Patrick Chan: "No time to take chances at the Olympic Games"

Can you compare your performance here to the one you did at Skate Canada?

At Skate Canada I felt pretty comfortable because I didn't make many big mistakes. I was happy to know that the mental things I wanted to think about during my skate worked well, that during my skate I had the right thoughts that helped me performing such a good program. So here I just did the same thing and it worked out pretty well. Here I am not at home, it's tough and challenging but I was very comfortable on and off the ice, I have a lot of confidence towards the Olympic Games. I am on schedule with my preparation, I can almost imagine skating in Sochi now, how it is going to be. Before the beginning of the season I couldn't visualise myself skating in Sochi, now I am into the season and I can visualise myself competing there, I feel much more confident.

Can you talk about your team, who coaches you besides Kathy Johnson?

David did my Long Program and Jeff did my Short Program. My team is very simple: Kathy is my technical and artistic coach, David and Jeff are my choreographers.

I am so glad I am skating well for me and for her, because when I chose her as my coach at the beginning, there were many doubts from many outside people who thought I needed a technical coach. I am happy I silenced the critics, I have always believed in her and I am happy my choice is paying off now.

What is the difference in working with Lori Nichol, David Wilson and Jeffrey Buttle?

Lori played an important role in my career, especially in making my transition from junior to senior very smooth. I think as you get older you try to experiment with other choreographers. In my opinion it's important to try other options and areas of movement, different approaches to choreography. David and Jeffrey were perfect for that.

Your Long Program is dedicated to your former coach Robert Colson. How did you choreograph it with David Wilson?

Actually I don't think it is a tribute – for example, Meaghan and Eric's Short Program is. Mine is about David and I both taking from Mr. Colson in our lives: while we were choreographing this Program we were sharing stories together about good and bad times with him. We were not thinking of choreographing that program for him, or in his memory, but while creating it were were thinking of what we have learned from him. It's more like aknowledging what he has done for us, his role in out careers, more than simply dedicating that program to him.

Why did you choose the Four Season as your Olympic Long Program? Moreover, someone may think you are “playing it safe” by skating to the same music for two seasons.

I wouldn't say “play it safe”...I think last season's LP La Bohème was quite an experimental program. Usually between one Olympic Games and the following one you have time and opportunity to experiment more, to expand your views and try different music. Everyone does that in between Olympics.

Four Seasons was a music I knew I wanted to skate again too. From the minute I didn't skate that program anymore, in 2008, I knew I wanted to skate it again in the future.Vancouver was too close to skate to it, so I decided I would have skated it in Sochi. I knew it about five years ago, that I would have been skating to it in the Olympic season. I wanted to skate to it once I would have improved way more, later on in my career.

Why have you decided to keep last season's Short Program? The Long Program was very appreciated too.

First of all, I don't like to create two new programs every year: it takes away a lot of energy and time away from training. My plan this summer was to get to Detroit very early, without doing shows or any activity that would take too much time away from training. I wanted to work on just one program, so I decided to rely on the Short Program and start repeating it a lot in practice, while creating the Long Program.

Is it true you have been landing a 4 Salchow in practice?

I did it the summer, during the Stars On Ice tour's practices. I landed one or two everyday. but I am not planning to put it in my programs now because the Olympc season is all about strategy. If you want to win, you need to be calculative and understand how to gain the maximum points from your performance. In the summer my coach and I sat down and calculated that I don't need that jump to maximize my score.

What are your plans after this season?

A lot of skaters this season are announcing their retirements, but I am still young and there are a lot of things I can still do in this sport. I'll probably skip the next season, but Kathy wants me to go to Worlds so I'll try to skate there. Anyway, I definitely want to keep skating, I am not going to go to school full time or things like that. I'd like to try to skate to lyrics, as from the next season they'll be allowed in the competitive programs. It would be interesting to see what David and I could come up with.

Can you make a prediction for the three podiums in Sochi: Ladies, Pairs, Ice Dance?

Well, in the Pairs event Volosozhar/Trankov are going to win for sure in my opinion. In Ladies, if Yu-Na comes back she may win like she did last year at the World Championships. In Ice Dance...I'll just stay out of that!!