Jan. 24, 2008 - Reigning US champion Kimmie Meissner will defend her crown this week in St. Paul at the US Figure Skating Championships.

Top level competition began on Wednesday with compulsory dance and pairs short routines while the women’s short program and original dance are slated for today. Pairs, dance and women’s finals are Saturday.

Meissner and 14-year-old Caroline Zhang are favored in a women’s event lacking 2007 runner-up Emily Hughes due to a hip injury. She was fourth at Skate America and Skate Canada and seventh at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Meissner, 18, won the 2006 world title but figures to be tested by a host of young rivals, including Zhang; Mirai Nagasu, 14; Ashley Wagner, 16, and Rachael Flatt, 15.

Zhang won last year’s world junior crown with Nagasu and Wagner also sharing the podium in a US sweep that served notice of a new generation to follow in the skatemarks of legend Michelle Kwan with the 2010 Games approaching.
 

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Colorado Springs, Colo. (Jan. 3, 2008) – National Skating month kicked off Jan. 1, with U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey and US Speedskating joining forces to promote all forms of skating. Nearly 300 skating clubs across the United States are participating and offering free lessons.

Olympians Kimmie Meissner (U.S. Figure Skating) and Scott Gomez (USA Hockey) and three-time Olympic medalist Chad Hedrick (US Speedskating) are encouraging those who have never tried ice skating to take advantage of the free lessons being offered by participating ice skating rinks.

“The great thing about National Skating Month is that families can go to any participating rink for free lessons and all sorts of other fun events,” said Meissner, the reigning U.S. champion and 2006 World champion. “It’s a sport and a pastime for people of all ages, and I encourage everyone to visit their local rinks to see how they can get involved in this wonderful activity.”

(more…)

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TORINO, ITALY, Dec. 15, 2007 - Yu-Na Kim won the ladies competition by five points, although she was only second in the free program. She had high scoring elements and easy-looking jumps with an elegant landing phase, which are deliciously placed between her exquisite choreography and transition moves. She flowed and flew over the ice like a feather.

Her first element in the long program to music of “Miss Saigon,” a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, got nine +2s and one +3. Her only mistake was when she fell on the loop. But later, she added four good triple jumps and very good spins.

Read full story at ICE

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MOSCOW, Russia - Nov. 25, 2007 - Yu-Na Kim didn’t face much opposition when 2007 continued with the Cup of Russia in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 23-25, at the Khondynka Ice Palace. The Korean won with an almost perfect performance that featured a beautiful triple flip-triple toe and five more triples. She also performed excellent spins. Kim even set a new record with 133.70 points in the free skate, slightly surpassing the mark set by Mao Asada at the 2007 World Championships. There, Asada had earned 133.13 points. (more…)

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(11/7/07) - U.S. Figure Skating and NBC announced the expansion of coverage for the 2008 U.S. Championships Skating Spectacular. The exhibition, previously slated to be a one-hour show, will now be shown from 4-6 p.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008. (more…)

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Who are the ladies who have actually landed a triple axel in competition? Many have tried, few have been successful.

Midori Ito, Tonya Harding, Kimmie Meisner, and Mao Asada jump to mind. Also Ludmila Nelidina (RUS) and Yukari Nakano (JPN) both at 2002 Skate America.

Skating greats like Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, Tara Lipinski and others have attempted the triple axel in practice but none were able to successfully work it into their competitive programs. The real trick is landing the jump while maintaining artistic integrity. Check out the videos and try to guess who will be next?

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Sasha Cohen may not have won an Olympic gold medal but she’s won the hearts of millions of fans. Her success on the ice combined with her popularity off it makes her one of the most sought after skaters. She was among the finalists for the 2004 Teen People Award and she has joined the U.S. Figure Skating Association to help promote her sport. (more…)

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Sept 19, 2006 (9/19/06) - The International Skating Union (ISU) announced today the selection of U.S. Figure Skating and the city of Los Angeles, Calif., as the hosts for the 2009 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The competition will be hosted by U.S. Figure Skating in partnership with AEG and will take place March 23-29, 2009, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. (more…)

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March 25 2006 Kimmie Meissner won the ladies World title at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Canada. She shattered her personal best score by landing seven triple jumps, including two triple-triple combinations. Teammate Sasha Cohen won the bronze medal, while Japan’s Fumie Suguri collected silver. (more…)

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