She?s the defending world champion, an Olympic veteran and the local hero for many kids in Harford County and across the region. But when Kimmie Meissner laces up her skates this afternoon in the senior ladies shortprogram at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she?ll be charting new territory.
Meissner, the 17-year-old senior from Fallston High, is considered the favorite.
“Winning worlds last year was a big shock,” Meissner told the Associated Press. “Last year really was my first year as a full-fledged senior. Everything came on really suddenly.”
Meissner took third place in last year?s national championships, a year after winning the junior championships as a 15-year old. This season, veterans Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen are out of the competition. Kwan is pursuing her collegiate education, while Cohen is recovering from an injury and pursuing other career options in this non-Olympic year.
That leaves Meissner and fellow 2006 Olympic rookie Emily Hughes as the headliners at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Wash. Meissner will skate seventh, as the second skater in the second group, among a field of 21 competitors. She will be directly following Hughes, who turns 18 Friday. The younger sister of former Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes, Emily took third in the national championships last year, finishing just behind Meissner. She replaced Kwan on the U.S. Olympic team, and finished seventh at the Torino Winter Games before taking eighth in the world championships last March.
Like Meissner, she simply spent last year enjoying the moment and taking everything in.
“It?s always good to be an Olympian,” Hughes told the Associated Press. “[I learned] just to enjoy everything, because you never know when it?s going to happen again.”
This year, there is a new group of skaters who are hoping to take a cue from Meissner and Hughes? success from a year ago.
Katy Taylor, 17, who is listed on the U.S. Figure Skating Web site as a member of Team B, could be poised for a breakout weekend. Headlining Team B is Alissa Czisny, 19, who was expected to announce herself last year but took seventh. Christine Zukowski, 17, and Megan Hyatt, 16, are also young performers who are looking to break through this weekend.
U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
» What: Senior ladies short program
» Where: Spokane Arena, Spokane, Wash.
» When: Tonight, 9 p.m. (EST)
» TV: ESPN2
