Cara Kinney, 14, skates for the Indiana/World Skating Academy in Indianapolis, Indiana. Pieter Kollen is her coach and Kelley Morris-Adair choreographs her programs. Kinney won the pewter (4th place) medal in Novice Ladies at the 2004 U.S. Championships in January. She finished 4th at both the 2004 Eastern Great Lakes Regional and Midwestern Sectional. Kinney will represent the U.S. at the Triglav Trophy, April 14-18, 2004, in Jesenice, Slovenia, where she is entered in the Novice Ladies event.

When and how did you begin skating?
I began skating when I was four years old. A close friend of my parents suggested that I might like it because I had a tendency to climb on furniture. My mom took me to a local rink where I began taking group lessons in Tiny Tots. From there I took private lessons and eventually trained at I/WSA.

What are your long-term goals on and off the ice?
My long-term skating goal is to make it to Nationals as a senior skater and hopefully stand on the podium. Off the ice, I would like to graduate from college and major in neurology.

What are your goals for the coming season (2004-2005?)
My goals for the season are to continue to add jumps to my skating, compete in summer competitions, and gain more experience by competing internationally with the U.S. team. I would like to make it out of Regionals/Sectionals and compete at 2005 Nationals, but since I am moving up to Junior, we have decided to take the year in stride and see where it goes.

Will you reveal what music you'll be using next season? My short program music is "Memories" from the Broadway musical, Cats. My long program is a mix of music from Giovanni (I'm not sure which particular pieces).

Who has had the greatest influence on your skating?
The people with the greatest influence on my skating are my parents and coaches at the rink. My parents support everything I do and are always there if things don't go as planned. My coaches (Mr. Kollen and Kelley) are influences in my skating as well because they help me with my elements and understand when I'm having a bad day.

Who is your favorite skater and why?
My favorite skater is Michelle Kwan because she is an awesome skater and can always put out during competitions. She also seems like a very down to earth and humble person.

What's your favorite jump, spin and connecting move?
My favorite jump is the double axel. My favorite spin is the flying camel, and my favorite connecting move is a twizzle.

What do you feel are the strongest and weakest aspects of your skating?
I feel like the strongest aspects of my skating are my presentation and the jumps that I do have. But I feel that my weakest part in skating is my lack of [triple] jumps... which I am hoping to improve on this year.

Describe and evaluate your programs and Regionals, Sectionals and Nationals. What do you think of your performances?
My program at Regionals was like I had been practicing it all season. I went out and competed like I had at other competitions in the past, and everything went just like I had planned. My performance at Sectionals was basically the same as Regionals, with the exception of falling out of a double salchow near the end of the program. I was surprised to have finished in the top four, because I felt my chances of placing were slim to none when I first arrived at Sectionals. Nationals had the same feeling as any other competition which truly surprised me. I was expecting to be much more nervous, but I went out and did my program just as I had in previous competitions except I added a triple salchow to both the short and the long programs.

Describe your experience at Nationals. What was it like to win the pewter medal?
At Nationals, I had changed a few jumps in my program. I added a jump combination to the beginning of my program consisting of a double axel-double toe-double loop. My coaches and I were trying to decide if I should try the triple sal in the programs, even though I had never attempted one in competition. I put one in both the short and long and landed them both. I was extremely happy and didn't care where I placed since I had started the season not expecting much. [Editor's note: Kinney had lost a lot of training time due to injury between the end of 2002 and the beginning of 2003.] Everyone who was there supporting me (close friends from the rink, my parents, and my relatives) were extremely happy when the results came up, and everything has escalated from there.

What are some of your off ice hobbies?
When I am not on the ice or doing homework I like to play golf and swim. In the winter I like to read murder mystery books and hang out with my friends.

What is your current school arrangement?
I am in the eighth grade at Noblesville Middle School. I attend all the core classes including Geometry, History, English, and Science. I go into school at the beginning of fourth period, which allows me time to skate in the mornings before school. We are currently trying to work out a schedule for next year when I enter the high school.

Why do you love to skate?
I love skating because it is a challenge. It makes you work hard to earn the rewards... which are great once you get to them. I also like meeting different people at the competitions. Skating is a different world altogether, and the people are totally different from the ones you meet in school.