Katy Taylor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Katy Taylor
Personal information
Full name	Katy Lynn Taylor
Country represented	United States
Born	(1989-10-22) October 22, 1989 (age 35) Houston, Texas
Height	165.9 cm (5.44 ft)
Coach	Jana Conter Mark Poole
Choreographer	Lea Ann Miller Peter Tchernyshev
Skating club	Texas Gulf Coast FSC
Retired	2010
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	164.05 2006 Four Continents
Short program	57.26 2006 Four Continents
Free skate	106.79 2006 Four Continents
Medal record Representing  United States Ladies' singles Figure skating Four Continents Championships Gold 2006 Colorado Springs Ladies' singles World Junior Championships Bronze 2004 The Hague Ladies' singles

Katy Lynn Taylor (born October 22, 1989) is an American former competitive figure skater. She was a top competitor in the sport. Katy won the 2006 Four Continents Championship. She also earned a bronze medal at the 2004 Junior World Championships. She was an alternate for the 2006 Winter Olympics team. This means she was ready to compete if someone else couldn't.

Katy's Early Life and Dreams

Katy Taylor was born in Houston, Texas. Her parents are Keith and Tammy Taylor. Her dad owned a flower business. Katy also has an older brother named Brennan.

When she was little, Katy tried many activities. She did gymnastics, T-ball, soccer, ballet, and tennis. But at just four years old, Katy knew what she wanted. She told her parents she wanted to be a "pretty famous ice skater."

Katy went to Mayde Creek Junior High and High School. She was a great student! Katy was part of the National Honor Society. She was also on the student council. She even won an award for her excellent schoolwork. In 2007, she joined a special team for student-athletes. Katy graduated from high school in 2008. She decided to attend the University of Houston.

Katy's Skating Journey

Starting Her Skating Career

Katy began skating just one week before her sixth birthday. When she was eight, she started taking private lessons. Her coach was Jana Conter. By the age of 10, Katy landed her first triple jump. This was a triple loop.

In 2001, Katy competed at the U.S. Junior National Championships. These championships are for younger skaters. She finished third in the juvenile level. The next year, she competed at the intermediate level. She placed tenth.

In the 2002–2003 season, Katy moved up to the novice level. She qualified for the 2003 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She finished second at two regional events. At the National Championships, Katy finished second. She was right behind gold medalist Kimmie Meissner. After this, Katy was chosen for the team going to the Triglav Trophy. She won a silver medal there in the novice level.

Junior and Senior Competitions

Katy Taylor (far right) won a bronze medal at the Junior Grand Prix event in Germany in 2004.

For the 2003–2004 season, Katy moved to the junior level. She won a silver medal at her first Junior Grand Prix event. This was in Slovakia. In her next Junior Grand Prix event in Japan, she finished fourth.

Nationally, Katy qualified for the 2004 United States Figure Skating Championships. She won the Midwestern Sectional Championships. At the National Championships, she finished second again. She was behind Kimmie Meissner. However, Katy did win the short program. After this event, Katy was named to the team for the 2004 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. She won the bronze medal there. She finished behind Japan’s Miki Ando and Kimmie Meissner.

During the 2004–2005 season, Katy competed in the Junior Grand Prix again. She finished third at events in Hungary and Germany. But she didn't qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final. She then moved up to the senior level nationally. She qualified for the 2005 United States Figure Skating Championships. She finished ninth overall at the National Championships.

Winning the Four Continents Championship

In the fall of 2005, Katy competed in the Junior Grand Prix once more. She finished fourth in Slovakia and second in Bulgaria. Katy was originally an alternate for the Junior Grand Prix Final. But she got a last-minute call to compete in the Czech Republic. She received the call after winning a competition in Colorado. She was even sick with a cold and sinus infection! Katy, her coach, and her mom traveled for 26 hours to get there. She placed fourth at the competition. She was very close to winning a bronze medal.

In January 2006, Katy competed at the 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She placed seventh in the short program. In the long program, she skated to music from Forrest Gump. She had the third highest technical score. She finished the competition in fourth place. Her final score was 152.54. After this, she was named to the Junior World team. U.S. Figure Skating also named her as the second alternate for the 2006 Winter Olympics. Katy later had to drop out of Junior Worlds because of skate problems.

After the National Championships, Katy competed at the Four Continents Championships. This was in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was her first senior international event. She won the gold medal! She finished second in both the short and long programs. During the short program, there was a power outage. This caused a 15-minute delay. But Katy still earned her best score ever in the short program. In the long program, Katy landed five triple jumps. This included a triple Lutz at the end. Her only big mistake was popping a triple loop. Katy is still the youngest Four Continents Champion. She won when she was 16 years and 98 days old.

Challenges and Retirement

As the 2006–2007 season began, Katy had new goals. She wanted to qualify for the Grand Prix Final. She also wanted to make the world team. She started the season by winning a bronze medal. This was at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany.

She then competed in the Senior Grand Prix for the first time. This included Skate America and Skate Canada International. Before Skate America, Katy broke in a new pair of skates. This caused her a lot of pain. She finished last in both Grand Prix events. Katy believed her poor results were due to training, equipment, and personal problems.

After the Grand Prix series, Katy changed her short program music. She wanted to feel more comfortable on the ice. Her next competition was the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Before the event, she said she had solved her problems.

Katy did not compete in the 2007–2008 season. She said it was due to an injury. She has not returned to competition since then.

Katy's Skating Programs

Competitive Highlights

Katy Taylor (far right) with the other 2006 National medalists.

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix