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I was a natural skater, but I also took private lessons to enhance my skills.

My mother introduced me to many different things, and figure skating was one of them. I just thought that it was magical having to glide across the ice.

I actually have an ice-skating background. I skated until I was 15, for about eight years. It was hardcore skating for about eight hours a day.

When I was skating you had to participate in every thing.

As soon as I was introduced to ice speed skating, I was instantly hooked. I never thought about pursuing skating professionally; I just enjoyed doing it.

When I was young, many people didn't know what figure skating was. Some who knew of it thought of it as dancing on ice. But, as I entered international competitions and got good results, many people got to know more about it and came to cheer for me.

I begged my mom to let me start skating.

I started skating when I was about 10 years old. It was in an alleyway. I picked up my brother's skateboard and stood on it. I started to roll down the alley, and I yelled at my brother asking him how I turn the thing. At the end of the alley, I just jumped off, picked up the board and physically turned it around.

I started skating because I loved it. I started when I was three and I didn't know all the sacrifices and all the hardships and how difficult day-in and day-out it would be.

Skating has always been a major area of interest to me.