Exhibition may be Meissner’s last at UD

Posted on Monday, March 3rd, 2008 at 12:15 am

The skating exhibition didn’t count, so Kimmie Meissner didn’t have to worry about turning in another mistake-filled program.

But it had to be unnerving for the 2006 world champion after the World Figure Skating Send-Off Exhibition at the University of Delaware’s Rust Ice Arena on Saturday, with the World Figure Skating Championships fewer than three weeks away.

Meissner fell once on a triple jump, then pulled out of another during her exhibition skate, which was done to the music of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

Meissner fell on another triple at the end of the exhibition, when each skater came out for a final round of applause

This was Meissner’s first skating appearance in Delaware since announcing last month she was leaving UD and her coach, Pam Gregory, to train with Richard Callaghan in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

She said at the time the move was just through the World Championships, although she didn’t rule out the possibility that she would leave UD for good.

Meissner didn’t want to comment after the exhibition. But it was clear that an arena filled with fans was there in part to welcome back Meissner. She is expected to return to Florida in the coming days to continue her training for the World Championships, held March 17-23 at Gothenburg, Sweden.

So, everyone was left to continue wondering if Meissner will return to UD.

“I don’t know,” said Ron Ludington, the director of the figure skating program at UD. “I guess a lot depends on what happens from this point on. We talked about it when she left, and she said it was a temporary thing through the Worlds. So, we’ll see.”

Ludington said Meissner did skate “beautifully” during a film session Saturday morning, to be shown at this summer’s Olympics.

“The thing I want to see is for her to put it all together,” Ludington said.

Meissner finished sixth out of six skaters in the Grand Prix Finals in December, falling three times during her long program. In the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January, Meissner again fell three times during her long program and finished seventh.

Ludington, a bronze medalist pairs skater in the 1960 Olympics, said he understands what Meissner is going through.

“When you’re at the top, there’s only one place to go, and that’s down,” he said. “Everyone is gunning for you, and everyone is trying to take away your title. You have to work extra hard to stay there.”

That’s why Meissner is training in Florida. The question remains whether she’s going to stay there.

From Delaware Online