What have you been doing since the end of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino?
“Oh man…a lot. I’ve been doing a lot of traveling, a lot of speaking engagements. I’ve definitely entered the entertainment world much more than I think most Olympic athletes have so I’ve been able to experience that strange world. I’ve been doing a lot of TV work and even been exploring the possibility of doing movies. I’ve been on a couple of movie sets, speaking directly to a lot of high profile actors. Basically, just hanging out like a movie star would and trying to see what it’s really like behind the scenes. Acting is something that I wanted to explore. It’s not something that I immediately wanted to say, ‘No, I don’t want to do that.’ I look forward to taking some serious acting lessons. I guess the roles for me would have to be authentic, though, and I would have to really find my niche market. It was fun. The experience was really entertaining, and I got to see some pretty amazing actors just turn it on when they needed to.”

Which actor were you most excited to meet?
“The one I was most impressed with was Jim Carrey. Being on his set and watching him after he had a conversation with me, close his door and basically come outside of his trailer a completely different person within five, ten seconds. He was no longer Jim Carrey. You know, we all think of Jim Carrey as this funny actor but he’s pretty diverse, which I thought was amazing. I was really impressed.”

Are there any other aspects of the entertainment business besides acting that interest you?
“I would like to bring Olympic sports or at least the struggle that athletes go through to the public. People don’t really see what the Olympic athletes go through in between the quads. There’s a lot of Americans that are interested who would want to watch a real reality show. I have so many ideas, but I would be really interested in trying to create and orchestrate something that gives the Olympic athletes and those that are in contention for a medal more spotlight. There’s nothing better than watching real people’s lives. There’s a lot of heartache and a lot of success that goes through the Olympic Training doors. That’s pretty powerful.”

How did Torino compare to Salt Lake City?
“It was different. Me - being a returning athlete - my expectations were high again. My last Olympic Games, I was like 19 years old, basically a little kid. I had high expectations, but at the same time didn’t really have any because it was my first Olympic Games. In Torino, I was definitely marked, and it didn’t go as smoothly as Salt Lake…not that Salt Lake went smooth either. The entire experience was different, especially being on foreign soil. The U.S. Games were easy to navigate because we had everything at our fingertips, but in Torino it was foreign. So we had to adapt, deal with a lot of injuries and equipment problems that normally we wouldn’t have if we were back competing in the United States. It was unbelievable from start until finish. The month that I was there was pure intensity. Many sleepless nights.”

Did the pressure and all the expectations coming into Torino get to you?
“Oh, yeah - absolutely the pressure got to me - everyday. I don’t know if it affected my performance, but it’s there and it’s real. I can’t say that there’s no pressure or that it didn’t bother me at all because that’s not true. Of course it did. I’d like to think that I performed better and that I rose to the occasion.”

Where do you keep your five medals?
“It depends where I am. Sometimes I bring them with me. Sometimes I keep them with my dad in Seattle. Sometimes they are here in Colorado Springs.”

Speedskating no longer has a head coach; are you doing anything to help them find someone new?
“I’ve been working hard on trying to find someone to take over the new head coaching position. I’m like the only one who’s been able to grind and get some coaches to interview. So it’s been a little frustrating.”

Why is there such a high turnover rate for coaching in Speedskating?
“Mismanagement—I’ve had 11 coaches since I’ve been skating. That’s 11 coaches in the past 10 years. It’s kind of crazy.”

What are you looking for in a future coach?
“Well I’m looking for the perfect coach, and there is none. I’m trying to develop a dream team, and hopefully the USOC will support that. I know right now our competition - Canada is obviously going to be very strong in 2010 because of the home ice, but their funding pool is huge so there’s no real problem with the budget. Korea has no budget because they are funded directly through the government so basically it’s like, ‘Oh, what do you need? You need this, this, and this, okay.’ And then China is the same way. So those three are the kind of super powers in our sport, and they’ve really raised the bar. If we don’t do something, then we are going to be really behind. We’re behind already. We want to get a coach as soon as possible. But it’s hard to set a timetable. We’re trying to get a head coach and then two assistant coaches, and if the coaches can’t coexist in the same environment then we have to go back to the drawing board. That’s what we are doing right now. We’ve picked somebody, but now it’s an issue of negotiating salary and contracts.

Have you decided if you will compete in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver?
“I’m not sure yet. I haven’t fully committed. The options are definitely there.”

What is holding you back from committing?
“Life—just the realities of life. As Olympic athletes, we mature so much on one level of our Olympic journey and on the other aspects, we are still just a baby because we dedicate so much time and sacrifice so much with school, social life and work for this. I’ve been doing this since I was 14 so this is 10 years in the hole now. So, I’ve missed a large portion of my life. I’m not saying I wish I would not have done that but the fact is that I’m not going to be able to get that portion of my life back, which I think is very important in developing the character of a person or the foundation for your future. And also I have five medals; I’m a two-time gold medalist back-to-back in 2002 and 2006, and in my sport that is basically unheard of. It just doesn’t happen, and I’ve accomplished every single goal I could have accomplished in my sport. If I walked away right now, I would be 100% happy and content in my performances. But that’s also a really cool position to be in right now. I still love skating, and I think there’s still a lot of stuff I have to work on. There’s a lot of things I want to improve on and whenever I go to the Games, for some reason I have been blessed to give a voice or set some kind of example—whether it’s good or bad, and hopefully I’ve been able to carry myself in the right way, but now I can kind of understand and see how I can lead a team going into the next Games. I see how much of a role I could play in speedskating as a whole, how it’s viewed in the United States and how our country should be represented. We should be clean athletes. We should be working extremely hard. We should be dedicated and we should always keep our chins high regardless of the outcome and show that we are strong—because we are strong people. So I think there’s that opportunity to show that, and there’s a reason I was given the gift to speedskate. Maybe I haven’t figured it out yet. But I’m definitely thinking about coming back.”

Is there a timetable that you’ve set to announce if you will try to compete in 2010?
“Sometime this year, I will decide. I don’t know when it will be. It could be in two weeks, a week. It could be four months from now. I don’t know. There are some things that have to be in order. There has to be the right coaches there, the right teammates there to help train, the funding has to be available and my own personal sponsors have to be there. If everything is in place then absolutely I’m going to keep going because you take the top 1% of our population and you have the athletes. Then you take the top 1% of that and that’s like the medalists. So as Olympians, we are at a percentage of the world that is so small, and this is the only time in my life that I can really skate. I can’t skate 10 years from now. My investment goals and opportunities will probably still be there but skating won’t and the Olympic dream won’t. There’s no other competition, no other feeling inside and out, that’s more powerful and more special to me than the Olympic Games.”

Are you worried about staying motivated since you already have five medals?
“No way. For me, motivation comes in different levels. When I was young, it was like ‘I want to win, win, win, win, win.’ Now I see the competition that’s out there and where the sport is going and now it’s a matter of me evolving with the sport and me changing with the sport. I did it before 2002. I was able to do it before 2006, which was very hard, and if I can do it before 2010 then hopefully I would be shooting for the podium again.”

Of all the races you’ve done (Olympic or non-Olympic) which is your most memorable?
“I think the 500 meter in the Torino Olympics was my favorite. Just because of the injuries I was struggling with, and these are all things that we didn’t let the media necessarily know about. There were just a lot of the issues that I was having there. And then my first race I was the defending gold medalist in the 1500 meter, and I slip in the semifinal because of these things. Just the mental turmoil that did on me, it was a pretty crushing feeling because you know that you’re better than that. And I watched those guys in the final, and I knew I could compete with them, but I wasn’t given the opportunity. Then I go in the 1000 meter and I came back, started to feel a little better and I got a bronze medal. I was hesitant for a split second, and I’m not kidding you when I say it was for a split second, and it cost me the opportunity of moving up two spots and getting a gold or a silver. So, I was definitely happy getting a bronze but I just had this feeling inside me that was eating away every night. It was very hard because every single day, I would wake up and just cycle through the race over and over again. It was kind of tormenting. It was just torturing me because I kept thinking about it and thinking about it. Thinking, ‘What if I did this?' or 'What if I did that?’ I couldn’t help it. The last race was just perfect. I remember getting to the rink earlier in the day and warming up and just smiling. Not knowing that I was going to win, but just knowing that this was my place today - this is why I like skating. It was a very special moment. Everything in that race happened for a reason, and if one of those things was out of place then the race results might have been different. That’s why I call it the perfect race because everything had to happen in order for me to win the race. I just think there’s a reason behind it.”

How do you deal with getting recognized all the time out in public?
“Yeah, I get recognized fairly often I think. It’s kind of crazy. There’s been some crazy late night wake-up calls. I think I’ve gotten used to it, but it’s still pretty cool to me. I think it’s pretty cool when a family comes up and says, ‘Oh Apolo, you’ve really had an impact on my daughter or my son’s life,' or when they say ‘We think you represented our country very well.’ That’s pretty cool. It’s better than, ‘Man, you rock!’ That’s cool, too, but just on a different level. We still have to hit that market I guess.”

If you could be on any reality TV show, which would it be?
“I would do the ‘Amazing Race’ and pick Olympic Athletes from here. We would just tear it up. We would just tear those fools up.”

Who would you pick to be on your team?
“[Triathlete] Mark Fretta!  I would pick Mark and then get a wrestler because wrestlers are crazy. They never say die. They’re just great athletes, even if physically they’re not stronger than you, they are going to find a way to beat you and to outplay you.”

Have you ever been approached to be on a reality TV show?
“Yeah, but I don’t know. Some reality shows are so cheesy.”

Ten years from now where do you see yourself?
“Let’s see…I’ll be 34. I see myself traveling, but being based in Seattle, living in a sky-rise condominium overlooking the city and the water. Hopefully, depending on what direction I’m going in, creating green living, environmentally sound living—trying to be very efficient in energy usage and materials, also trying to preserve the landscape and trees. I don’t know—I just like that healthier living. I think I would like to be a promoter of that kind of stuff or creating communities that don’t just crosscut sections of land. I would like to do something like we have here or in Seattle where we have a lot of trees. I don’t know…one day I’ll set up my own corporation called ‘Podium A.O., Inc.’ or something just to accomplish all these ideas I have.”

Being from Seattle which is your favorite sports team: Mariners, Seahawks, or Sonics?
“I like them all, but if I had to pick…I guess the Seahawks. I try to go to games whenever I’m back in town, but I don’t get to go that often. I spent a lot of time in Seattle this summer with my family, spending time with my father; so that was a lot of fun.”

What are the three places that someone who has never been to Seattle has to go to?
“Pike Place Market—it’s the fish market. It’s down by the water, always a lot of fun, and lots of energy. It’s always packed, lots of tourists, but it’s a lot of fun. There are a lot of trendy neighborhoods now in Seattle, a lot like San Francisco, but not as busy. I think the people in Seattle are generally really nice—well except for the drivers, they get a bit crazy. And then we have a very big selection of foods. We have people from all over who own authentic, real places. It’s not a Chinese restaurant owned by a Hispanic person; it’s really a Chinese restaurant owned by a Chinese person. So, we have a lot of really good restaurants in Seattle. We have a lot of culture there too from all over. I love Seattle and would love to raise a family there… in about 400 years.”

Is your father still a hairdresser in Seattle and do you only go to him for your cuts?
“Yup, right there between 4th Avenue and Belltown. Just recently, the past couple of years, I’ve been getting someone else to cut my hair, and my hair is different now because of it. It’s flat. I don’t know what the deal is. And my dad tells me that, ‘Your cut is messed up, Apolo-san! You’re cut is all messed up’.”

What’s the best hair advice your father has  ever given you?
“Don’t wear a hat. I don’t know…use conditioner. Oh, he did tell me something about when you’re on a plane. On a plane, your hair gets really dry and you should spray something in your hair—I never do that. But that’s what he says—your hair gets extremely dry in an airplane so you need to spray something in your hair or it’ll get damaged. Whatever---he would know.”

If you could travel back in time, where and when would you go?
“I would go back probably into the era of old Japan before it became westernized. I would like to experience old Japan, especially with me being half-Japanese. I would like to see that lifestyle. It was so much different, untouched, and kind of gated. They didn’t let anyone in or anyone out. They were very protected. They made a real effort to have their historical preservation. What they created as a people, I would like to see that.”

Do you still have family living in Japan?
“My grandmother still lives there. I was just there actually about two-and-a-half weeks ago. It was an awesome experience. I try to go back every year. I haven’t gone back the past couple of years, but it was special. I love it there.”

Is Japan your favorite place to travel to?
“Yeah, that’s my favorite place to go; that’s the first choice. Second would probably be Italy. I think Italy is beautiful. I really like Bormio, Italy. It’s a small ski town, but it’s close to the mountains, and you can really experience the Italian lifestyle. People are really nice, and it’s quiet. It’s not like Milan where it’s just this crazy mayhem. That’s one of the best parts about this job is we get to travel and have experiences that people in the world never have a chance to experience. That’s pretty cool.”

If you could host the ultimate dinner party, which three people (dead or living) would you invite and what would you eat?
“Abraham Lincoln—I just want to talk to him. I’d just like to see what he really says, what his true feelings were. We have what’s on paper and what people wrote about him. So I would like to see from his mouth what he was going through especially to be in a position like that. I would invite Jesus because that would be insane. And then I guess I would like to meet the very first of the Ohno family from Japan. And food—we would have whatever they wanted. Whatever Jesus wanted, whatever the man wanted—I’m not saying we’re not going for Mexican; hey if they want nachos, they can have nachos. They can have whatever they want, this one’s on me.”

Is it true you wear gloves with pink tips when you race?
“No! I’ve told this story before, and I think it’s just gotten twisted over the years. Two years ago, one of the girls on our team, Haley Kim, was traveling to Korea. In Korea they dip the gloves in this poxy resident to make a really smooth finish, and I like the way they make the tips of their gloves so that you can slide. And I gave her a pair of gloves, and I was like, ‘Haley, I don’t want any design, I just want them to be plain.’- because sometimes they put flowers or girlie stuff on them. So I told her specifically, ‘Haley I don’t want anything on there.’ So I get them back and I’m like, ‘What the hell is this? Haley, those are flowers on them!’ So they had flowers, and on the other side of the tips they had like ‘check,’ ‘shopping,’ and ’friends.’ So I’m in the World Cup and I’m getting ready to skate and I’m hiding my gloves under my armpits. The other skaters were probably like, ‘What’s up with this guy?’

What are your thoughts about the recent doping issues?
“I think it’s hard. You’d like to think that none of those athletes really did anything, but it’s hard. We are on a serious doping process. Olympic athletes undergo doping tests like none other sports. I’d like to think the majority of us are clean. I think it sucks that some people choose to cheat in their sport. I know a lot of athletes that it’s just not worth it to them from a moral standpoint. I look at athletes who are given this opportunity to shine and are on the podium, and to set an example for future generations, to be looked at as a historical figure as one of the best to ever live, and when that happens it sort of taints their legacy. I think it’s good that we are very harsh in our testing procedures.  I want to focus on athletes who aren’t doping, who are clean, who abide by moral and ethical standards that should be upheld in our country. We should set an example for our future generations because that little MTV generation needs a lot of help.”

You sound like a politician, have you ever thought about running for office?
“No Way! No, no, no…I’ll leave that to [long track speed skater] Joey Cheek.”

Are you in school right now?
“Yeah, at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. I’m a junior, an old junior. Right now my major is marketing and international business, but I’m sure it’ll change because I kind of want to get more into development. I’ve been talking to one of my buddies here in the Training Center and he’s studying urban development, so that might be an aspect I’d like to study. But no matter what I go to school for I want to be involved in the Olympic movement somehow. I’d like to be involved somewhere on the side. I don’t think I would do coaching though. I could definitely be a great coach because I know a lot about the sport. I study human sport physiology all the time on my own and then take classes at school. I’m trying to get certified right now through the International Sports Science Federation. I haven’t started studying yet, but I have the packet, and I’m going to start studying for that.”

I hear you have a big screen TV in your room, so how many times do people just use you for the TV?
“We have hours they sign up for, and then people take turns—no not really, but you would be surprised how many athletes have big TVs in their room. Because we come here and we want to change our lives, and we want our rooms to be comfortable, but the rooms aren’t big; they are mad small. I’m lucky that I don’t have a roommate though. I did last year, but I would hope by this time that they would give me a special room. That’s my goal; I want one of those corner rooms. I’ve been here like 200 years! I get first choice on the team though. I mean I’m 24--I’m always on the phone or doing a lot of faxing or emails. I need a little bit of privacy.”

What do the next couple of months hold for you?
“Hopefully, I can get this coaching situation worked out with our NGB. I’m working on some very large sponsorships to help fund my dreams if I do decide to keep skating. And I’m going to try to just get back in shape. Hopefully, I’ll be around the training center more, and I’ll be in a lot more pain and getting thinner and thinner. I haven’t been skating yet since Torino. When it’s ready - when I’m ready - it’ll be time. I’ll start getting my legs again, but I’m very behind. No doubt. I’m very behind, but I’m not scared.”

When it’s all said and done, what do you want your legacy to be?
“I used to want to be the most decorated winter athlete of all time, but now I’m tied with Eric Heiden. I don’t know anymore. I definitely want to leave my mark in the Olympic path and dream. It’s hard to say. It would be really cool to be in some sort of museum, which is actually going to happen, but that’s still on the down low. I’m donating some of the real skates from 2002, the real skin suit from when I got cut that has the blood on it still, the real helmet and the real gloves. That kind of stuff and then I have some stuff from 2006, some pictures that I want to bring. For short track, Americans had never made a final on the men’s side especially. It was never looked at like a real sport, so to have the opportunity to really shine is cool. So I’d like to be remembered for that.”