Katy Taylor

Katy Lynn Taylor (born October 22, 1989) is an American former competitive figure skater.

In 2001, Taylor competed on the juvenile level at the U.S. Junior National Championships, which are the national championships for skaters at the juvenile and intermediate level.

She finished third.

The next year Taylor competed on the intermediate level and finished tenth.

In the 2002–2003 season, she moved up to the novice level and qualified for the 2003 U.S. Figure Skating Championships by finishing second at Southwestern Regionals and second at the Midwestern Sectional Figure Skating Championships.

At the National Championships, Taylor finished second behind gold medalist Kimmie Meissner.

Taylor was then named to the team for the Triglav Trophy, where she won the silver medal on the novice level.

During the 2003–2004 season, Taylor moved up to the junior level.

She won a silver medal at her first Junior Grand Prix event in Bratislava, Slovakia.

In her next Junior Grand Prix event in Japan, she finished fourth.

On the national level, Taylor qualified for the 2004 United States Figure Skating Championships by winning the Midwestern Sectional Championships on the junior level.

At the National Championships, she finished second to Meissner once again, although she did win the short program.

(Chron-Barron2004; Interview) After the event, Taylor was named to the team for the 2004 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

She won the bronze medal, finishing behind Japan’s Miki Ando and Kimmie Meissner.

During the 2004–2005 season, Taylor competed on the Junior Grand Prix once again.

She finished third at the events in Budapest, Hungary, and Chemnitz, Germany, but did not qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final.

(Houston Chron 2004) She moved up to the senior level nationally and qualified for the 2005 United States Figure Skating Championships after finishing first at Midwestern Sectionals.

At the National Championships, she finished sixth in the short program after hitting all her elements.

She ended the competition in ninth place after popping a triple Lutz and falling on a triple Salchow.

In the fall of 2005, Taylor competed on the Junior Grand Prix again.

She finished fourth at the event in Slovakia and second at the event in Bulgaria.

Taylor originally was named as an alternate to the Junior Grand Prix Final but later received a last-minute call to the competition in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

She is the 2006 Four Continents Champion and 2004 Junior World bronze medalist.

She was an alternate to the 2006 Winter Olympic team after finishing fourth at the 2006 United States Figure Skating Championships.

Taylor was born in Houston, Texas, to Keith and Tammy Taylor.

Her father owns and operates a wholesale floral business.

She has one older brother, Brennan.

As a child, she participated in a number of activities, including gymnastics, T-ball, soccer, ballet, and tennis.

When she was four years old, Taylor told her parents she wanted to be a "pretty famous ice skater."

She attended Mayde Creek Junior High School and Mayde Creek High School.

While in school, Taylor was a member of the National Honor Society and the student council and won the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence.

(Chron 2006) She received the call after competing and winning the Sectionals competition in Denver, Colorado, all while suffering from a cold and sinus infection.

Taylor, her coach, and her mother spent 26 hours traveling from Houston to Ostrava and arrived at 7:30 p.m. the day before the event.

She placed fourth at the competition, only 3.5 points away from the bronze medal.

Taylor was also a member of the 2007 State Farm/U.S. Figure Skating Scholastic Honors Team.

She graduated from high school in 2008.

She was considering attending the University of Texas at Austin or another college in Texas, but decided to stay in her hometown and attend the University of Houston.

Taylor began skating one week before her sixth birthday.

When she was eight, she began taking individual lessons with coach Jana Conter.

She landed her first triple, a triple loop, when she was 10.