I stopped amateur skating competitively when I was 15.
— Tara Lipinski
Skating is a very subjective sport where fans have their favorites.
You have to train your mind just as much as you train your body.
I was so young when I was competing that I wasn't as focused on my diet. I was a kid - I ate a lot, and I worked out a lot. But as I get older, I definitely want to be healthier.
My parents gave me the gift of love and support. They told me never to question what my heart wanted and to be proud of who I was as an individual.
Of course, you think back and wonder, 'What would prom have been like?' I didn't have those normal high school experiences. But I was pretty lucky: I had tons of friends at the rink.
Obviously, the competition at an Olympics, the emotions are running high, and the stakes are higher for these athletes, so it does bring an incredible, palpable excitement and emotion into the building.
Skating, like all other sports, has an element of strategy.
We need to remind people how fun skating is, how quirky skating is. If we went on TV and overlooked the cold, hard truths and the quirkiness, I don't think that's bringing anything to the fans.
I can't even imagine what it's like and right now I'm like in shock, I can't believe that I'm Olympic Champion.
The highlight of my career? The Olympics, of course.
One day I woke up, and I felt like I knew I wanted to be an analyst and a broadcaster.
I love a good pair of sweats!
A lot of skaters hole themselves up in hotels and focus - and that's great, and that may work for them. But for me, having the Olympic experience was as great as winning the medal. I have so many memories of living in the village and meeting other athletes, seeing other sports, and feeling the energy. It's so magical.
I'm very proud that I was always able to be myself and didn't really care what people thought when I wanted bangs with my little Con-Air curling iron, and I wanted to wear glitter on my eyes and rings on every finger and charm necklaces that look like I was wearing baggage while I skated. But I do look back, and man, those '90s bangs.
Teens should always remember they are unique, special, and bring something to the world that no one else can.
It's very easy for me to watch a performance and just speak on it as I see it.
I think back to my time when I was skating: I was 15, and there was no such thing as Instagram.
When the rules of judging skating in international competition changed in 2004 with the goal of making judging more transparent, one of the consequences was the rewarding of skaters who attempt more challenging technical elements in the pursuit of ever more points.
Over the years, God and St. Therese have kept me going no matter how bad things were.
The sound of the blades on the ice in the morning is like smelling fresh coffee.
It means a lot to be an Olympian. I'm obviously so grateful and feel so lucky I was able to achieve my dream of winning an Olympic gold medal.
I love my dresses and a good A-line cinch at the waist.
I don't know if it's because I've done it forever that it feels strange not to, but I really do believe that if you try to eat healthy, and you work out, it starts your day off good.
I look back, in an endearing way, on that time of my life when I was competing at the Olympics.
Whether you're an athlete or a student, having an adult who believes in you and can give you advice and wisdom that is coming from a place of experience is an incredible asset to help guide you through your young life.
The skating world is a very small world.
There really hasn't been a name that is in the media on a daily basis, and that's what skating in the '90s was. Everyone knew, after the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan incident - Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan - everyone knew these names. They were household names because they were winning; they were on TV.
Most athletes won't push a sport forward unless they have the incentive to do so - let alone when the structures of a sport have been set up to actually incentivize them to hold back.
It used to be that I wanted to be taller. Once I made 5-foot-1, I was happy.
Acting is easier than skating in a way and harder in other aspects. In skating, you get one chance, and with acting you get to do it over and over.
