Patrick Chan

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.

Even though I'm very Westernized as an individual and very Canadian, I guess I've lost some of my Chinese culture.

I skate just to satisfy my own desire and not care about other people's desire for me to do well.

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.

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.

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'm very proud I'm Chinese and represent the Chinese community.

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.

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.

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 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.