Q+a [michael Weiss]

The three-time national figure skating champ defends his title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships next month

SI: You're married with two children, and your hobbies include hockey and weightlifting. Aren't you too macho for men's figure skating?

Weiss: Yeah, they're petitioning to have me thrown out of the sport.

SI: How often have you actually kissed and cried in the Kiss and Cry area?

Weiss: I'm usually trying to keep my wife [Lisa, his choreographer] and my coach calm, so I don't think I've ever kissed or cried.

SI: How's your on-ice relationship with your wife?

Weiss: Good. Most choreographers want their athletes to look good on the ice. But she has a special interest because she doesn't want to send her husband out there looking like a total dork.

SI: Your support team includes a hypnotherapist who helps you before competition, right?

Weiss: Yeah. Assisted mentally imagery is what I call it. We just go through the competition: skating clean, seeing the marks go up, seeing my wife and coach celebrating. It gets your mind to the point where it has already performed the competition.

SI: Are you worried your hypnotherapist might put you to sleep one day and say, At the count of three, you'll wake up and be Tonya Harding?