Czisny Wins Free Skate, But Meissner Wins Gold
by Troy Schwindt
 (1/27/07) - Maryland’s Kimmie Meissner typically gives the morning announcements at Fallston High School, where she’s a senior this year.
When the 17-year-old returns to class on Monday or Tuesday, she’ll be introducing herself as the 2007 U.S. ladies champion. Meissner overcame an early wobble in her free skate to edge Emily Hughes by less than a point at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash.
Alissa Czisny captured the free skate and claimed the bronze medal.
“My friends at Fallston all knew I was going to nationals,” said Meissner, the 2006 World champion who led after the short program by three points. “I expect when I go back there will be some talk. I do the announcements, so I’ll probably be announcing (my title).
“(I’ll probably) say something like, ‘Kimmie Meissner is back in school today after winning nationals, so if you see her tell her congratulations.’”
The victory caps a run for Meissner at the U.S. Championships that has included a bronze medal in 2005 and a silver medal last year.
“I’m very happy that I was able to keep a hold on the lead,” said Meissner, who recorded a score of 181.68. “It was a tough competition tonight. I’m pretty excited.”
Meissner skated fourth in the final group of six skaters. Czisny kicked off that final segment with a stunning and personal-best performance to music from “Sabrina.” Her score vaulted the Bowling Green State University student to the top of the leaderboard with a mark of 177.74, and the audience responded with a standing ovation.
Skating to “Galicie Flamenco,” Meissner put a hand down on her opening triple Lutz, failing to follow through with the combination. She rallied to finish the program strong, hitting six triples in all.
She said overcoming a setback during a performance is something she practices at her rink in Delaware.
“I train my programs to be perfect and I train them with little mistakes, so I’ve learned over the years to keep going,” she said. “In this system you can miss one thing and still be able to accumulate more points.”
Meissner said she fell forward on the landing of the triple Lutz, which is a “different mistake. Normally I’m back, but forward is a lot better because I was able to save it.”
The third-place finish in the free skate – Hughes placed second – was a bit disappointing but winning the title means a lot, she said.
“I was just getting used to the World champion thing, now this is going to be something new to get used to,” Meissner said.
Jeff Schneider, Meissner’s strength coach, said it’s been a tough road for Meissner in terms of pressure and expectations coming into the event. A big cheering section, however, from the University of Delaware where she trains helped her cause.
Schneider said Meissner is happy with where she’s at but added she wants to get even better and evolve as a skater.
Meissner plans to attend the University of Delaware next fall as a part-time student.
Hughes, the 2006 U.S. bronze medalist, followed Meissner on the ice. An 18-year-old as of Friday, Hughes was cruising during her free skate to music from the ballet “Sylvia” when she fell on her triple flip. Hughes, like Meissner, regrouped and finished strong.
Her free skate score – featuring six triples – of 118.54 was nearly enough to overtake Meissner. Hughes finished with a total score of 180.86.
“I’ve learned a lot over the last season, and I’ve had some good skates and bad skates and I realize that even if I fall if I get up and keep going I can still do well, and I was really proud of myself that I did that,” Hughes said.
Hughes’ longtime coach Bonni Retzkin said Hughes was coming off an ankle injury that occurred around the holidays, and she hadn’t been able to train her free skate as aggressively as she normally does.
“She wasn’t able to do a spread eagle, which we left out,” Retzkin said. “We had to change the program around because of the ankle, so with that said, she really only started training this program three weeks ago, but delicately in the beginning and last week she started getting through it. This week, her training really peaked. I couldn’t be happier.”
Hughes experienced a bit of a scare just prior to the competition when she realized that she forgot her raspberry dress at the hotel.
Retzkin, though, sprinted to the van, raced up the hotel stairs and returned with the dress just five minutes before the start of the event.
Czisny turned in the most electric performance of the day. She landed five clean triples (a sixth was downgraded), and her signature spins and spirals left the crowd in awe. Czisny’s coach, Julie Berlin, erupted with joy after watching her skater land a triple Lutz toward the end of the four-minute free skate.
“I knew then that she had it,” Berlin said.
Both Czisny and Berlin had tears while waiting for their scores in the kiss and cry.
For Czisny, it was her personal-best score by nearly 10 points and redemption of sorts from last year when she placed seventh at the U.S. Championships in St. Louis.
“Last year I had so many competitions before nationals it was really hard,” said Czisny, 19. “This year I just had a couple and I didn’t do the greatest, but it was kind of a warm-up. I went back and worked hard and trained hard and had a lot of time for training. It felt good.”
The crowd, she said, was something special.
“I really wasn’t thinking about it until my last jump and I was like, ‘I’m doing it,’ it’s actually happening,’” Czisny said. “Then I tried to focus on my last jump and after that the whole crowd was lifting me up.”
Berlin called the performance, “the greatest coaching moment in my life.”
Meissner, Hughes and Czisny will represent the U.S. at the World Championships in March.
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