Chris Witty Quotations

Right now, it's just sort of congratulations for making the team. You'll see from here where they go.

For me, the great thing about having excelled in a sport was that it was a way to feel happy. People would congratulate me on things I accomplished. I was able to be free on the ice. If I didn't have that I don't know what my life would have been.

I enjoy everything about life right now -- everything. I'm just really happy. I'm able to enjoy everything. I'm not depressed all the time and I'm not worried about anything, about myself or my appearance or things like that. Now I just feel so much more comfortable in my skin because I feel like I'm able to really tell everybody who I am and where I'm coming from and why I am the way I am. I'm just a different person today than I was even four years ago.

I felt guilty. This was a neighbor my parents entrusted me with. He was a great guy, as far as they knew.

Going back to '94, it's more professional now, there's more support, we have more depth.

Some of them don't make it. Everybody thinks you can be Chad Hedrick in six months or a year.

I think I'll have that advantage over other athletes, where it may be their first time around or even their second and they might not be sure how to handle it. It might be a shock to them, but for me I'm used to it and I know what to expect.

It feels like a breath of fresh air. I felt a little stale in the national team program.

It feels good. Everybody has been skating well, and I wasn't real sure what was going to happen.

Just to be part of this team is an honor, but to lead them is amazing.

We don't have the home crowd this time. But we have a great team, a bonded team.

I was overwhelmed with all these emotions. He lifted a huge weight off my shoulders and made me feel so free to go out and compete at Salt Lake, which obviously worked.

There are ghosts that will follow you your whole life. I think I've met a few of those ghosts head-on.

They appreciate the effort from anybody. Even if you're from another country, if you put in a great effort out there, they'll still cheer for you.

You go back to your country and then a few months later, nobody remembers your name. Sometimes, it's hard.

To me, it's a big accomplishment. It's an accomplishment as big as winning a gold medal. I feel like a new person. Emotionally I'm in the right place.

Both of us are going to have good shots in a couple races.

Once you're a medalist, you always hope to be a medalist, regardless of how I felt going in. I wanted to put it all together to see what I had. I just expected a race I could be proud of.

Once you're a medalist, you always want to be a medalist. Regardless of how you're feeling, you want to put it altogether. I think I held together pretty well. But physically, it just wasn't there.

Why did I come back? I mean, I was really satisfied with the gold medal in Salt Lake City, but at the same time, I thought I was too young to retire. Cycling didn't go well for me in 2003 so I went back to speed skating full time.

I knew I had to get out of there.

If Maggie comes up to me and says she really wants the opportunity to race, I'll give it over. But I'd like to go out there and give it one more shot. This is the Olympics. I came here to race.

If nothing happens, I still want to enjoy this experience. It's the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games are special whether you win or you don't. You still have to enjoy it.

I'm really proud that no one has beaten it.

Tattooing isn't about money. It's about freedom, really. Freedom to work for yourself; express yourself. I leave a piece of myself wherever I go.

Everybody is skating well. I had to move my butt a little bit to make it.

That's all I had. Once you win a medal, you always want to be medalist, and that's why it's disappointing.

I hopefully will make it to the oval this evening to cheer on my teammates.

I didn't have to have a fast, fast race, but I wanted to have a good race.

It's an amazing team to be part of, but to lead them into the opening ceremonies, I'm thrilled and I can't imagine a bigger honor than this.

It's important to talk about it. You raise awareness. But you can also prevent it (child abuse) by not letting it be a secret.

It's easier to limit yourself, but if you do, you will never reach your true potential.

If you want it and you dream about it...there's nothing that's going to stop you.

There's a lot more pressure when you're a medal favorite. Now, nobody has any expectations for me. Nobody knows what I can do, so I'm riding with nothing to lose.

Abuse exists because of secrecy. If I can use this platform and talk about it and break the silence, somebody can get the help and support they need. It's such a common problem, and it doesn't need to be. All you have to do is talk about it and break the silence.

It was something I really wanted to do. I can't imagine what it will be like to carry the flag and walk through the doors of the stadium. I'm thrilled to lead the team.

What a great opportunity to come to my fifth Olympics, be flag bearer and also be a returning medalist so I have a platform to talk about something and hopefully do some good in this world.

Abuse of any kind thrives off secrecy. I felt like if I started talking about it, maybe other people would. I wanted to break the silence. Now I feel I'm in a much better place emotionally than I've ever been anytime in my life.

For 20 years, I believed it was all my fault. If a kid is out there and it's happened to them, they should know: 'The adult knew better. You were a child. You were innocent.' It's OK to talk about it.

It's kind of an adrenaline rush. They go through it and realize that it's not very painful and it's very rewarding.

It was incredible to see Pavarotti. He's such a legend with such an amazing voice.

There were definitely days when I was concerned. At the last Olympic trials, I was a half-second faster.

If I break the silence, maybe others will, too. I think that's the toughest thing as a survivor. You're told to feel guilty. You're told it's your fault. When I realized it wasn't my fault, that's when the healing really began. For 20 years, I believed it was my fault. If you're a kid who is out there and this has happened, the adult knew better. You were taken advantage of. It's okay to talk about it.