WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
sense of responsibility.” Despite the daily commute to
Delaware from home, Meissner at- tended a regular high school. It’s where she made her closest friends, who gave her a sense of normalcy as the hype leading up to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games mounted, and who continue to be there for her, including giving her confi dence to step away from skating in 2009 when she suff ered a serious knee injury. Although she considers herself a naturally competitive person, she said a return to competition is unlikely. In addition to training (she’s worked to get all her triples consistent) and per- forming, this past year Meissner has worked at a physical therapy clinic and begun to do some coaching. “T at’s been really fun, to actu- ally be on the other side of things,” she said. “I have a few little skaters that are super cute and really excited about skating.” Something that gives her great
joy is her role as one of the founders of the Cool Kids Campaign, which endeavors to provide kids with cancer a higher quality of life for themselves and their families while facing the challenges of the disease. Last year, the Baltimore-based organization (
coolkidscampaign.org) opened the Cool Kids Learning Center, designed to help the kids with their academic needs.
“It really is meaningful to me,”
she said. “It’s cool to see the kids in the Learning Center interacting with each other and just happy to have this place. It’s awesome to see it and know we made this happen. “It’s defi nitely a humbling thing
to be a part of. You see it fi rsthand and it puts everything in perspective. It’s defi nitely changed my life.” When asked for her favorite
skating memory, Meissner mentions a competition, but not a competi- tive program. It was the day after the Opening Ceremonies at the Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, and she was the only ladies competitor to show up for practice. Spectators had been patiently waiting all day. “It was my own private Olympic practice with a fi lled stadium,” she re- called. “I had an awesome practice. I walked in and I remember them be- ing so excited. T ey started going crazy as soon as I stepped on the ice. I thought, ‘T is is going to be a good day.’”
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Meissner scores a goal with the Seattle Thunderbirds during a media day for a Disson Skating event.
SKATING 9
PHOTO BY ROBERT DELFIN/SMG
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