June 19, 2009

June 19, 2009

After World gold, it's a whirlwind of opportunity

I still have to pinch myself sometimes… Like right now, as I sit in the back of a beautiful black Mercedes-Benz sedan en route from JFK to New York City to shoot with a huge fashion label. I will be part of their upcoming campaign alongside seven other Winter Olympic athletes.

I have been really fortunate to do some awesome things in the past few months — mostly things that I could have never even dreamed of before. Let me tell you about what I've been up to.

Since winning the World Championship, my life has been going at a speed like never before. After a hectic media tour in LA, I went right on the road with Smuckers Stars on Ice, and got to celebrate my win every night on the ice with my "skating family" and all my fans – who I also consider part of my "skating family."

I then went on to Tokyo, where I was the proud captain of the first ever USA Figure Skating Team. Together, as a true Team USA, with the men, ladies, a dance and pair team competing all together, we won the inaugural World Team Trophy. It was such an inspirational way for us to end this season, and kick start the Olympic season.

Next, I was on my way to Mount Hood, Ore., to shoot the first print ads, web promos, and special product displays for Coca-Cola, as part of the "6 Pack" of Winter Olympic athletes. Being with my friends Apolo, Gretchen, Angela, Rock and Kiks made the shoot feel more like a party than work. It was really a lot of fun to be in that atmosphere.

From there, I flew to Chicago to work with 100 talented, young skaters at a skating seminar in Rockford. It was a blast. I always love interacting with young skaters — they are so enthusiastic and determined — but having them from my home region made it even more special for me. Because Chicago is where I got my start in skating, I feel like I could really relate to the kids and they could really relate to me. It was great. I did my best to teach them some things I think are important for young skaters to know. Hopefully they learned something.

Next on the agenda was the U.S. Olympic Committee/NBC Olympics Media Day at Smashbox Studios in LA. It was a full 12 hours of interviews, headshots, publicity stills and promos for 2010 Olympic hopefuls. I was having so much fun just thinking about possibly being on the Vancouver team and talking about the Olympics, both 2006 and 2010, that time really flew by. It's also times like the media day that you realize how close Vancouver is. It got me really pumped.

The next day, I was fortunate enough to be chosen by NBC to participate in one of their commercials for Vancouver. I got to skate on the most beautiful set while Sarah McLachlan played a song she had written just for the Games. It gave me chills to hear her beautiful song echo in the spot lit arena, in harmony with the sound of my blade on the ice. It was one of the coolest days of my life! I can't wait to see the finished product on T.V.

After that, I had to get a walking cast on my left foot to start the healing process from the injury I had before the World Championships. But don't worry, I wasn't just sitting around waiting for the cast to come off..

I got to do some amazing photo shoots off the ice, my favorite being one for DNA Models with celebrity photographer Tony Duran. He's taken amazing pictures of Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and a lot of others so I was definitely honored to work with him. He's so passionate about his work.

I was also so honored to be an attendee of my good friend Kristi Yamaguchi's charity event in San Francisco. It was an awesome event, benefiting her Always Dream Foundation, with performances from "Dancing with the Stars" cast members. I'm always amazed by how great some of the celebrities are at dancing.

I then went back to LA for a couple days to celebrate my birthday with some of my best friends, at my favorite place in the world, Chateau Marmont. I love being on the go but it was nice to be able to just relax for a little bit.

That reminds me: A big thank you to everyone who took the time to wish me a happy birthday. Not only did I get hundreds of e-mails through my site but when I signed on to my Facebook, I had a ton of messages there too. Reading everything really reminded me of how much I appreciate having such an amazing group of fans. Thank you! I promise that I am going to get back to everyone when I have the chance.

Next I was off to Chicago for some checkups on my foot and another MRI. While I was there I surprised my lifelong skating club, DuPage FSC, at their annual awards brunch to say “thank you” for all the support and backing they've given me. It was so nice to share my World gold medal with a lot of the people that helped me get there. I'm so grateful for everything that DuPage has done for me.

Next, I flew to Nevada for some business meetings. The best part was that I got to spend some time with my mom. Though it was a busy trip, we still had some amazing meals and a little time in the sun. I love hanging out with her.

From there, I flew to Champs Camp in Colorado Springs. It was packed with informational meetings about the upcoming season and a lot of Olympic logistics. I also did some of the fun things like interviews too. I missed the first day and half of camp so the day I was there was extremely full.

Even though it was really busy, it was still fun to see everyone on the skating team again. We really don't get to spend that much time together so Champs Camp is a good place to catch up and hang out. I really think that Team USA is going to have a great team for Vancouver and Sochi.

From there, I went back to LA and got my walking cast off just in time for the start of summer training camp. Of course I was rusty after several weeks off, but I got to skate for two days. I don't remember ever being so excited to be on the ice. My left foot is just about the only part of my body that isn't sore. I had the whole flight from LA to NY to rest and hydrate though so I'm feeling better already.

That brings us pretty much up to date.

Coming up, I have an exciting meeting with Vera Wang to discuss my costumes for the Olympic year. Vera has been a great friend and mentor to me, and I'm so excited to have her as part of my creative team. I'm also heading to Toronto to work with my longtime choreographer Lori Nichol on my new programs for the Olympic season season.

In July and August, I have some exciting shows in Japan and Korea. I always love performing in Seoul, Nagoya, Tokyo, and Shin-Yokohama because the fans are so amazing. I really feel like a rock star when I'm in Asia. I'll be doing a few U.S. shows then it's time for competition again.

Thank you so much for all of your encouragement and support throughout the years. I truly appreciate everything. And I really hope the coming months are happy, heathly and successful time for everyone.

I'm really looking forward to this busy year ahead with the Olympics getting closer everyday.