Kimmie Meissner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kimmie Meissner
Kimmie Meissner at the 2007 Skate America
Personal information
Full name	Kimberly Claire Meissner
Country represented	United States
Born	(1989-10-04) October 4, 1989 (age 35) Towson, Maryland
Home town	Bel Air, Maryland
Height	5 ft 4 in
Former coach	Chris Conte Richard Callaghan Todd Eldredge Pam Gregory
Former choreographer	Chris Conte Lori Nichol David Wilson Nikolai Morozov
Skating club	University of Delaware FSC and Chesapeake FSC
Began skating	1996
Retired	2010
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	189.87 2006 Worlds
Short program	64.67 2007 Worlds
Free skate	129.70 2006 Worlds

Kimberly Claire Meissner (born October 4, 1989) is an American former competitive figure skater. She is famous for winning several big titles. These include the World Championship in 2006, the Four Continents Championship in 2007, and the U.S. national championship in 2007. Kimmie was the first American woman to hold all three of these major titles at the same time!

In 2005, Kimmie Meissner made history. She became only the second American woman to successfully land a triple Axel jump in a national competition. She was also the youngest American athlete to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, where she placed sixth. The very next month, she won the World Championships. She then won the U.S. Nationals the following season. In 2020, Kimmie was honored by being added to the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

Kimmie was known for her strong technical skills in figure skating. She was often compared to the famous Olympic skater Michelle Kwan, who called her "the new face of figure skating." After retiring from competitive skating, Kimmie began working in the medical field. She also started coaching young skaters in Maryland. Kimmie has also been a spokesperson for the "Cool Kids Campaign," a charity that helps children with cancer.

Kimmie's Early Life and Skating Start

Kimberly "Kimmie" Meissner was born on October 4, 1989, in Towson, Maryland. She was the youngest of four children. Her dad and older brothers all played hockey. Kimmie first tried skating in January 1996, when she was six years old. This happened after a big ice storm turned her family's backyard in Bel Air, Maryland, into a temporary ice rink. She used one of her brothers' skates, stuffing them with paper towels to make them fit!

Kimmie loved skating right away. Her parents bought her proper skates and signed her up for lessons. A few years later, she started training at the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club in Newark. There, she began working with coach Pam Gregory. Kimmie attended Fallston High School, which was close to her home. This made it easier for her to train in Delaware in the afternoons. Her family worked hard to make sure Kimmie had a normal life while training. She even went to her school prom in 2006. Kimmie graduated from high school in 2007 and later from Towson University in 2014. By 2020, she was coaching five young skaters in Baltimore.

Kimmie's Competitive Skating Journey

Starting Her Career

Kimmie Meissner began skating at age six. She had watched figure skating on TV and decided she liked it more than ballet, which she had started at age four. She landed her first triple jump, the Salchow, six years later.

In the 2002–2003 season, Kimmie moved up to the novice level. She won the gold medal at the U.S. Nationals. This was her first time at the Nationals event. She performed very well, including a triple Lutz jump. She finished the season with a third-place win at the 2003 Triglav Trophy in Slovenia.

Junior Success and First Triple Axel

Kimmie competed as a junior in the 2003–2004 season. She won a silver medal at a Junior Grand Prix event in Bulgaria and a gold medal in Slovenia. This qualified her for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in Sweden, where she placed fifth. She then won the gold medal at the 2004 U.S. Nationals as a junior. Winning Nationals two years in a row at different levels was a rare achievement.

U.S. Figure Skating selected Kimmie for the 2004 Junior Worlds Championship in the Netherlands. She was one of the youngest skaters there and won the silver medal. She performed a clean short program, including a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination.

In the 2004–2005 season, Kimmie started working on her triple Axel jump. She began landing them in practice by August 2004. Her goal for the season was to make all her moves bigger and more visible to the audience. She earned two second-place finishes at Junior Grand Prix events, which sent her to the Junior Grand Prix Final in Helsinki, where she finished third.

Kimmie made her senior debut at the Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic in October 2004. She competed against her idol, Michelle Kwan, and placed fifth. At her first senior Nationals in Portland, Oregon, Kimmie decided to include a triple Axel in her free skate. She successfully landed it, becoming the first American woman to do so in competition in 14 years! She finished third overall, earning her first senior-level medal. Even though she wasn't old enough to compete at the senior World Championships, she was named to the U.S. team for the 2005 Junior Worlds Championships, where she placed fourth.

Road to the Olympics and World Champion

For the 2005–2006 season, Kimmie focused on the 2006 Winter Olympics. She worked on making her routines more mature and improving her spins and footwork. She decided not to include the triple Axel consistently, focusing on other combination jumps.

At the 2006 U.S. Nationals, Kimmie won the silver medal. This earned her a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. She was the youngest American athlete at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Kimmie placed fifth after her short program and finished sixth overall. This was a strong performance for her first time at the Olympics.

After the Olympics, Kimmie competed at the Worlds Championships in Calgary. Despite battling the flu and an ear injury, she felt more confident after her Olympic experience. Kimmie placed third after the short program. In her free skate, she successfully completed seven triple jumps, including two triple-triple combinations. She hit all her elements and stayed focused, even though she couldn't hear her music over the cheering crowd. Kimmie earned a personal-best score and won the gold medal at Worlds! This was a huge surprise and a highlight of her career. She became the seventh-youngest world champion at that time. It was also the first time an American woman had won a World title since Michelle Kwan in 2003.

Defending Titles and Challenges

In the 2006–2007 season, Kimmie toured with Stars on Ice. She also worked on her artistry with Olympic ice dancing champion Natalia Linichuk. Her free skating music, "Galicia Flamenco," was special because it came from her maternal great-grandfather's home country, Spain.

At 2006 Skate America, Kimmie placed second overall. At Trophée Bompard in Paris, she finished third. Her performances leading up to the 2007 U.S. Nationals were sometimes inconsistent.

At the 2007 U.S. Nationals in Spokane, Kimmie was the favorite to win. She placed first after a clean short program, earning a personal-best score. In the free skate, she had a small error on her opening jump but recovered well. Kimmie won her first senior U.S. title! She was the first female skater since 1962 to win the "U.S. nationals triple crown," meaning gold medals in the Novice, Junior, and Senior divisions.

Kimmie then competed at Four Continents in Colorado Springs. After a challenging short program, she came back strong in the free skate. She won the gold medal, her first time competing at Four Continents. At the 2007 World Championships, Kimmie finished fourth overall.

Later Career and Retirement

For the 2007–2008 season, Kimmie worked with new coaches and a ballet instructor to improve her artistry and jumps. She also started college. At 2007 Skate America, Kimmie won her first Grand Prix gold medal. She then placed second at Trophee Bompard, qualifying for the Grand Prix final for the first time. At the Grand Prix final, she finished sixth.

At the 2008 U.S. Nationals, Kimmie had a difficult competition, finishing seventh overall. This was her lowest score at U.S. Nationals. Despite her struggles, U.S. Figure Skating chose to send her to Worlds due to her experience. In February 2008, Kimmie made a big change. She left her long-time coach Pam Gregory to work with Richard Callaghan in Florida. She hoped this change would help her regain her focus and confidence. At the 2008 Worlds Championships, she finished seventh overall.

In the 2008–2009 season, Kimmie continued to work on her skating. However, she faced more challenges. At 2008 Skate America, she struggled with falls and poorly executed jumps, finishing eighth. She later withdrew from the 2009 U.S. Nationals due to a hip injury.

In August 2009, Kimmie suffered another injury to her right knee while training. This led her to withdraw from her Grand Prix events, which meant she couldn't compete at the 2010 Nationals or the Olympics. Kimmie officially retired from competitive skating in 2010.

After retiring, Kimmie found it hard to adjust at first. She felt lost and disconnected from figure skating for a couple of years. However, with support from her family and other skaters, she eventually found her way back. In 2012, she competed in a pro-am competition. From 2014 to 2015, she toured full-time with Stars on Ice. By 2016, she started coaching young skaters, which brought the joy of skating back into her life. In 2020, Kimmie Meissner was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame, which she called "one of the top" achievements of her career. In 2019, she married her long-time boyfriend, Josh Heyne.

Kimmie's Skating Style

Kimmie Meissner was known for her excellent technical skills. She had good body position in the air during her jumps, smooth landings, and fast speed. Her coach, Pam Gregory, often praised Kimmie's discipline and strong work ethic. She also noted Kimmie's courage and competitive spirit, calling her "extremely tough mentally." Kimmie enjoyed performing for large, excited crowds.

However, Kimmie's artistic presentation was sometimes seen as a weaker area, possibly due to her young age. Her performances could also be inconsistent, especially later in her career. Despite this, many sports reporters believed Kimmie was the future of women's figure skating.

Kimmie's Charity Work

After winning the World Championships in 2006, Kimmie Meissner became an ambassador for the "Cool Kids Campaign." This charity provides toys and games for children with cancer in hospitals. It also helps pay for fun outings for their families during treatment. Kimmie even designed bracelets to raise money for the charity. Her choreographer, Lori Nichol, said that Kimmie's work with children with cancer helped her become a better and more thoughtful skater.

In 2007, Kimmie headlined her first ice show called "Kimmie's Angels on Ice." This show was a fundraiser in Baltimore for the Cool Kids Campaign and another foundation. Many other famous figure skaters performed in the show. About 120 young cancer patients and their families got to watch the show for free and meet the skaters.

Kimmie's Records and Achievements

• One of the few skaters to win all U.S. novice (2003), junior (2004), and senior (2007) titles.
• Youngest American to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
• First American and first woman to hold the World (2006), Four Continents (2007), and U.S. National (2007) titles at the same time.
• Second American woman to successfully complete a triple Axel in competition (2005 U.S. Championships).

Awards

• Michelle Kwan Trophy, Favorite skater of the year, 2006
• Inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame, 2020

Programs

Kimmie Meissner performs a sit spin at the 2005 World Junior Championships.

Results

The women's podium at the 2006 U.S. Nationals. From left: Kimmie Meissner (2nd), Sasha Cohen (1st), Emily Hughes (3rd), Katy Taylor (4th)

The women's podium at 2007 Skate America. From left: Miki Ando (2nd), Kimmie Meissner (1st), Caroline Zhang (3rd)

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Images for kids

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  Kimmie Meissner at the 2005 World Junior Championships

See also

In Spanish: Kimmie Meissner para niños