Your Worth Is Not Your Results: Luis Hernandez Shares His Figure Skating Evolution

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What happens when your entire identity is wrapped up in being an athlete, and suddenly your body betrays you? Former figure skater Luis Hernandez knows this journey intimately. From his earliest memories as a three-year-old begging to skate in Guadalajara, Mexico, to becoming one of the sport's most resilient comeback stories, Luis shares his remarkable path through figure skating's highest heights and lowest valleys.

Luis takes us through his childhood transition from Mexico to San Diego, where his persistent begging for skating lessons finally paid off. We follow his rapid rise through the ranks to the national stage, training alongside the legendary Michelle Kwan, and the devastating moment when doctors told him his career was over due to severe hip injuries. "It was a big moment of trauma for me," Luis reveals. "My identity was kind of taken away from me."

But this is where Luis's story truly begins to inspire. Rather than accepting defeat, he sought alternative perspectives and embarked on a years-long journey to reclaim not just his skating career, but a healthier relationship with himself. This transformative approach led to his remarkable second career phase representing Mexico internationally, becoming a six-time national champion and competing until age 31—exceptionally rare in figure skating.

Perhaps most powerfully, Luis has translated his personal challenges into meaningful impact by co-founding Lasso Safe, an organization dedicated to protecting athletes across all sports. "Our mission is to protect athletes and ensure that they're being heard," he explains, addressing the intense pressure, body image issues, and mental health challenges that many athletes face silently.

Whether you're a skating enthusiast, an athlete of any discipline, or someone navigating your own personal setbacks, Luis's journey offers profound insights about resilience, identity, and creating success on your own terms. Listen now and discover how sometimes our greatest contributions emerge from our deepest challenges.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hey there, welcome to how Do you Skate, the ultimate
destination for all skatingenthusiasts.
We cater to everyone, frombeginners to pros.
Whether you love inline and iceskating or prefer quads and
skateboarding, we have it allcovered, and we bring you
exclusive interviews withprofessionals, talented amateurs

(00:30):
and influencers in the industry.
So sit back, relax and getready for an exciting journey
into the world of skating.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Welcome to this week's episode of how Do you
Skate.
I am your host, sean Egan, andmy guest today is figure skater
or former figure skater LuisHernandez I don't know if you're
still in the.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
No, I would say former figure skater for sure.
So how are you doing?
I'm wonderful, thank you,excited to be here with you
today, nice.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Absolutely Thank you.
Excited to be here with youtoday.
Nice, absolutely Thank you.
So I always start at thebeginning.
So when did you start skating?
How did your whole skatingcareer start?

Speaker 3 (01:14):
Oh, that's quite a ride.
Okay, let's begin.
Where do I begin?
Well, it actually started as anewborn.
My sister figure skated.
I was born in Guadalajara,jalisco, mexico, and she was
training out of.
It was one of the very fewrinks at the time in Mexico,
which was 40 years ago.
Yes, I'm dating myself and she.

(01:35):
She was a figure skater herselfand I would be taken to all of
her practices to watch and I wasjust I kind of grew up in that
environment watching her skateand, to be perfectly honest, at
three years old, I justabsolutely loved what I saw and
I wanted to be out there.
So I was begging my mom,begging my dad, as a little tiny

(01:57):
toddler, and they, first of all, they thought it would be too
dangerous.
So they were like not yet,you're too little to go ice
skating, so they didn't let me.
So basically we moved to theUnited States.
When I'm five years old, myfamily moves over to the US San
Diego, california, to be exactand basically I continued to beg

(02:20):
my parents.
My sister actually stoppedskating.
She didn't like it, it was toomuch for her, too much pressure
at a young age, and she actuallyleft the sport completely.
So we come to the US, I'm stillbegging to skate.
They think that I'm crazy.
My father was a verytraditional Mexican man and he
didn't think that the sport wasfor boys.

(02:41):
So he was really kind of likesaying, why don't you try?
You know motor cycles or thisor that?
And I was like no, I want toice skate, take me ice skating.
And so that took years ofbegging and by the time I was
about eight years old, theyfinally I begged more and I had
a birthday coming up and I saidI want to go ice skating for my

(03:01):
birthday.
And there was an ice rink in ashopping mall here in San Diego
and they finally said okay, foryour birthday, we'll take you
ice skating.
And so it was a public session.
It started at one, I rememberit so vividly.
It started at 1 pm and it wentfrom 1 pm to 9 pm and I got on
the ice and literally started toskate right away, like I, I, I

(03:26):
wanted it so bad that I figuredout how to move.
And so I was moving, moving,moving.
They couldn't get me off theice.
So I was on the ice until theend of that public sessions,
from one to 9 PM, and they werelike, oh my God, this boy, he,
he really likes it.
Um, luckily my mom lovedshopping.
He really likes it, luckily mymom loved shopping.
So while I skated she went andshopped.

(03:54):
And basically some coaches kindof pointed out to my parents
like hey, this kid is telling usthat he loves to skate.
Look how easily he's doing it.
Have you ever consideredlessons?
And my parents were like no,and I said yes, yes, and
basically I asked for lessonsright away and they said, okay,
we'll take you once a week so itcould be something for you to
at least stay active.
And I didn't really love anyother sport at the time.
And so they, they agreed, theysaid, okay, let's let you take

(04:17):
your one once a week lesson.
They would drive me to the icerink, my mom would go shopping,
and that's where it all startedReally quickly.
I really progressed through.
There were like levels in thegroup classes it was.
There were group lessons at thetime, and so I started to
progress quickly and the coachesat one point were like, well,
we can no longer teach him whathe needs in this group

(04:39):
environment.
And that's when the privatelesson started and basically I
moved up very quickly.
By the time I was around 12years old, I was competing at
the regional level and doingreally well, so I started to
have really good results andthat's when I got more serious.
I had qualified for thenational championship, um and

(05:03):
the United States nationalchampionships and basically
that's a huge deal.
That's, only the top 12 skatersin the whole nation uh, qualify
for that event.
And so I made it to my firstnationals.
I placed in the top 10.
Um, and that's when, also,things started to shift, because

(05:29):
the coaching in my local rinkwas no longer able to support my
level, and so we started tolook around like where is the
next step?
And the next step involved meactually having to leave home
and move to Los Angeles wherethe top training center in the
nation at the time was, so alsowith the top coach in the world
at the time.
Frank carroll was teaching outof that training center and he

(05:50):
actually had seen me compete, uh, at nationals.
And he said, uh, I would loveto have a trial lesson to see if
maybe you could be one of mypupils.
And so my dad was like, okay,uh, so he drove me up to LA and
I took that trial lesson and bythe time that I mean I was so
nervous, like just going to thatlesson.

(06:12):
Right, I remember it so vividlyand I, you know, I did my thing
.
I had a training session withhim and he said you know, your
boy's really talented, I wouldreally love to take him on as my
main pupil and that was a hugedeal.
I don't know if you've heard ofMichelle Kwan.
I'm sure maybe, maybe you'relistening.
Yeah, he was Michelle Kwan'scoach and Michelle was training

(06:34):
out of that training center andto be in that, to be just
considered to be in thatenvironment and be a part of
that, was like a huge honor.
So my family, we started tocommute to Los Angeles, which
was about a three hour drivefrom our home, and we would
commute three times a week.
My parents would make thatdrive back and forth for about

(06:56):
two years until finally, by thetime I was around 14, 15, I, I
left home and I my parents gotme an apartment and I was kind
of on my own and I was trainingout of that facility for many
years.
But that is where it startedand it really started to take

(07:16):
off.
I started to compete more andmore, I started to represent the
US internationally.
And then there comes a of ashift for me too.
By the time I was 17, 18, myresults had started to kind of
go down a bit.
Things were kind of changing.

(07:38):
My body was changing.
I wasn't able to perform aswell as I once could and I
didn't know what was happening,which was really scary for me.
I had dedicated my whole lifeat that point and everything was
dedicated to skating.
So I did notice there were somechanges in my body, but it took
about a year and a half or twomore to understand that I was

(08:00):
actually I was suffering fromsome severe injuries in my hips.
I was actually I was sufferingfrom some severe injuries in my
hips, in my hips, and so that's.
It was kind of a dark time.
I, you know, like I said, I wasthe next big thing, I was
having great results, but then,all of a sudden, my performance
wasn't the same, and so thingskind of took a dive and nobody

(08:21):
knew what was wrong.
Until one day I actually couldnot get out of bed because the
pain in my hips was so bad.
With that said, I obviously hadto visit a doctor, a specialist
.
They took a look at me and theysaid well, we need to run some
tests, some MRIs.
It looks like it's a hipproblem.

(08:41):
And so that was the next stepand I went and got those exams
done and unfortunately they hadsaid, the doctor said Well, your
hips are actually completelywasted away at this point, like
your labrums are gone.
So basically, I was like boneon bone on my hips and they said

(09:03):
Well, this probably will be theend of your career.
At the time there were no likehip surgery was a death sentence
for for athletes at that time.
So I, it was a big moment ofdarkness for me.
I thought that I would be overwith skating.
And you know the code my coachat the time, I had sponsors at

(09:26):
that moment I had a whole teamand it was kind of like, well,
you're no longer able to do this, you kind of are out.
And it was a big moment oftrauma for me.
I, it was a moment where I kindof lost my sense of self.
My identity was kind of takenaway from me.
I had based my whole identityon being an athlete at that

(09:48):
point, you know, and I was 18years old.
So I packed my bags, I went backhome to San Diego, california,
obviously with a deep darknessin my heart, a deep sadness.
I didn't know what would happennext.
So I kind of, you know, I said,okay, I'm going to pack my bags
, I'm going to go home, I'mgoing to try to find some

(10:10):
answers.
I wasn't going to give upeasily.
I said I'm going to find someanswers and see how I can maybe
get back.
But it was a long, it was along shot.
So you know, I took some timeoff.
I went to school, um.
So you know, I took some timeoff.
I went to school, startedcollege, um, that was great, it

(10:30):
was fun.
But it was also in the back ofmy mind.
My passion was to skate and,yeah, I, I was not ready to give
it up, um, so I kind ofsearched around san diego,
california, for any doctor thatwould say, hey, maybe there's
some hope, like, and nobody wasgiving me that hope
unfortunately, until one day Iwent up to a rehabilitation

(10:51):
center for athletes.
A lot of triathletes trained outof there and I walked into the
office.
I remember I met with thedoctor and he said I want you to
meet somebody.
Her name is Pam Minix and she'sa specialist in biomechanics
and she's had a lot of successwith severely injured athletes

(11:13):
and maybe she could give you alittle bit more hope than we can
.
In that moment, somethingreally beautiful was born.
She looked at me and she saidLuis, I don't know if you're
ever going to be the sameathlete that you once were, but
she said but I feel like we canget you at least back out there

(11:39):
and I took that and I ran withit.
You know, like I said, ok,that's all I needed to hear.
So I was around 19 by then, 20.
And we started to do a processof kind of first of all
uncovering how did this youngathlete very young, I would say
how did I become?
I mean, how did my body get tothe point where, I mean, I had

(12:02):
an 80 year old man's hips right,like how did it get there?
And you know, we started tounravel that and I started to
understand that the environmentthat I had been training in, the
, the training hours, maybe, thelong drives, it was all kind of
had been tearing me down foryears.
And that's when I realized, like, okay, the environment that I

(12:25):
was in didn't really know how tosupport me and it wasn't to
blame anybody, it was just partof the culture of sport and it
still is very much to this day,like it's the go, go, go results
at any cost kind of situation.
And I started to see that andto understand it and with that
said, pam also introduced me toways of taking better care of my
body and to actually that andto understand it.
And with that said, pam alsointroduced me to ways of taking

(12:46):
better care of my body and toactually like listen to what was
happening to me or what I wasfeeling, and that was very
different for me.
I wasn't used to feeling to.
You know, checking in withmyself, it wasn't, that was all
new, so it was kind ofrelearning.

(13:06):
It was that was all new, so itwas kind of relearning, um, how
to, how to live, to be honest,and so, little by little, I uh
started to actually become alittle healthier and I was able
to, you know, jog.
I was able to start to kind ofcondition myself again to be an
athlete, um, and by the and thatthis was years long, it wasn't
just overnight, it it occurredover a span of two, three years,

(13:28):
but it by the time I was around23, I would say, I was back on
the ice and I was kind ofstarting to do what I could do
before, um, yeah, and I wasseeing like, oh, maybe there is
something here and maybe I cancome back to competition, or or
in my head, to, maybe I can doshows, maybe I can do something

(13:51):
that's not as challenging.
But in the back of my mind andin my heart, like I still always
have that competitive nature,like I wanted to get out there,
be with the best, so I reallystarted to imagine this
possibility to be a possibility.
And so I began training skatingagain, now in a very different

(14:15):
way, like I said, tuned intomyself, tuned into my body, not
basing my worth on just myresults more, just loving it
more, just skating from my heartand knowing that it could be
taken away from me at any moment.
So I was enjoying every step ofthe process this time around.
And with that said, that's whenI was I had been approached

(14:37):
before by the Mexican SkatingFederation.
They had asked me to comerepresent my native, my country
of origin, and to that I hadn'tbeen ready for that.
I didn't feel like it wasviable at the time.
But then when I returned and Iguess word got around that I was
back on the ice, I wasre-approached and I was asked

(14:59):
once again and I absolutely tookit.
I took the opportunity.
I said yeah, I think I'm readyand I want to do this.
And so that's actually when thesecond phase of my career
started and I had.
That's when actually I became asix time national champion.
I got to represent my countryacross the world in numerous

(15:20):
international events for over adecade.
So I had a very long secondphase and it was a very
successful and I would say morepersonally successful because it
was me doing something that Iloved and then doing it in the
healthiest way possible formyself.
And it was so different thaneverything I knew.
Gosh, I just told you my wholestory.

Speaker 2 (15:43):
I'm like I knew, um gosh, I just told you my whole
story.
I'm like, yeah, but I gotquestions.
So yeah, your father and yourparents told you that figure
skating was too dangerous, andthen your father suggested
motorcycles.

Speaker 3 (15:58):
Yeah, I think, to be honest, they were trying to
completely steer me away fromskating and they needed an
excuse.
They were like, first, all theyknew the costs of skating.
Like yeah that's a veryexpensive sport.
Secondly, my dad really didn'tlike the figure skating thing,
at first for a boy, and then he.
It's very funny, he totallychanged his mind once he saw me

(16:20):
like just loving what I did andthen having success in it.
I think that's like everyparent's dream right Like yeah,
he completely changed his mind.
He said I don't, he's like okay.
And he actually became what wecall a skating dad.
He actually was at my everypractice.
He was my number one supporterand I attribute so much of

(16:41):
everything that happened inskating for me to him.
He was always there and that'sfunny like how that shifted.
But, like I said, it's aparent's dream and I think like
that.
I hope that listeners can hearthat it's everything.
Your parents just want to seeyou happy and they want to see

(17:02):
that you're succeeding and inwhatever form that takes um.
So I feel like that was whathappened there.
That was the change of mind,the change of heart and the
change of idea, and maybe itwasn't so dangerous after all
nice, but he didn't pressure you.

Speaker 2 (17:17):
It didn't become like because you said your sister
quit because of the pressure.
Was that pressure from yourparents, or competition, or well
to.

Speaker 3 (17:25):
To be honest, figure skating is just a very cutthroat
, intense sport and anenvironment you got to think
about it.
It's a judged sport, it's aindividual sport, so it gets
very competitive, it gets evenyeah, it's just all about

(17:45):
results and it's all about, Imean, you're judged on
everything, on how you look, onhow you everything, how you
dress, how you perform, how youalso like everything.
It's technical but it's alsoartistic.
So it becomes this very intenseenvironment where there are
people that don't always wantyou to succeed, to be honest,

(18:07):
and so that's a lot of pressure.
You know you're you're tryingto, you're trying to be just
your, your best self, but youalso have some people that maybe
want to tear you down a bit.
So my sister didn't like that.
She said this is not for me.
So she actually went intobusiness.
She grew up and she was abusinesswoman.
She's like I'm out, which isstill competitive, and it's
still that kind of.
But skating, like I said, isjust another level of

(18:30):
competition and she, she, justshe couldn't take it and
obviously, like, like I told himearlier, for me the pressure
was a lot too and it was toomuch I did.
I did have really dark timeswhere I had body, body image
issues, mental health issues,just because of that pressure.

Speaker 1 (18:51):
So it wasn't like I was.

Speaker 3 (18:54):
I was not spared.
I definitely felt the pressureand it led me to some dark, very
dark places, but the love formy sport always won, like all of
that could go to heck because Ilove skating so much, like
nothing.
All of that couldn't stop me.
Nothing could stop me becauseof that passion.

(19:16):
So the pressure is always thereand never goes away.
You have sponsors, you havecoaches, you have parents,
parents that are sometimesinvesting many, many thousands
of dollars every year for you todo something, and that's in
across a lot of sports.
So that pressure, kids arefeeling it and that's something
that maybe people forget.

(19:37):
Like these kids are human,they're, they can feel the
pressure that they know that.
You know, sometimes my dad wasstruggling to make the payments
on whatever the house because ofmy skating, or the car, or you
know the little things like that.
Like that put pressure on notjust the athlete but on the
families, on the coaches, whoalso the coaches are pressured

(19:57):
to produce results and theorganizations, the national
governing bodies.
they also are pressured.
They need their athletes toproduce results.
So there's pressure, pressure,pressure everywhere and it's
just all about like how much doyou love it, how much can you
love it?
That that becomes, you know,that goes into the background

(20:18):
and the love is what leads you,the love for what you do.

Speaker 2 (20:21):
Yeah, now, when you went through those dark times
besides skating, how did youwork through all that?
Because I've talked to a lot ofpeople and a lot of them seem
to have like a dark period intheir lives too, so how did you
deal with that?

Speaker 3 (20:37):
Well, I was very lucky.
Unfortunately, skating did notprovide me, like my support team
didn't provide me thoseresources, so I actually had to
look on my own for resourceslike psychologists, you know,
mental health experts that couldhelp me work through whatever I
was going through.
But that was all it wasactually, really, looking back

(20:57):
on, it's a little sad.
I was a teenager and I wasgoing I think there were, yes,
there were the white pages orthe yellow pages back then and I
would.
I actually went into a, ayellow, like a phone book, to
look for a professional, to findmyself help, and I actually had
to do that myself because also,there was some taboo.
My family thought, likepsychologists, for what are you

(21:18):
crazy?
Like?
At the time it was, it wasn'tso mainstream as it is now.
Um, and so I I was kind ofavant-garde.
I was like, well, I need this,I'm gonna look for it, and I
found it and luckily I was atleast financially supported to
to take that step and I did findmyself my own help.
I had to find those resources.

(21:38):
Um, yeah, and that's how I madeit through, but I I really
don't think that I would havebeen able to without that, that
kind of support from thoseexperts.
Um so, and a lot of peopleunfortunately don't have access
to that still to this day, orthey don't know that the
resources are are out there.
There are a lot of resourcesnow that can be offered, even

(22:00):
free of cost, but a lot ofpeople don't have that knowledge
and it's unfortunate.
But, but I was lucky enoughthat I, like I said, I was
always a little ahead of my time.
I I was like no, this is what Ineed, I'm going to find it.
And I did, and that's the onlyway that I made it through.
It wasn't, um, uh, it wasn't ajob that I did, could do by
myself.
It wasn't something that, yeah,that I couldn't dig myself out

(22:21):
of those holes.
I needed help from from, fromoutside.

Speaker 2 (22:25):
Yeah, and um, dan Jansen was one of my guests and
he talked about how he used asports psychologist to like get
over some of the hurdles,because I mean, I'm pretty sure
Are you familiar with the story?
Absolutely yeah, so with thewhole thing that happened in 88
with the sister.
So, and even nowadays, though,there's still a lot of people

(22:47):
that think going to apsychologist means something's
wrong with you.

Speaker 3 (22:52):
Exactly.

Speaker 2 (22:53):
And when you were talking about.
Another thing that ran throughmy mind was when you were
talking about the pressure andvery competitive.
We got a huge glimpse of thatin 94 with Tanya and Nancy.

Speaker 3 (23:04):
Oh my goodness, yes, yes, that is the very dark side
of competition and, like I said,what I was talking about
earlier, like some people wanted, to they want to tear you down,
and tanya unfortunately took itto a whole another level, as
you know, and it's it's.

(23:25):
It comes from a lot of uh, itcomes from a place of pain, it
comes from a place ofuhempowerment.
That's obviously not how you goabout competing.
You know, competition should beabout actually pushing one
another to be each other's best.
That's how I see it, and somepeople unfortunately don't have

(23:46):
maybe the I don't know what thatis.
I, I, I've never had that forme.
When I arrived to competition,I I honored and I admired every
one of my competitors and and ina way, I felt appreciation for
them because they were alwayspushing me to be better and to
take it to that level.
I think there has to be moregoing on, uh, internally for

(24:08):
someone to to go to that place.
Yeah, it's unfathomable for me.
Unfortunately, that was such ahorrific display of just what
not being in tune with yourheart means.
That's how I see it.

Speaker 2 (24:28):
Yeah, and now have you seen that in the
competitions you've been to,that are people that are like
that, that will try to doanything.

Speaker 3 (24:35):
The it's very, very rare I maybe saw it once or
twice where there are sometricky things that happen in the
locker room, like little mindgames, little things saying some
words that maybe like they'remeant for you to hear, and
that's why I always would wearearphones every time.
Every competition is like tuneout.

(24:56):
But yeah, you do unfortunatelystill see it.
Um, it's not on the level oftanya per se, but there are mind
games that happen and littlethings here and there like oh,
maybe this will mess you up if Isay this or that.
So it's definitely out there.
It's just not on that scale,thank goodness.
But yes, it's there, it'salways there.

Speaker 2 (25:19):
So who has been one of your favorite people to
actually skate with or against?
I mean, you got to skate withMichelle Kwan, so that's huge,
right there.

Speaker 3 (25:40):
Michelle was always one of my biggest inspirations,
so that's huge right there upseeing that it kind of uh, it
was a great role model for me,right, like it taught me what
pure healthy competition means,and that was just absolutely the

(26:01):
best experience to be every dayon the ice with her training,
alongside her, seeing how shecoped with stress, how she coped
with stress, how she coped withdownfalls, with you know,
you're not always winning andshe always did it gracefully and
she did it in a way thatinspired and honestly, like I
would say, michelle was mybiggest inspiration and just the

(26:23):
most amazing person to skatealongside.
But obviously there are so many.
I mean I always I competed withsome amazing guys uh, johnny it
was johnny weir at the time uh,evan lysacek, evgeny plushenko,
even at one competition.
So just great champions, that,um, that always led with respect
and, like I always admire that,uh, and every athlete that can

(26:48):
do that, that can be at the topand respect their competitors,
respect everyone around themlike those people are the ones
that I just always absolutelylove to skate alongside nice
yeah, and now?

Speaker 2 (27:00):
okay, this can be a weird question, okay, all right,
actually I'll make a statementfirst for those younger
listeners.
A phone book is how we, how weused to look up things in the
find, people's addresses andstuff.
We didn't go online, just forthe record.

Speaker 3 (27:19):
Oh my gosh.
Yes, yes, wow.
That's a lot to think about.
We're aging me here, but that'sokay.

Speaker 2 (27:28):
I'm older than you, don't feel bad.
So now, one of the things thatI know now it's now.
I remember what I was going tosay.
Matt Hughes, on like the secondseason of the ultimate fighter,
actually said if you'reundefeated, you're fighting the
wrong people.

(27:49):
So it's like when you go intoskating, if you're completely
undefeated, you're probably notskating at the competition level
.
You could be.
And even my son, when he waswrestling, he lost a match in
triple overtime and his mom andhis grandma were like, oh, it's
okay, it's okay.
And he told him he goes, look,I'm going to lose.
He goes, I can't beat everybody.

(28:10):
And if you can't handle that,don't go to my tournaments
because I'm gonna lose again Ilove that.

Speaker 3 (28:17):
That's a champion.
Yeah, that's how it works,absolutely.
And you're never, everundefeated in skating.
I'll tell you that like'simpossible, especially at the
top level, which is where Icompeted.
Oh, those are always shifting.
You're one day you're great,the next day you're in the dumps
.
So that's when you know likeokay, I'm in the right place,

(28:40):
exactly Like okay, I'm in theright place, I'm failing.
And now what I do to get backup there, get back on the horse,
absolutely.

Speaker 2 (28:50):
Yes.
So now, when you were goingthrough and you finally found a
person to help you like, what'ssome of this stuff, what's some
of the process that you wentthrough?
Or are they some things theytaught you about yourself to
help you get back to thecompetition level you were at?

Speaker 3 (29:08):
For me personally, sean, it was coming to
understand that my wholeself-worth could not be placed
on just my sport.
I had to understand that I wasinherently a worthy human, just

(29:29):
for being alive.
That's what the process reallycame down to.
It came down to me appreciatingmyself for just being me, not
for my results, not for you knowhow well I can perform on a
given day.
It was about understanding thatI'm worthy, I'm lovable, I'm

(29:53):
just for being a human, andthat's funny to even have to,
you know, learn to understandthat.
But that was you can imagine.
If a kid is and especially infigure skating very young age.
You are training all day.
It is is your life.
You give up I was ahomeschooler, you give up

(30:13):
schooling, you give up birthdayparties, you give up everything
for skating, so you reallybecome a figure skater and
that's basically your wholeidentity.
So for me it was kind oflearning to be also just a
person and then I'm an athlete.
So that was the process andthat was not easy because I had

(30:37):
been conditioned into me since Iwas, like I said, a little kid.
I was eight years old when Istarted skating.
So to to come to thatrealization it didn't happen
until I was in my 20s, where Icould value myself for just
being a person.
And that was a lot of work andthat was a lot to unpack, but

(30:58):
that was the process for myselfdecided that you're good enough
and you're developed as a personlike what, especially with the
way your hips are, because boneon bone is painful so yes.

Speaker 2 (31:18):
So now what was the process like that, getting to
the point where you could skate,like physically, the physical
side of it?

Speaker 3 (31:25):
the physical side, it was about building my body up
muscularly.
For instance, I had to have abody completely from head to toe
, um, I had to become a lotstronger.

(31:51):
I had to learn new ways to?
Uh fuel my workouts.
I had to learn all aboutnutrition.
I worked with a greatnutritionist, jeff cotterman, uh
, who was based out of san diego, and he taught me how to how to
properly fuel.
He helped me to rebuild my body.
To.
You know, I needed to relearneverything that I knew about

(32:13):
nutrition, um, which was verylimited.
And in skating it's like I said,it's a very weird sport where
you have that artistic side, soyour body needs to look a
certain way, but you also needto be strong enough to perform
the triple jumps.
So it was this fine balance ofbeing strong enough but also not
having too much bulk, wherethen it deters from the skating.

(32:36):
And also the aestheticcomponent.
Like, I needed to be veryaesthetic, I needed to look slim
, I needed to, you know, staylean enough to perform the jumps
.
So it was a very trickylearning curve, I'll say that,
and there were times when I'llsay it, for skating, I would
become a little bit overweight,and so jeff and I would have to
adjust things like, hey, yougotta, you know, lean out a

(32:57):
little bit.
So it was always this like pushand pull of, like staying
healthy and then staying uh,just right for skating yeah, so
yeah.

Speaker 2 (33:07):
Is strength and conditioning not like a actual
part of figure skating?

Speaker 3 (33:12):
or at least back then it wasn't no, no, no, it's a
huge part of figure skating but,like I said, the tricky part
comes when, for instance, beforethe injuries, I was doing
strength and conditioning andthen I would develop a little
bit of bulk and my coach wouldsay, hey, you're putting on
weight.
And there was that trickymoment where, like oh, I

(33:34):
translated that into oh, I'mgetting too heavy, so I would
restrict my diet.
And then I was that kind of ledto the injuries.
To be honest, like I wasrestricting my diet to the point
where I was sometimes noteating because, oh, my coach
told me I'm too heavy.
What do I need to do?
So strength and conditioning wasalways a part of it, but the

(33:55):
fueling and the nutrition wasnever paid attention to.
It was not something that waslike at the priority on the list
of priorities, it was not.
So, yeah, I think that, like Isaid, that led to, to the damage
to my body.
To be honest, the lack ofeducation, the lack of I didn't

(34:17):
know.
All I heard was you gotta, youknow, you gotta tone down the
weight.
So okay, how do I do that?
Restrict my eating while I'mstill doing conditioning and
strengthening work?

Speaker 2 (34:28):
Tricky.
Yeah, it's a tricky sport,tricky sport.
Because that muscle density itadds to weight.
That's why while I'm training,I pay attention to the scale but
I don't pay attention to oh I'mgaining or oh I'm losing,
because if things fit better,you know you're losing body fat
as opposed to weight and people.

(34:49):
I think that's one of thebiggest misconceptions, like
they always tie in weight anddon't realize when you start
adding muscle you're going togain weight and it's muscle
density 100%.
So when he was saying that youwere gaining weight, was your
physical composition changed?
Yes, so it was noticeable.

(35:10):
It was noticeable.

Speaker 3 (35:10):
Yes, so it was noticeable.
It was noticeable and that'swhat that was.
The issue, you know, with.
That's the issue in figureskating and sports like
gymnastics and diving therethere is that aesthetic side too
.
You gotta look a certain way,you better be, you know, skinny,
skinny looking or it's also notas considered as maybe
beautiful to look at.

(35:31):
So it's really tricky.
It's.
It was really tricky.
Um, and on another note, withthat said, like I was also a
very artistic skater, what, whatthat's what we call it like,
and so I had, uh, what we calllike the body lines were really
important for me and for myresults.
It was part of why I had goodresults because I had I always
had that artistic side reallysolid.

(35:51):
So I was also really cognizantalways of, like, how I looked.
That was so important and itwas important to my coaches
because in reality it isimportant in skating, like I
said, you got to have a certainlook, you got to be, and so that
was also what kind of led intothat spiral of like, body image
issues, et cetera.

Speaker 2 (36:09):
Yeah, yeah, I don't think I've ever had body image
issues.
I just had cousin issues thatcalled me fat all the time
growing up.
So they had issues.
I didn't, but I love that.

Speaker 3 (36:23):
I absolutely love that.
That's awesome, that's how it,that's how we should all take it
.
You know like okay, one ear onein, one ear out the other, like
exactly, that's a, that's howwe should all take it.
You know like, ok, one ear in,one ear, out the other.

Speaker 2 (36:30):
Exactly.

Speaker 3 (36:31):
That's a really healthy approach.
I love it.

Speaker 2 (36:33):
So now did you skate for Mexico when you won your
national championships?
I did, I skated for Mexico.

Speaker 3 (36:39):
Yeah, I did.
I skated for Mexico, like Isaid, for over a decade and I
actually yeah, I had some.
I was the highest ranked skaterto ever represent mexico during
my career, um, internationally.
And then, like it was reallycool because I was able to kind
of give birth to the nextgeneration, like I kind of set

(36:59):
that new standard for the nextgeneration.
And after me now we have anamazing olympian uh representing
mexico, donovan carillo.
And he, he grew up watching me,you know, he, he messages me
sometimes to say like hey, Ialways remember like watching
you skate and it's really cooland he's had tremendous results.
He's a big name now in skatingand it was really cool.

(37:21):
Yeah, I kind of set that bar toa new level, to a new height,
and I feel very proud of thataccomplishment.
It was kind of something Ialways dreamed of too, to be
honest, like to inspire the nextgeneration, yeah, Now, when you
won your first nationalchampionship, like what was
going through your head.

(37:41):
Well, it had been a long process.
I actually, when I firststarted representing Mexico, I
did not win the national titlefor oh gosh, let me think two,
for three years.
I had not.
I had been competing and I didnot win.
So by that moment, to be honest, it was kind of a dark time I

(38:03):
was like, well, I'm not winning,I'm still not winning.
You know, I'm back in the sportthat I love, I'm doing it in a
different way, but I'm still notwinning.
You know, I'm back in the sportthat I love, I'm doing it in a
different way, but I'm not I'mstill not at the top.
I was kind of like this is it,if I don't get that spot at the
top, I'm going to have torethink, you know, my future.
Um.
So there was some pressure, butit was also like a relief.

(38:25):
It was like me saying like thisis it, luis?
Like you love what you do, um,if it's not gonna be it, like
it's not gonna happen for you,then then you really need to
move on.
That was my mentality going intothat national championship and
it was actually freeing.
It was like I kind of puteverything to the side and said
I'm just going to be who I am onthe ice.

(38:48):
And I got there, I skated greatand it was like reaffirming.
It was like, okay, this iswhere you belong.
You finally got what you wanted, what you needed, and then
that's how I was given theticket to go compete
internationally.
So I had sat on the bench forthree years Like I was not

(39:09):
competing internationally.
It was kind of depressing andlike I said I finally let it go.
I was like no, this is it like I, this is it if it's.
If I don't do it this time,then it's time to go.
And I did it and that started,like, like I said, that started
the next decade of the secondphase of my skating.

Speaker 2 (39:29):
Okay, and then when did you retire from actual
competition?

Speaker 3 (39:35):
That's a great question.
I was trying to do the math.
Let me think I retired, I wouldsay in 2016.
Okay, yeah 2016.
So yeah, 2016.

Speaker 2 (39:50):
I don't want to think of my age, but let me think 40
and 9, it would be 31 wow, yeah,yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (40:00):
I I went a long time, um, and, like I say, I
attribute that to the way that Iwas approaching sport in a
healthy way for myself.
You don't hear of figureskaters going to 31.
Very rarely do you ever hearabout that.
And, like I said, I attributeit to oh, by the way, I was

(40:21):
consulting with coaches, but Iwas kind of coaching myself for
those 10 years.
Yeah, I had learned everythingI needed.
So I had great support fromcoaches that I trusted.
I consulted with them.
They would, they would, youknow, take a look at me and like
kind of point out this is not,this is not right, that's not
right.
And then I would go and kind ofwork on it on my own.

Speaker 1 (40:40):
So it was kind of a cool and different approach
that's also not heard of.

Speaker 3 (40:43):
I would travel to many competitions by myself,
without a coach.
Yeah, because I had to do it myway or else it wasn't going to
work for me.

Speaker 2 (40:53):
Yeah and then.
So what led into the Olympiccommentating?

Speaker 3 (40:59):
Oh, that's a great one.
Okay, the commentating.
So I had a great friend, annJensen.
She was just, she's been, firstof all, a huge fan of figure
skating and she kind of had seenmy career since I was a little
kid friends in a in a tv networkand they had actually

(41:26):
approached her and said, hey, weneed, uh, we need some figure
skating commentary for theupcoming olympics and we need a
spanish speaker.
Um and uh, and, very cool, shereached out to me.
She said, hey, someoneapproached me like I think
you're the perfect guy for this.
I said I said, excuse me, I'venever done anything like that
before.
And she said, well, there'salways a first time.

(41:47):
And I said, all right, allright, I'll give it a shot.
And so I went into the studioand they interviewed me.
We did like a little mock run,you know, trial, and they said
we love what you're doing, let'sdo it.
And that just was born out ofthin air.
And next thing, you know, I'mcommentating at the 2014
Olympics for the figure skatingportion, all of the figure

(42:08):
skating portion.
And it was an amazingexperience because, like I said,
I love the sport so much and Ihave so much just inner.
Like you know, I lived it, so Iknew every detail about every
skater.
Most skaters were my friendsthat I was commentating about,

(42:30):
so it was like it was very easy,it was like second nature and
it's just an amazing experience.
And so, after the 2014, theywere like well, we absolutely
love what you did.
Could you come back on for thenext one?
And I was like, yeah, yeah, ofcourse, and that's how it was
born.
It was a really cool experience,it was awesome so now are you
looking forward to this olympicscoming up I am, I am, it's,

(42:53):
it's uh, it's tricky though Ihave, like this you know,
there's been a lot of chaos inthe olympic figure skating
movement.
Um, you know, with the russianathletes and the doping and all
of that, it's it's been, it'sbeen tough to to watch.
Um, it kind of has deterredfrom a lot of people believing

(43:14):
in the sport and trusting what'shappening.
So it's, it's hard to, it'shard to how do I say it?
It's hard to always be excitedbecause you kind of got that
that's, it's kind of taintedright now a little bit, and it's
it's hard to to be 100 excited,you know, you know it's, um,

(43:35):
but at the end of the day, likeI said, I love skating, so how
can I not be excited?
but there is that like there'skind of a dark cloud right now
in skating with, with the wholeissues and everything that
happened.
But of course, of course,skating is something I always
look forward to, especially atevery Olympics.
I'm always, I'm always tuned inand I love to see.
I still have friends that arestill competing, that now are

(43:57):
much younger now than me when Iretired, so they're still going.
But yeah, but yeah.

Speaker 2 (44:02):
Of course I'm excited to support and watch, always,
yes, well, that's the one thingabout sports is doping is
involved in every sport.
It's not just and it usuallyisn't really noticed until you
get that one person that failsthe drug test, and then it
becomes a scandal exactly,exactly, exactly.

Speaker 3 (44:21):
And the thing is people would never think that
doping could benefit a figureskater because they see these
small frames and like.
But there are so many ways thatdoping can.
Now we know, and now peopleknow that can definitely benefit
skaters and it's sad, like Isaid, it makes people lose trust

(44:42):
and it makes people kind ofdoubt even the, the movement,
the olympic movement, and thatthat's that makes me sad.

Speaker 2 (44:50):
yeah, yeah, well, one thing about, like the doping,
um, which people, probably a lotof people, don't realize just
because I was involved in prowrestling for a long time that
back in like the 70s and the 80s, when you know, even the 60s
that they were wrestling so muchthat they weren't doping to get
bigger, they were doping tohelp with the injuries.

(45:12):
So they can keep going so so doyou think that's more of an
issue, especially with you.
What, how you went through withyour hips.
Or do you think that trainingand the development of strength
and conditioning has come so farthat it's really an unnecessary
evil now?

Speaker 3 (45:30):
or no, it's definitely what you said is very
poignant.
It's very much sometimes usedto keep the athletes standing,
basically like the training isso hard and so intense that some
of these drugs that they'reusing is just to keep to be able
to keep going, to keep theendurance up.
It's not even for like physical, other physical purposes, like

(45:54):
gaining strength or this or that, it's just to keep them going
and to keep them going non-stop.
And that's why you see thatthese athletes that were doped,
they were kids, they were 15year old kids, they were 15, 14,
16 year old kids.
That's what's scary and it'sbecause of the training is so

(46:14):
intense and so hard on them thatthey just need to be able to
keep going and to keep themstanding.
It's like, oh, can we make itto the next Olympic cycle?
And they're only in their teens, in their early teens.
That's what's scary.

Speaker 2 (46:28):
And getting involved with that at such a young age
can totally screw up.

Speaker 3 (46:32):
A life.

Speaker 2 (46:33):
Yeah, it's absolutely .
I'm like let me take myinjuries, Cause I mean at this
point I'm tired of Westernmedicine, but I got my reasons,
oh.
I hear that western medicine,but I got my reasons.
So, oh, I hear that, but I hearthat.
So now, now that you phased outof skating, it's what are you
doing now?

Speaker 3 (46:53):
well, actually.
So, when I went through thoseinjuries my early 20s, I worked
with pam and, like I told you,uh, learning to approach sport
in a different way, like I doand I did led us to actually, we
co-founded Lasso Safe Together,pam and I, and created an
organization which was thishappened 15 years ago out to

(47:26):
give athletes an opportunity,like the one that I had, to be
able to lead a healthy life, andbasically our mission was to
protect athletes and to ensurethat they're being heard, which
was something that I didn't have.
Like I said, I had to find myown resources to see how I could
, you know, support myself, andso we set out to make sure that
all athletes' voices can beheard through our organization

(47:48):
and to also provide them withresources so that they can be
supported in any way, whetherit's mental, physical, emotional
.
And that started 15 years ago.
And basically, the organizationstarted to research because
there were training centersaround the world that were
producing healthy athletes withgreat results, and then there

(48:09):
were others like myself that,unfortunately, they had great
results but they were fallingout of competition due to mental
health issues, abuse issues, etcetera, and so that research
started 15 years ago and to thisday now, blossom Safe has
developed the sports wellnessplatform and basically it's a
tool for organizations to usewhere they can track their

(48:31):
athletes' well-being.
They can see how their athletesare doing at any given time in
regards to emotional, physicaland social well-being and, very
quickly, an organization cantrack their athletes and then if
there are any areas of concernwhere these athletes might be
going into that dark side, thenthey can take action right away.

(48:51):
And that's my work now withLasso Safe.
That's what I do and I go totravel to sports conferences.
I was the keynote speaker atone of the last conferences I
was at and I speak on athletewellness, um, I speak on how
organizations can support theirathletes, um, and really just
getting our platform out thereand ensuring that people know

(49:12):
that we're around and that weare here to help, because you
know organizations, sometimespeople want to.
It's like a witch hunt.
They want to say thisorganization is not, but
organizations are doing theirbest with what they have.
And so we are providing a wayfor them to keep doing the best,
but also now, with tools toensure that they're listening to

(49:34):
their athletes voices.
And that's what I'm doing andthat's my, that's my mission in
life to ensure that athletes areheard and that they are
protected in the way that theyneed to be.

Speaker 2 (49:45):
And this covers all athletes, not just like a
particular.

Speaker 3 (49:48):
All athletes in all sports.

Speaker 2 (49:49):
That's correct, you don't have to answer this.
But what do you find?
Which sport do you find has themost troubled?

Speaker 3 (49:59):
I guess athletes troubled, I guess athletes oh my
gosh, I yeah, I won't answerthat, but it's.
But it's definitely individualsport creates a certain
environment that that kind ofcan easily breed, uh, abuse and
a lot more silencing, becausewhen you're on your own you

(50:21):
don't have a group or a teamright, so there are less eyes,
there are less ways to kind ofpinpoint if an athlete is in
trouble, where when you have ateam, it's a lot more.
You know the team can getbehind you and it's definitely
individual sports are more of apain point, no doubt.

Speaker 2 (50:41):
Okay, so many years ago, a person I know, chris Bell
, did a documentary calledTrophy Kids.
I don't know if you've seen it Ihave not, but it's about
parents who push their kids sofar.
So if you watch it, you'll seeone kid where his dad pushes him
so much that he ended up justquitting.

(51:03):
He went and lived with his mom.
He didn't want nothing to dowith his dad because of it.
So how often do you come acrossparents like that?
I mean they even have a tv showcalled dance moms, which I
think very similar to likepushing kids too far.
And I mean, how do you feelabout parents that do that to

(51:23):
your kids, where it just I'mgonna make a harry potter
reference they're like thementors they just suck the joy
out of life yeah, it isunfortunate, it is a fact of
sport.

Speaker 3 (51:35):
It's they are those parents are out there.
But also it's about it's reallymisinformation that parents
they don't particular.
So a parent goes into a sportwithout really ever knowing, you
know, they don't know what theathlete really requires to
thrive.

(51:56):
So a parent thinks they'redoing the right thing, sometimes
by pressuring them by pushingthem, sometimes by pressuring
them by pushing them.
But parent is, like I said,investing great money many times
, great amount, not just moneybut time, and so it's all.
If, if parents were betterinformed, I think there would be
less of that.
Um, I don't always think it's,uh, it's malicious.

(52:18):
I think it it comes from justnot being informed.
Like that is not how yousupport your kid or how you're
going to get the best result.
So I can't always, I don'tjudge a parent for that, but it,
but it's definitely out thereand, uh, I don't judge the
parent.
I just hope that they are nowgetting more education from

(52:40):
whether it's the coach or theorganization on what I guess you
could call it best practicesare, on raising and supporting
your athlete.
Um but they're out there,they're yeah, the parents that
do that are always out there.
They are not going to go away.
So it's more about, like I said, I focus, we focus on the

(53:01):
athletes at Lasso Safe andgiving them a voice.
So maybe the parent is beingpushy, but an organization can
learn that through listening tothe athlete's voice.

Speaker 2 (53:10):
Nice.
Yeah, I know I went through andI was honest with my kid and I
got backlash from my ex.
But when he was in sixth gradehe goes.
I don't know whether to dobasketball or wrestling.
And I said, do wrestling, hegoes why?
And I whether to do basketballor wrestling?
And I said, do wrestling, hegoes why?
And I said, because you'regoing to suck at basketball,
because he was a bigger kid andhe didn't run fast and

(53:31):
everything.
He just was not genetically fitto do and he ended up excelling
in wrestling.
He ended up quitting hisfreshman year.
He made varsity and all thatfreshman year, but he ended up
quitting because his grandmotherpassed away.
And this is like he had hisgrandmother and his grandfather
both in the same year passedaway and it was like he was just
done.
So wow.

Speaker 3 (53:52):
But but see, that's where, maybe giving him some
time out like some time off andthen and then then listening to.
Obviously this was emotionalbecause there weren't injuries
happening or anything like that.
Um, so maybe if this, if yourboy had been listening, like
heard, or maybe you you're stillworking on that but giving

(54:14):
these athletes just also time,you know, like we're not robot.
We're not robots.
Kids are not robots.
They just need some timesometimes, and it could be that
easy, or it could be that maybesometimes, like he used or I'm
not saying your son, but any,like an athlete, might use a
certain excuse when maybe theirheart is no longer in it too.
You just you don't know.

(54:34):
So it's about listening to, tothe voice, to to the kid, to the
athlete, and then go from there.

Speaker 2 (54:40):
but yeah, I'm sorry to hear that.
Yeah it.
It's funny, though, because wewere in California, in the Bay
Area, and then we moved toColorado two and a half years
ago and it seems like myyoungest and him seem to excel
since we moved out here.
Just the whole change ofenvironment too.
And he went in and he did acouple of plays and I'm like,

(55:02):
dude, you could be an actor Likethat's how good he is.
And he got accepted into Boulderfor next year and he wants to
become a lawyer and I'm likegreat.

Speaker 3 (55:14):
But see, that's really cool.
He probably knew his heart wassomewhere else and like, look,
now he's thriving, Like that'salso that's the's the thing,
like, sometimes, a kid justthere.

Speaker 2 (55:24):
They lived out their experience and they need to move
on, and that's very okay tooyeah, and if you have a good
athletic background, which I'venoticed, um, you actually become
like a very different workerthan the ones that don't like
one thousand percent yeah, onethousand percent, because you've
already put in the hard work.

(55:45):
So now it's like you get a job.
You put in 100%, you get.
You know, whatever you do, youdo 100% now.

Speaker 3 (55:51):
And that's the most beautiful gift that sport will
give you.
It teaches you life skills thatyou are not going to learn
anywhere else, and it preparesyou for life.
Hard work, dedication,perseverance like that is what
sports should be about.
It should it should lead us tohave a healthy and to to be able
to thrive in life instead ofyou know like there are athletes

(56:12):
that unfortunately come outvery hurt from sport, and that's
not what it's about.
It should be about, like,building these kids so that in
the future, wherever they go,they can take that positive
experience with them.

Speaker 2 (56:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (56:23):
Awesome.

Speaker 2 (56:24):
And you kind of grew up I'm a little older than you,
but we kind of grew up in thesame era, before the internet,
where it's kind of like if youactually played on a team though
you had people that were betterat the sport than you, but then
they kind of gave you crap,they bullied you for not being
as good.

(57:08):
So, I mean I I shied away from alot of sports, because you
didn't you, that was not for youyeah, so it's about listening
to these kids yeah, and then youhave coaches that kind of join
in at least back in the 80s andthe 70s we did that would join
in, kind of like and kind of bethe bully too, and it's kind of
like I don't want to play forthat guy, so he's like not
teaching me anything except howto bully people.

Speaker 3 (57:30):
So absolutely no, you got it, you got it all right,
so now the tough questions.
Oh man, I thought we had themalready.
Let do it.

Speaker 2 (57:40):
So, when you were skating, what was your skate of
choice?

Speaker 3 (57:46):
Oh, my skate of choice.
Like the brand, the brand andoh, edea.
Edea boots.
It's definitely Right now.
All the top guys have used themfor a long time.
Edea skating boot, I would useParamount Blades, it was.
It was called uh I don't knowif they're still around.
I hope.

(58:06):
Yeah, like I said, I'm datingmyself, but that, yeah, you you
know, in sport you're alwayslooking for the best equipment.
And what are all the top guysdoing?
You're not going to fall behindright like you're gonna.
Yeah, you're gonna try yourbest.
With that said, sometimes acertain fit of in skating at
least of a boot and a brandmight not be the best for you.

(58:28):
So that's where you got to kindof test around and see, like,
what works for me, and not justbe guided by, like well, that
guy's wearing that or he's usingthat equipment.
I'm going to do that too.
Sometimes it's not that way,sometimes you.
That's why I say it's soimportant to be in tune with
yourself and your body to knowwhat's best for you.

Speaker 2 (58:47):
Yeah, that's you know , yeah, I've tried on some boots
, some skates and it's kind oflike, yeah, these aren't going
to work.
So I understand.
So's quite a question mybiggest influence for skating I

(59:10):
would have to say back.

Speaker 3 (59:11):
I would go back to my father.
Okay, he was a professionaldiver, uh, himself, and he did
have that athletic background.
He, he knew enough about sportwhere he helped me to navigate a
lot of things, not just likethe physical side but also like

(59:32):
the mental side.
Also, there are politics insport.
He knew about that and he knewhow to manage that.
And so my biggest influence wasdefinitely my father first, and
then second.
I had, like I said, I had myidols.
I had Michelle Kwan, I had KurtBrowning, who I admire and
always have looked up to.

(59:53):
Those were my two, my three, Iguess, biggest influences in
skating.
And, of course, some greatcoaching that I had, you know
that taught me some great things.
I never want to discredit that.
I had amazing coaches thattaught me things that I still

(01:00:13):
carry with me to this day.
But yeah, those three were mybiggest influences, no doubt.

Speaker 2 (01:00:20):
Okay, and now?
What advice do you have toupcoming figure skaters or
people that want to figure skate?

Speaker 3 (01:00:29):
oh, that's quite a question.
My biggest advice is, well,from my experience, to, first of
all, you better love the sport,you better love everything
about it, all aspects, or you'regoing to have a hard time
because it's not easy.
So you better have it in yourheart and you also better know

(01:00:54):
and learn who you are outside ofskating so that you can
approach it in a healthy waythat never you know, that sport
never will deter you.
If you know yourself, you'll beable to always overcome
anything.
So to really just love it andto know yourself, that's my

(01:01:15):
biggest advice.

Speaker 2 (01:01:17):
There you go.
So now, how can my listenersfollow you?

Speaker 3 (01:01:22):
Oh, they can find.
Well, that's a good question.
I'm not very active on socialmedia, but they can find me on
LinkedIn, Luis Hernandez, andalso they can visit our website
if they have questions.
Our website is lasso safe dotcom and you can find some
information there about whatwe're doing and how we can
support athletes andorganizations.

(01:01:43):
And you can find someinformation there about what
we're doing and how we cansupport athletes and
organizations, and maybe even ifyou need resources, you could
also visit our website.
Shoot us an email and it's allthere at lassofaithcom.

Speaker 2 (01:01:55):
Nice.

Speaker 3 (01:01:56):
Well, I appreciate you coming on the show
Absolutely.
It's been such a pleasure, sean, thank you, thank you, thank
you, thank you.