Kimmie Meissner

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Kimmie Meissner

Personal Info
Country:	United States
Residence:	Bel Air, Maryland
Height:	5'3"
Coach:	Pam Gregory
Skating Club:	University of Delaware FSC
ISU Personal Best Scores
Short + Free Total:	189.87	2006 Worlds
Short Program:	64.67	2007 Worlds
Free Skate:	129.70	2006 Worlds

Most Recent Results:
Event	Points	Finish	Year
World Championships	180.23	4th	2007
Four Continents Championships	172.75	1st	2007
National Championships	181.69	1st	2007

Kimberly Claire "Kimmie" Meissner (born October 4, 1989 in Towson, Maryland) is an American figure skater. She is the 2007 U.S. National Champion, the 2007 Four Continents Champion, and the 2006 World Champion.

Contents 1 Career 1.1 Early Career 1.2 Torino: 2006 Olympics 1.3 Senior Success 2 Off the ice 3 Competitive highlights 4 Programs 5 External links 6 Navigation

[edit] Career

[edit] Early Career

Meissner had a successful novice and junior career, winning the U.S. titles in both divisions consecutively in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, she won the silver medal behind Miki Ando at the World Junior Championships. The following year she won the bronze medal at the senior 2005 U.S. Championships where, at the age of 15, she became the first American woman since Tonya Harding to complete a triple axel in competition. Meissner's third place finish behind Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan would normally have earned her a spot on the U.S. team to the 2005 World Championships, but she was unable to compete due to the age limits set by the International Skating Union. Meissner was instead sent to the 2005 Junior Worlds, where she placed fourth. She attended the 2005 World Championships in Moscow, Russia as a spectator.

[edit] Torino: 2006 Olympics

In 2006, she qualified for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy after placing 2nd behind Sasha Cohen at the U.S. Championships. Joining her initially on the team were Cohen and Kwan, and later, Emily Hughes after Kwan's withdrawal.

At the Winter Olympics, Meissner placed fifth in the short program and sixth overall. Following the Olympics, Meissner competed in her first senior World Championships and took home the gold, upsetting favorites Sasha Cohen and Fumie Suguri. During the free skate, Meissner completed seven triple jumps, including two triple-triple combinations, and received a personal best score of 189.87. ^{[1] [2]}

[edit] Senior Success

She is also the first ladies skater since Barbara Roles to win the national title on the Novice, Junior, and Senior levels. At 16, Kimmie became the first woman since Kristi Yamaguchi to win a world title before obtaining a crown from her own country. Meissner is also the first woman to win the Worlds on her first appearance since Oksana Baiul in 1993. At 17, Meissner, "filled the gap in her resume," when she won the 2007 U.S. National Figure Skating title. As a result of her high-profile skating career, Meissner has landed three major endorsement deals with Subway, VISA, and Under Armour.

[edit] Off the ice

When Meissner returned from the 2006 World Figure Skating Championships, a parade was held in her honor in her hometown of Bel Air, and, shortly thereafter, the town gave one of its main roads, Pennsylvania Avenue, the honorary title of Kimmie Way. She starred in a local Subway commercial and threw out the ceremonial first pitch for her hometown team, the Baltimore Orioles, on April 14, and also at the Phillies opening day game. Meissner has appeared in the Harford County Public Schools paper several times during her figure skating career.

A native of Maryland, Meissner trains in Newark, Delaware where she belongs to the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club. Meissner has also confirmed she will attend the University of Delaware for her undergraduate studies. Meissner lives in Bel Air, Maryland with her parents, Dr. Paul and Judy Meissner. As a child, she began figure skating after watching her older brothers, Nathan, Adam and Luke playing ice hockey. Meissner currently attends Fallston High School.

Meissner's coach is Pam Gregory. Gregory and Lori Nichol are her choreographers, and her off-ice trainer is Jeff Snyder. Meissner's dress designer is Brad Griffies.

[edit] Competitive highlights

Event	2002-2003	2003-2004	2004-2005	2005-2006	2006-2007
Winter Olympic Games				6th
World Championships				1st	4th
Four Continents Championships					1st
U.S. Championships	1st N.	1st J.	3rd	2nd	1st
Skate America					2nd
Trophée Eric Bompard				5th	3rd
NHK Trophy				5th
World Junior Championships		2nd	4th
Junior Grand Prix Final		5th	3rd
JGP Long Beach			2nd
JGP Courchevel			2nd
JGP Slovenia		1st
JGP Bulgaria		2nd
Triglav Trophy	3rd N.

• N = Novice level; J = Junior level

[edit] Programs

Season	Short Program	Long Program	Exhibition
2006–07	Snowstorm by Georgi Sviridov, choreographed by Lori Nichol	Galicie Flamenco choreographed by Lori Nichol	Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
			Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne
2005–06	Symphonic Dances by Sergei Rachmaninoff	Queen of Sheba by Ottorino Respighi	Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Eva Cassidy
			Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
2004–05	Reverie by Claude Debussy	Daphnis and Chloe	Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson
2003–04	Sand and Water	Pines of Rome by Ottorino Respighi	Here Comes the Sun by Linda Eder
2002–03	Raymonda by Alexander Glazunov	Symphony No. 5 by Sergei Prokofiev	Say a Little Prayer by Aretha Franklin

[edit] External links

• U.S. Olympic Team bio
• Kimmie Meissner at the United States Figure Skating Association
• Kimmie Meissner at the International Skating Union biography page

[edit] Navigation