I really don't consider this a defeat because I am skating better and better every race.

I did my best, but fell a little short. To me, that's more important than the handshake.

The real preparation for races is done in the off-season. I put in the hard work during the summer and fall, and I'm always working on technique so that when the actual races come around I'm ready to go.

Because it's an improvement. As long as I'm improving, I'm pretty happy if it's a world record or a rink record.

I knew what I was getting myself into before I started this. I knew it was going to be fierce competition. If it's meant to be, I'll make the team. If not, I tried my best.

It's tough, but I knew what I was getting myself into before I took the challenge. I'm happy that I didn't back down from the challenge of trying to chase my dreams and goals.