I was the very first athlete in East Germany allowed to go professional.

It's not like I didn't do anything for 10 years and chose a new profession. I've been on the ice a lot. I'm not an outsider.

Skating taught me to set a goal and to block out other things and just focus on this one thing.

Competitions make me nervous. When I go out on the ice, I just think about my skating and not, 'I have to do this to win.' I forget it is a competition.

I like people who are enthused about things they do, like travel, sports, work. I like being with people who have things they're excited about.

I think the two most important parts of any athlete's workouts are his leg workouts and his core training.

I like to follow my favorite team and talk sports with my band or fans. You won't believe how many musicians are sports fans. We have so much time on tour that we need these outlets for relaxation.

I love sports. I was an athlete in high school, and my school was so small we didn't have a football team, so it's the one sport I didn't bother to learn the rules to because I never went to game.