Alissa Czisny
Alissa Czisny | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Czisny at the 2010 Skate Canada International. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Full name | Alissa Czisny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Sylvania, Ohio | June 25, 1987|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hometown | Bowling Green, Ohio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Figure skating career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coach | Yuka Sato Jason Dungjen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Skating club | Detroit SC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Began skating | 1989 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Alissa Czisny (born June 25, 1987) is an American figure skater. She is the 2010–2011 Grand Prix Final champion, two-time (2009, 2011) U.S. national champion, the 2007 bronze medalist, and two-time (2005, 2010) Skate Canada champion.
Career
Czisny began skating at age 1½ when she and her sister Amber accompanied their mother to the ice skating rink because they didn't want to stay at home with the babysitter.
Czisny first gained international attention in 2005 when she won the gold medal at the 2005 Skate Canada International[5] and silver at the 2005 Skate America. She qualified for the 2005–2006 Grand Prix Final and placed sixth. She went on to the 2006 U.S. Championships in St. Louis, where she finished seventh overall.
Czisny began the 2006–07 season at the 2006 Skate Canada International where she placed fourth. She also competed at the 2006 Cup of Russia in November. At the 2007 U.S. Championships she was in fifth after the short program, but went on to win the free skate to win the bronze medal and the final U.S. spot to the 2007 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. At the World Championships, she finished 15th.
Czisny finished third at the 2008 Skate Canada International in the 2008–09 Grand Prix series behind Joannie Rochette and Fumie Suguri.[6] At the 2009 U.S. Championships, she won the short program by over five points.[7] She finished third in the long program but won the gold medal due to her lead from the short.[8] Czisny won her first national title, ahead of Rachael Flatt and Caroline Zhang.[9] She earned her second trip to the Four Continents and the World Championships, in which she finished ninth and eleventh, respectively.
In the 2009–10 Grand Prix season, Czisny placed fourth at the 2009 Rostelecom Cup and won the silver medal at the 2009 Skate Canada International. Her short program score of 63.52 was the fourth highest of this ISU Grand Prix season, only surpassed by Yu-Na Kim (two scores) and Joannie Rochette. Czisny placed tenth at the 2010 U.S. Championships; as a result, she did not make the Olympic team and financial support to help cover her mid-five-figure training expenses was cut.[10] She also found out her sister had cancer (in remission as of 2011).[10] Czisny considered retiring but her mentors Brian Boitano and Linda Leaver encouraged her to continue.[11][12]
In February 2010, she left coach Julianne Berlin, who had coached her for twelve years.[13] In May, she said she would remain at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with new coaches Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen.[14] She reworked her jump technique with the help of her new coaches,[15][16] who also helped her with her mental approach.[10] She noted, "I finally realized that my results in skating didn't define who I am as a person."[17]
Czisny began the 2010–11 season by winning the 2010 Skate Canada International,[18] her first gold medal on the Grand Prix series since winning 2005 Skate Canada. She also won Midwestern Sectionals, qualifying her to compete at US Nationals in 2011. She won bronze at her second Grand Prix event, 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard, which combined with her Skate Canada result qualified her for the Grand Prix Final.
At the 2010–2011 Grand Prix Final, Czisny won the short program with 63.76 points and placed third in the long program with a new personal best of 116.99 points. She won her first Grand Prix Final title with a new personal best combined total of 180.75 points. At the 2011 U.S. Championships, Czisny placed second in the short program with 62.50,[19] and then placed first in the free skate with 128.74, giving her a combined total of 191.24 to win the gold.[20] She thus won her second national gold medal,[21] finishing 7.86 points ahead of the defending champion Rachael Flatt.[11] It was the first time since Michelle Kwan's ninth win in 2005 that a ladies' single skater won more than one U.S. national title.[20] She placed fifth at the 2011 World Championships, her best ever result at the event.
Skating technique
Unlike most skaters, Czisny spins and jumps clockwise. She is known for her excellent spins.[22] She said, "When I was younger, my sister and I always practiced our spins together. We would spin for hours, seeing who could hold their spin longer and/or who could spin faster. We also tried to come up with as many variations as possible."[23]
Personal life
Czisny has taken ballet lessons from a young age to improve her flexibility and strength.[23] Her fraternal twin sister, Amber, was also a figure skater who retired due to injuries and became a coach and choreographer.[23]
Czisny is a summa cum laude graduate of Bowling Green State University where she was on a full academic scholarship and majored in international studies, French and Russian.[22] She took online classes due to her skating.[23] She also wants to learn Japanese.[22] She was one of four up-and-coming figure skaters featured on the 2006 TLC series, Ice Diaries. Czisny is a vegetarian[24] and a Christian.[23] In 2011, she made a brief appearance in a Super Bowl commercial for Chrysler and Detroit, and then starred in Chrysler's Perseverance video.[25]
Programs
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Alissa_Czisny_Spiral_2008_Skate_Canada.jpg/220px-Alissa_Czisny_Spiral_2008_Skate_Canada.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/2011_Four_Continents_Alissa_CZISNY_3.jpg/220px-2011_Four_Continents_Alissa_CZISNY_3.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Stars_on_Ice_2010_in_Manchester_%2817%29.jpg/220px-Stars_on_Ice_2010_in_Manchester_%2817%29.jpg)
Competitive highlights
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Skate_Canada_2010_%E2%80%93_Ladies.jpg/220px-Skate_Canada_2010_%E2%80%93_Ladies.jpg)
Post-2004 Results
Event | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
World Championships | 15th | 11th | 5th | |||||
Four Continents Championships | 5th | 9th | 5th | |||||
World Junior Championships | 6th | 6th | ||||||
U.S. Championships | 7th | 7th | 3rd | 9th | 1st | 10th | 1st | |
U.S. Collegiate Championships | 1st | 1st | ||||||
Grand Prix Final | 6th | 1st | ||||||
Trophée Eric Bompard | 3rd | TBD | ||||||
Skate Canada | 1st | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | |||
Cup of Russia | 9th | 4th | 4th | |||||
NHK Trophy | 6th | |||||||
Cup of China | 9th | |||||||
Skate America | 4th | 2nd | TBD | |||||
Ondrej Nepela Memorial | 2nd | |||||||
Nebelhorn Trophy | 4th | 1st | 1st | |||||
Midwestern Sectionals | 2nd | 1st | ||||||
Eastern Great Lakes Regionals | 1st | 1st |
Pre-2004 Results
Event | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. Championships | 2nd J. | 11th | 10th | 12th | ||||
Junior Grand Prix Final | 5th | |||||||
Junior Grand Prix, Bulgaria | 5th | |||||||
Junior Grand Prix, Slovakia | 2nd | |||||||
Junior Grand Prix, France | 2nd | |||||||
Gardena Spring Trophy | 1st | |||||||
Triglav Trophy | 1st J. | |||||||
Midwestern Sectionals | 5th I. | 9th J. | 1st J. | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | ||
Eastern Great Lakes Regionals | 4th Ju. | 1st I. | 10th N. | 3rd J. | 1st J. | 2nd | 1st |
- Ju = Juvenile level; I = Intermediate level; N = Novice level; J = Junior level
References
- ^ "ISU World Standings for Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance : Ladies". International Skating Union. June 16, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2011 2011.
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(help) - ^ "ISU Judging System – Season Bests Total Scores 2010/2011 : Ladies". International Skating Union. April 30, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ "ISU Judging System – Season Bests Total Scores 2009/2010 : Ladies". International Skating Union. March 27, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ "ISU Judging System – Season Bests Total Scores 2008/2009 : Ladies". International Skating Union. April 18, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ "Czisny has golden performance at Skate Canada". Associated Press. usatoday.com. October 29, 2005. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
- ^ "Skate Canada: Joannie Rochette, Patrick Chan Delight Home Fans." The Seattle Times. November 2, 2008. Accessed on November 3, 2008.
- ^ Walker, Elvin (January 22, 2009). "Czisny leads at US Nationals". GoldenSkate. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
- ^ Walker, Elvin (January 24, 2009). "Czisny captures ladies US title". GoldenSkate. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
- ^ Macur, Juliet (June 13, 2011). "Czisny Not Perfect, but Strong Enough to Win Title". New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
- ^ a b c Gerstner, Joanne C. (March 26, 2011). "It Isn't Over Until She Says". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ a b Macur, Juliet (January 30, 2011). "Czisny's Return Ends in Skating Title". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
- ^ Hersh, Philip (April 19, 2011). "Czisny figures it's better late than never for Worlds". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
- ^ "2009 U.S. Champion Alissa Czisny Splits from Longtime Coach". U.S. Figure Skating. February 10, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- ^ "U.S. Figure Skaters Announce Off-season Changes". U.S. Figure Skating. May 7, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- ^ Blanchard, Jamie M. (October 29, 2010). "'Fresh start' for Czisny after personal disappointment". FigureSkaters.com. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- ^ Barnas, Jo-Ann (October 29, 2010). "Alissa Czisny twirls in new direction at Detroit Skating Club". freep.com. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- ^ Walker, Elvin (May 26, 2011). "Alissa Czisny Finds Her Competitive Spirit". IFS Magazine. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
- ^ DiManno, Rosie (October 30, 2010). "American Alissa Czisny wins Skate Canada". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
- ^ Walker, Elvin (January 28, 2011). "No clear cut leader after ladies short". Golden Skate. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
- ^ a b Walker, Elvin (January 30, 2011). "Czisny dazzles; captures second title". Golden Skate. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
- ^ Macur, Juliet (January 29, 2011). "Czisny Glides Effortlessly to Her Second U.S. Title". New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ a b c Golinsky, Reut (December 18, 2010). "Alissa Czisny: A Skater Renewed: Part II". AbsoluteSkating.com. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Interview with Alissa Czisny". Golden Skate. April 22, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
- ^ "Five favorite things with Alissa Czisny". IceNetwork.com. November 15, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
- ^ "Czisny Featured in Chrysler's 'Imported from Detroit' Campaign". U.S. Figure Skating. April 11, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
- Alissa Czisny at U.S. Figure Skating (archived)
- Alissa Czisny at the International Skating Union
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)