If the jump is perfect, you come out, and you feel like you took a three-pointer in basketball or doing the perfect thing in whatever your sport is. You just get that adrenaline rush, a sense of satisfaction, like you want to do it again and again.
I remember being a little kid walking down the grocery aisle seeing athletes on these cereal boxes.
To have all of these jumps in my arsenal is very beneficial. I can always alter my program so I can either play it safe, or I can play it risky with high reward. It depends on what I feel like I need that day.
When I watch my skating when I was younger, I definitely see all this balletic movement and this artistry come through.
As a kid growing up, I didn't want to tell any of my classmates I did figure-skating because I knew they'd be like, 'Oh, you're a skater, you're gay, blah blah blah.' So I kept it to myself. Once I started getting to more of an elite level, I didn't really care what people thought, though.
There's a lot of skaters that I look up to, and I think my biggest skating role models were the two Russian competitors at the 2002 Olympic games in Salt Lake City. They really motivated me to follow my passion in skating, and it really blossomed from there.
Throughout the day, I'll snack a lot. I always have some breakfast cereal, like Kellogg's cereal, something on hand, so that I can just quickly get some carbs in.
I start in the morning with something like a breakfast burrito and a smoothie, something that gives me enough protein and carbs to start my day.
I really like to bike outdoors and love the weight-based workouts that I do. I am not the biggest fan of other cardio-based workouts. Off-season cardio sessions are pretty grueling.
My Chinese name is Chen Wei. I can speak a tiny, tiny bit, just basically get around, but I understand it decently well.
I don't think the demographic for skating really entails a lot of basketball watching.
If it's time to indulge, I love desserts, especially Hershey's chocolate. I also love sushi and Japanese food. Food is my favorite in general.
I try to get as close to 10 hours of sleep each night, as sleep is the best form of recovery.
It's something I have to remind myself about, that at every competition, I put a lot of pressure on myself, almost like it's the end of the world, and I have to keep reminding myself it's not.
My parents always enforce the idea of never giving up upon all of my siblings and me, and I think that's something that will stick with me my whole life.
I want to do something in medicine, for sure. I don't know what, exactly, that entails, but something along those lines.
Ever since I started skating, making the Olympic team was my ultimate dream. It's what has inspired and motivated me throughout my entire career.
I tend to be a little bit more quiet and just to myself. I'm a little bit more introverted than extroverted.
I am proud to be a first-generation Chinese-American in the sport of figure skating.
Largely, I began skating because I wanted stuff to do outside of school. My mom decided to put me into figure skating.
