Kristi Yamaguchi

Having achieved my own dreams, I want to give to kids who are less fortunate, who struggle with everyday obstacles. I want to give them something positive in their lives: support.

— Kristi Yamaguchi dreams

I dont mind the sparkle - I think its kind of a tradition in skating. I dont think the men really need sparkles, but for the women its part of the glamour of our sport.

— Kristi Yamaguchi women

Being an athlete, you know how to train and prepare your body for a performance and youre able to do it under pressure.

— Kristi Yamaguchi man

Id try to channel my nervous energy in a positive way into strength and endurance. It didnt always work.

— Kristi Yamaguchi work

Having achieved my own dreams, I want to give to kids who are less fortunate, who struggle with everyday obstacles. I want to give them something positive in their lives: support.

— Kristi Yamaguchi dreams

I learned to put 100 percent into what youre doing. I learned about setting goals for yourself, knowing where you want to be and taking small steps toward those goals. I learned about adversity and how to get past it.

— Kristi Yamaguchi war

Dorothy Hamill was my big idol as a kid. Shed won the Olympics in 1976. She was Americas sweetheart with her personality, her talent, her haircut.

— Kristi Yamaguchi art

I dont mind the sparkle - I think its kind of a tradition in skating. I dont think the men really need sparkles, but for the women its part of the glamour of our sport.

— Kristi Yamaguchi women

Ive realized how precious life is. When I was younger, I was more adventurous. I felt invincible. I was game for everything. As a mom, I dont want to get injured because then I cant take care of my kids.

— Kristi Yamaguchi life

The good feeling I get from contributing rivals anything I felt on the Olympic stand in Albertville.

— Kristi Yamaguchi good

I always try to start out with some type of goal. Then I work backward and think of what I need to do to get there, and give myself smaller goals that are more immediate

— Kristi Yamaguchi war

One of my mottos not only just in skating but in life in general and I try to enforce it as well, is like no regrets and just like going for it.

— Kristi Yamaguchi life

Figure skaters have awful perceptions of hockey players.

— Kristi Yamaguchi perception

Winning in womens singles felt surreal. I felt that everything I had done - the hard work, the tough times - was all worth it.

— Kristi Yamaguchi women

Before turning pro, I would never have just left my skates sitting in the locker room unattended.

— Kristi Yamaguchi end

Training for the Olympics was a lifelong endeavor and took many years.

— Kristi Yamaguchi life

Being an athlete, you know how to train and prepare your body for a performance and youre able to do it under pressure.

— Kristi Yamaguchi man

This experience has been once in a lifetime.

— Kristi Yamaguchi life

They say, once you have a child, your heart is forever outside your body. I totally understand that now.

— Kristi Yamaguchi art

Growing up as an athlete, I started skating very young. My parents didnt know anything about the sport, so they went with the flow. I had two great coaches who gave great advice and gave guidelines for my parents. My parents let the coaches dictate what was going on on the ice.

— Kristi Yamaguchi art

Im always looking for inspiring ways to stay motivated and stay active.

— Kristi Yamaguchi inspiring

Im kind of a homebody. My husband says I like to just stay home and do nothing, but thats just how I am.

— Kristi Yamaguchi home

At 6 years old, the ice became a place for me to express myself. Because I was so shy off the ice, it became my safe haven, with music and freedom and self-expression. That was my emotional outlet.

— Kristi Yamaguchi freedom

Now, I am thrilled to be a wife and mother, and I hope to be as good of a mother as my own mother, Carole.

— Kristi Yamaguchi hope

I didnt want to skate for someone else or for certain marks.

— Kristi Yamaguchi want

I never wanted to feel I hadnt worked hard enough.

— Kristi Yamaguchi work

There are two or three performances in your life that are absolutely on, where all the planets are lined up for you and you feel youre invincible.

— Kristi Yamaguchi life

With 30,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations from the seasonal flu, those numbers are certainly higher than what weve seen of the swine flu. Protecting yourself from both viruses is very important.

— Kristi Yamaguchi death

Ive had a lot more fun with the training.

— Kristi Yamaguchi rain

An athlete gains so much knowledge by just participating in a sport. Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting and, of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals. These are all lessons in life.

— Kristi Yamaguchi life

I dont know how many people really knew who I was before the Olympics and thats the fun thing of the Olympics - you get to know someone who captures your heart, hopefully.

— Kristi Yamaguchi hope

Every day, someone realizes a dream. I believe dreams help light our darkness and give us the push we need to move across the rink of life.

— Kristi Yamaguchi life

The skaters a lot of times do their own hair and makeup before they compete. That was always kind of a ritual...that calming, quiet time where you can just do your hair and makeup. And then I would always lace up my right skate before my left one.

— Kristi Yamaguchi time

My experience at the 1992 Winter Olympics was my fulfillment of dreaming the Impossible Dream.

— Kristi Yamaguchi men

Everything that happened in 92 was more than I had dreamed of... winning the U.S. title for the first time and then doing so well at the Olympics... It seemed to wrap things up so perfectly. I couldnt help thinking, How could I top that?

— Kristi Yamaguchi time

Skating was something I really wanted to do; my parents knew nothing about it. They said theyd support me as long as I was trying my hardest and enjoying it.

— Kristi Yamaguchi joy

Probably a few weeks after I was born I started having casts put on my legs to straighten them out. After that corrective shoes and with a brace in between.

— Kristi Yamaguchi art

Ive always worked closely with the designers and whoevers making the costumes. Comfort is the last thing you want on your mind when youre competing. In an ideal situation, youll have something where youll put it on and youre fine and you dont have to worry about it at all.

— Kristi Yamaguchi work

In terms of my career, having the gold definitely changed my life. The Olympics are different, you know? Theyre every four years and its such a small group.

— Kristi Yamaguchi life

I feel like I missed out on the regular high school social life, but thats the way I chose to be.

— Kristi Yamaguchi life

As a teenager especially, I just wanted to do my thing and not be noticed.

— Kristi Yamaguchi age

Childhood reading is so important.

— Kristi Yamaguchi reading

I burnt myself out of skating. I was ready to focus on being a mom.

— Kristi Yamaguchi self

The past couple years training with Kurt have really brought inspiration into my skating.

— Kristi Yamaguchi inspiration

Searching for funds to continue my skating career when I was 17, I called the Womens Sports Foundation in New York. The intern who answered the phone suggested that I might be a great candidate for the Travel and Training fund, and she sent me an application form. I applied for a grant. With the funds I was awarded, I bought a new pair of skates and a plane ticket to the 1988 National Championships, where I achieved my highest national finish. Four years later, I won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games.

— Kristi Yamaguchi war

As a professional, I think were not being judged solely on technical ability anymore. People really want to be entertained and enjoy what theyre watching.

— Kristi Yamaguchi people

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