I was so proud to have the chance to be able to represent Canada at the Olympics in Vancouver.
— Patrick Chan
Skating has given me so many opportunities.
If I ever got in the way of Kurt Browning or Elvis Stojko, and they got mad and yelled at me, I'd be, 'Oh my God! I'm so sorry!'
The attitude is different in the U.S. I feel like, in Canada, there is more of a sense of community and more of a sense of, 'I'll take the shirt off my back to help you because you're my neighbour.' There is not many of us, right? So each and every Canadian is very special.
I have a good idea of how lucky we are to be growing up in Canada.
I'm competing against men who are doing five quads between the short program and the long program, and I'm at three between the two programs. Who would ever imagine that three wasn't enough for some people?
Traditionally, skaters tend to tie their skates very tightly. I tend to just tie my foot down, then in the ankle area, I tend to keep it loose. It gives me better mobility. But also, you're relying on your own strength as opposed to resting on the boot.
I'm going to stick to what I can do... because if I try and,,, do the impossible, I will either get too frustrated to the point where I won't enjoy the sport anymore, or I will get hurt and maybe have to get hip replacements at age 30.
I can do all my jumps in practice, three in a row, five out of five, four out of five.
Experience is a funny thing. You don't always have it when you need it.
My parents are very good parents and have already said that they will look after me until the end of my skating career.
I'm not a big traveller.
I skate just to satisfy my own desire and not care about other people's desire for me to do well.
Even though I'm very Westernized as an individual and very Canadian, I guess I've lost some of my Chinese culture.
There isn't quite a feeling you get from playing video games that you get when you're playing sports, which is like a sense of euphoria. You just get the satisfaction of doing something active and feeling good after.
If you look at all the sports in China, the government is extremely involved and they are extremely proud of their athlete.
Quads are very exciting to watch, but they're so quick, and they're very short moments in the program... I don't really enjoy it.
Every Olympics, we always end up having someone on the podium that we had no idea, or we didn't expect them to be.
Even when I'm winning, hands-down the best, it's a struggle. I'm thinking, 'Oh, God! Just get me through this.' It's like surgery.
All I can say is I'm proud to be Canadian.
The lifestyle of Vancouver does seem to really draw me towards there.
I'll always represent Canada. I was born here, and my parents chose to immigrate here. There are so many things I don't see in other countries, I see here. I love having the Maple Leaf behind me.
I get mad at my mom. I really wish she'd put me into hockey. I'm not gifted with height, but look at Martin St-Louis. He's unbelievable. He's small, but he's so fast, so skilful. I think I could have been pretty good.
In Japan, skating is like NHL hockey in Canada or baseball in the U.S., so pushing the limit is very enticing. Skating is their lives.
I love figure skating and what I am able to express creatively. I want to leave a legacy in the sport.
Injuries are a huge thing for skating. I think skating is a very unnatural sport for the body, very tough on the joints.
In skating or any amateur sport, as athletes we share something in common: the cost of training is quite a burden on our parents or on the athletes themselves trying to find a way to pay for their costs.
I hope I can compete in one or two Olympics in my career. Of course I would like to win a medal, but just being there would be awesome.
I'm extremely well recognized in Korea just because of what I do on the ice, and there is a lack of that in Canada because hockey is our sport and it will be for eternity.
Although it's hard some days to wake up an hour earlier to do the gym workout as opposed to other skaters who just show up to the rink, I know that if I don't do it, my day will be much worse. I might as well not even skate, actually.
I do love video games. But after a while, you feel like you really need to get up and do something.
I was born in Canada for a reason. It was because my parents wanted me to have the freedoms that this country offers.
I feel proud to be a skater: it's taught me how to be emotional, more connected with myself, more mature, more understanding of my thoughts and the conversations I've had with myself.
I hope that people will one day look back at my skating and what I brought to the table. 'Remember when Patrick skated like this? Or remember when skating was like this?' That would be a cool legacy to leave behind.
I relate really well to individuals who have a career and explore other adventures outside of skating. That, to me, is fascinating.
My skating brought me to a level of being well known in Canada, but I've grown up having trained in the U.S. I haven't lost my roots in Canada thanks to the little rpminders again when I come home: People thanking me for what I do and for representing Canada in the world stage.
I have so much to give to skating in Canada.
When I go to competitions, I don't have so much confidence that I don't worry or get nervous about the other skaters doing well.
I have a life outside of skating.
I can't count on both hands how many Grand Prixs I've done and how many world championships I've been to, so I think I've really earned the experience to know that when I step on the ice at nationals and when I step on the ice at the Olympics that I feel completely aware of my environment and what to expect.
I tried all kinds of sports when I was a kid, like soccer and tennis and golf, and, in fact, started skating to be able to play hockey.
I know that, in hockey, the object of the game is simple in that you have to get the puck into the net. With figure skating, it's not as simple, and there is a ton of work that goes into it.
Paris is beautiful, but nothing beats home.
I'm not good at multitasking.
I'm very proud I'm Chinese and represent the Chinese community.
I carry a lot of muscle easily.
I'm slowly feeling more Chinese and feel I should be more proud of being Chinese and appreciate where I've come from.
When I was born, my parents were huge into skiing. I grew up on Mont Blanc, skiing on that hill. I was really a ski baby. Loved it; I still love it.
