not one of this industry's attributes.
So as an amateur Olympic competitor I loved criticism, because it made me better. But now as a professional I don't really know how to channel it or where to take it, so I don't take it quite as well.
So I played hockey for three years and I did quite well.
So I started skating and the illness completely went away.
So I went in and out of hospitals for a long period of time. I was misdiagnosed many, many times.
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.
The high road is always respected. Honesty and integrity are always rewarded.
The most important thing for my skating was the commitment I made after my mother passed away.
The Olympics in '80 was phenomenal. It was my favorite memory of all competitive events, because it was brand new and it was exciting.
The only disability in life is a bad attitude.
Then when I won it in '83 and '84, I was comfortable in that role.
There's always a strategy, and that shapes your preparation for the year.
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.
Whatever fame or success I'm having today isn't going to be around forever.
When you turn professional, you become an entertainer, and like every other entertainer, you don't want to get a bad review.
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.
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.
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