Kimmie Meissner: Road to Redemption & A Year of Comebacks

For all of those cheering for Kimmie’s great comeback, you can see all of the impressive steps she is taking as a mature and serious competitor. She has a string of amazing accomplishments including becoming the 2006 Ladies World Figure Skating Champion, the 2007 Ladies U.S. National Champion, and the 2007 Four Continents Champion(she is the first American and the first lady to simultaneously hold the World, Four Continents, and National titles), becoming the second American woman to land a Triple Axel in national competition in 2005 and securing a spot on the 2006 U.S. Olympic team(also being the youngest American athlete to compete at those Winter Games). She finished 6th at the Olympics in February 2006 and won the World Championships the following month. To top that off, she’s the co-founder and spokesperson for Cool Kids Campaign (www.coolkidscampaign.org/), a non-profit organization helping children facing cancer. Quite a lot to accomplish at the age of 19. Did I mention Kimmie is the seventh-youngest ladies World Champion in history?
Meissner has had a rough spell with getting into a groove recently, with routines seeming mechanical, injuries and her center of gravity changing as she’s gone from Kimmie the kid to Kimmie the woman.
With all this said she’s taking serious steps in her road to redemption…Redemption doesn’t even feel like the right word. Everyone I’ve ever talked to in the figure skating world loves Kimmie Meissner and is hopeful she will reclaim what is rightfully hers…There I said it ladies and gentlemen. I want Meissner to win the Gold in Vancouver! Nay, I demand it! You can give your words of support directly by following Kimmie on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/kimmiemeissner)

What’s her arsenal you might ask? Well, besides a wicked roundhouse kick (word on the street is she nearly took of Todd Eldrege’s head the other week when he jovially slapped her sun-burned back) Kimmie made a major change of location and coaching after the 2008 US Championships moving to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and working with Richard Callaghan and Todd Eldredge (1996 World Champion and a six-time national champion) She’s now added a new choreographer who, with a quintessentially warm grandfatherly smile makes clear he has no background is skating…What?! Maybe this mysterious Hungarian is exactly the type of person required to shake things up a bit. Who is this new member of Team-Meissner? The man travels the U.S. in a heap of a Jeep pushing a quarter million miles (bungee-corded tarp for a roof and all) and keeps his clothing in a waterproof box. He sounds like a troubadour or a dancing Hungarian version of James Bond. Mysterious, well-spoken and hard to find any information about through google. Gyula Pandi is a ballet icon. And for those who forget their geography Hungary is the quaint nation crammed right in the center of Poland, Ukraine, Romania and Austria to name of few of its physical borders, the birthplace of Harry Houdini and home of yet another European tri-colored flag (The region’s lack of insignia originality is slightly discouraging, but the goulash is to die for!). Pandi was a trainer and performer with the Hungarian National Ballet, but retired in 2003 and besides training Kimmie is a sought after guest ballet instructor. See the entire Baltimore Sun article on Kimmie and Mr. Pandi with video (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/olympics/bal-sp.meissner21jun21,0,2593031.story)

Along with Meissner’s note-worthy comeback, a few other notable skaters are lacing up with Olympic Gold in mind including Sasha Cohen and potentially Michelle Kwan who’s first public appearance on the ice is scheduled to be August 14-16 for her friend and fellow skater Kim Yu-Na’s skating special in Seoul South Korea. Not to be confused with the Super Class '09 on Ice show August 1-2, 2009 at the Jamsil Student Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea. This show will feature reigning World Champion Evan Lysacek, former World Champion Jeffrey Buttle & more!