US figure skating has posted a
great article on 2006 World Champion Kimmie Meissner. Kimmie was one of the first skaters to catch my eye in figure skating at the Torino Olympics. She had the freshest quality and really epitimised the joy of competing at the olypmics and representing your country. She wasn't worried about pressure or medals - just happy to be there
Within a few months she went from a relative unknown to world champion. She used her new-found fame to raise awareness of paediatric cancer by helping to found the
'Cool Kids Campaign'. The charity, for which Kimmie still actively involved has initiatives to improve day-to-day lives of children and their families.
Sadly Kimmie found that if getting to the top was hard, staying there would be even harder, battling injuries, rule changes, the rising force of Kim and Asada and her own self confidence was not easy and she slipped off the radar as Vancouver 2010 loomed.
In this article Kimmie speaks about the injury which kept her from trying for a place on the 2010 Olympic team:
At 20 years-old, Meissner had finally gotten her triple axel back.
For the approaching season, she was assigned to the 2009 Rostelecom Cup and 2009 NHK Trophy, both leading up to 2010 Nationals and a shot at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. A triple axel, executed properly in competition, was sure to come in handy.
“I did one last one (in practice) and I was up in the air and a little girl skated right where I was gonna land so I bailed out of the jump, which is the number one skating rule not to do, so I just came down on my knee,” Meissner said.
She then made one of the worst mistakes of her career.
“I did what you’re never supposed to do and I didn’t tell anyone about it and I just let it get really bad,” Meissner explained.
“I look back and I’m just like, ‘Why didn’t I say something right in the beginning?’ The physical therapist side of me is like, ‘That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life,’ but the athlete part of me was like, ‘I usually get hurt, but if I push through it, it’ll go away.’”
Meissner had to withdraw from the two events due to an injury to her right knee. Without the Grand Prix events, she would not receive a bye to Nationals and it was too late for her to register for Regionals and to qualify that way.
Less than four years before, she was crowned world champion and looked like a top contender for a medal in Vancouver – and now she would not even have the chance to try to make the Olympic team.
Meissner still watched every second of figure skating coverage from the Vancouver Games as she cheered on her friends and former competitors.
“It’s fun to watch because I know everyone who’s there,” Meissner said. “Especially some of the younger skaters – they were so good. It was like, ‘Oh that was me in 2006.’”
Kimmie is stilll trying to balance training with finishing her degree at the University of Delaware. As unlikely and difficult as it may be, she hasn't ruled out a return to competitive skating. I for one would cheer her on if she were to make a comeback.
