Joey Cheek Quotations

What I do is great fun. But it's honestly a pretty ridiculous thing. I mean I skate around on ice in tights, right? ... I always felt like if I ever did something big like this I wanted to be prepared to give something back ... The best way to thank someone is by helping someone else.

Mom and Dad went there and maybe donated a building.

More than just medicine and food but things to let the children have a chance to play. And through play, hopefully learn some things about health and supporting each other.

I don't know why more people don't do it. I feel so great right now, and so happy. I think, when I look back, I'm going to be prouder of this than I am of winning a gold medal.

I have been kind of plotting this in my head. I wanted to be prepared if the stars aligned. They have got a great program and they have done a lot of good.

I feel the same as I felt in the 500. I didn't feel an enormous pressure to perform, I didn't feel like the weight of expectations are on me.

I feel like I'm not really worthy. It's a wonderful honor, and I'm thrilled that it happened. I really never imagined it would.

For me to walk away with a gold medal is just amazing, and the best way I can say thanks is to try to help somebody else.

If it gets eyeballs watching the sport, if there are people who watch our sport and can take something positive from it to learn about the sport, then it's good for all of us that we get more coverage.

If it draws more people into the sport and gets them interested, it's a good thing for us. I just hope we can capitalize on this, to get more young people in.

He would have been a great part of the team. If you look at the times those guys skated, he would have probably been a deciding factor there. (But) I don't fault him for it.

He gets up to speed so fast. He's like mercury. He just rises.

We train our whole lives for this. It gets tense around here.

I always felt like if I did something big, I wanted to give something back. The best way is by helping someone else.

I think it was a great two races, probably the best two races I've ever skated. You always want to have those days at the Olympic Games, and I did.

I think, first, it's important not to bite the hand that feeds you.

Our team is the best it's ever been and I think we are showing that.

Some of the stuff teams do is interpreted differently by different people.

I thought maybe I could walk a little in his rather large shoes.

When I think of the 2002 Olympics, I don't know if I was really as appreciative as I am now. The only impression I want to leave here is just how grateful I am to get this chance again.

You always dream it would come together, and it has. I don't even know if it has hit me yet, but it's a great experience, something I'll remember forever.

Yeah, they said it was a form of blood-doping.

Those were the two best races I've ever skated.

At the end of the day, we've got the Olympics. After you've gone to inline worlds, you've reached the top of that sport. What do you have to look forward to after that?

I still can't believe it, looking back. It's been quite a ride. I have a lot of people to thank for helping me chase this crazy idea.

I started to get goose bumps and a little misty-eyed. I guess it's starting to sink in that this is it. This is my last race.

I skate in circles. I have to keep that in perspective. I love what I do. I love to race and to travel and to compete, but let's face it, I wear tights and I make left turns.

The things he has done for other people have been an inspiration for me. It's my hope that I can assist some people and walk in his large shoes.

Competing for 16 years has been the main focus of my life. Basically, it's a selfish pursuit. I've focused all my energy on how to be the best in the world, and there's been many others who have sacrificed for me to make that happen. I figured it was time for me to reach out and help someone else.

Athletics is a very selfish pursuit. I wake up every morning and as I get ready for the day, I ask myself, how can I be the best in the world. So after years of this, and people sacrificing so I can be the best in the world, I think it's imperative for me or anybody else who reaches a pinnacle in their careers to reach out a hand for somebody else.

You really have to try and make the decision that you think is best for you.

They don't suck the oxygen out; they just add nitrogen. It simulates living in the mountains.

It's miraculous. I feel blessed. I'm still kind of shocked. I still can't believe I skated that fast. Those are the two best races I've ever skated. I really wasn't trying to put any pressure on myself. I was trying to be relaxed and enjoy the process, enjoy the event and I skated fantastic races, so I'm thrilled.

It's going to be an incredible field to go up against. All of us our going to have to be at our best.

It should be amazing. There's so many fast guys.

It's like hitting a golf ball in Colorado and a golf ball in Florida. There's no comparison.

It's been like one perfect dream after another.

I wanted to make it meaningful. It's empowering to think of someone else.

It was just beautiful out there. There's just a handful of skaters out there. That's why we skate -- for days like this.

I'm going to be donating the total sum that the USOC is giving me for winning a gold medal, which I believe is about $25,000.

In a lot of ways, the low-hanging fruit has already been plucked. There's not the same amount of talent that there was in the '90s.

I'm much more proud of that work than winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

I knew if I ever did something like this, I wanted to be able to give something back. The best way I can say thanks is to donate my money to help somebody else.

I knew that I might actually have a shot at doing something great at the Olympics. I knew that I could either take the time to gush about how wonderful I feel or use it to be a little productive.

I'm proud of where I came from. There are so many people from North Carolina who have wished me well. It means a lot that so many people who have had so much influence on my life are watching now.

I'm just trying to keep a low profile.

I'm kind of stunned that I skated that fast. Obviously, I wanted to get some medals here, but I had no idea it would come together like it did.

I really hoped, regardless of my outcome, that I'd be able to inspire other people to contribute. What little bit I could do is a small drop in the bucket as compared to what many people can do. So that was an important part for me, and that's what I hoped would happen.

I feel blessed by the honor. I've worked hard for a lot of years, but everyone works hard for a lot of years. Every single person that walks around the village has put in time, effort, sweat and tears, and their family has sacrificed for them. You always dream it would come together and it has. I don't even know if it has hit me yet, but it's a great experience, something I'll remember forever.

I don't want to put anything past the guy. But this is his weakest individual event.

I look at sport and competition as something that has been personally enormously beneficial to me. It's helped me create life skills. And if we carry ourselves with grace and dignity and try our best - even when we fall on our faces, as will happen sometimes - then I think people will see that. And that will be the message of sport and the Olympics.

You've got to keep things in perspective. Sure, I've been training for this my whole life, but I'm just a guy skating around in tights. It's not that big a deal.