Meissner Takes First Step Toward U.S. Title
by Troy Schwindt
 (1/25/07) - With a World title already on her resume, 17-year-old Kimmie Meissner took a major step Thursday night toward securing a U.S. gold medal by winning the short program at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash.
Meissner, who has skated in the shadows of Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan the past two years at the U.S. Championships, seized the spotlight at Spokane Arena by earning a personal-best score of 65.69 points.
Bebe Liang, 18, also performed a career-best short program and collected a second-place finish at 62.66, while Emily Hughes, who turns 18 on Friday, placed third, also with a personal-best mark of 62.32.
The ladies free skate is slated for 10:40 a.m. on Saturday.
“It’s really different because there is no national champion here, so it’s up in the air,” said Meissner, who is considered the favorite to win the competition. “That’s why this year it’s really exciting, and it will be interesting to see what happens on Saturday.”
Meissner, a high school senior in Bel Air, Md., said she misses competing against Kwan and Cohen, but added that there remains plenty of competition in Spokane.
When asked if she was comfortable with her new role as the favorite, she said yes.
“I’m getting used to it,” she said. “It’s exciting when you go out there people recognize your name and they cheer for you, which is good because it helps me get into my program and get pumped up. I’m enjoying it right now.”
In front of 8,010 boisterous fans, Meissner followed a dynamic skate by Hughes. She zipped through her “Snowstorm” program, opening strong by landing her triple Lutz-triple toe, followed by a triple flip.
Executing a solid short program has been a difficult chore for Meissner this season, and she was glad to put a clean one in the books.
“The crowd was amazing,” Meissner said. “I felt a lot of energy from them, and it really helped me perform pretty well, especially after Emily – she skated so well – it was nice to have them energetic.”
Meissner owns a U.S. bronze medal (2005) and a U.S. silver medal (2006). She was the U.S. junior champion in 2004.
“A national title would be great,” Meissner said. “Now that the short is over with, it’s one more step.”
Liang delivered a crowd-pleasing performance to “Firedance” by David Foster.
She earned big points for the deliverance of her triple Lutz-double toe and triple flip.
This competition marks the seventh senior U.S. Championships for Liang, who is a student at Santa Monica City College. Liang said she appreciates success more now than she did when she was 12, competing for the first time on the biggest U.S. stage.
“When I was younger I didn’t realize how much it took to be on top and I took a lot for granted,” Liang said. “Now, I know how much work it takes and how much I want to be successful.”
Her best finishes at the U.S. Championships occurred in 2005 and 2006 when she placed fifth.
Hughes got the crowd reved up while skating her “Carmen” program. A successful triple flip-double toe and triple Lutz ignited an energy-charged program that captivated the audience.
“I felt really good out there,” said Hughes, who last year skated at the Olympics and World Championships. “After the music started, I was just really into it.”
After coming off the ice, Hughes hugged her short program choreographer Mark Mitchell, who was thrilled with the performance.
“I was at Skate America, I was at Cup of China, and I was here and this was by far the best,” Mitchell said. “This is kind of the vision I had in my head when I picked it for her last year, so it was great to see her skate it that way. I knew (coach) Bonni (Retzkin) and Emily would pull it off. I was really hoping that that program would build to that big finish at the end and that the crowd would be responding exactly the way it did at the end. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Hughes said she feels confident going into the free skate, and that the experience she received at the Olympics and World Championships has her motivated.
Katy Taylor, who finished fourth last year at the U.S. Championships before winning the 2006 Four Continents title, placed fourth in the short program with a score of 58.72.
Skating to music from “Legends of the Fall,” Taylor shedded her demons from earlier in the season when she finished near the bottom of her two Grand Prix events.
A new trainer, adjusted school schedule and a new short program, Taylor said, helped her return to competitive form.
“Katy Taylor was wonderful because she changed her persona, she changed her style and that’s a thing many skaters don’t always understand they may have to do, and she did understand it and attacked it and it was such an improvement over (former short program) ‘Happy Feet,’ it was a joy to see,” said ABC skating analyst Dick Button.
Taylor said she is much more emotional on the ice and the hard work in training paid off.
“I was going through a rough period at my Grand Prix events, but I feel if I hadn’t gone through that I wouldn’t be the skater I am today,” Taylor said.
Taylor’s longtime coach, Jana Conter, said it was extremely hard watching Taylor go through that early-season setback.
“We have a strong bond and our entire team worked through it together and got her back in shape,” Conter said. “She showed everyone tonight she’s back.”
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