Dirke O'Brien Baker was born in Whangarei, New Zealand on August 4, 1983. At the age of four, she and her family left New Zealand for the United States. She currently lives in Maryland and trains in Delaware but would one day like to live in her favorite city, New York City.

Baker began skating at age five at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland. She now trains at the Fred Rust Arena and previously competed for the University of Delaware FSC. She trains with Jeff DiGregorio and Tracy Poletis. Her choreographer is Jeri Campbell.

Baker orginally skated for the United States, finishing 4th at the 2000 US Nationals in Junior Ladies. Later that season, she changed countries and began to skate for her native New Zealand, finishing 21st at the 2000 Junior Worlds.

Off the ice, she enjoys shopping, watching movies and going online. Her favorite skaters are Kurt Browning and Michelle Kwan. Her long term goal is to compete at the Olympics for New Zealand.

Competitive Record 2001 World Championships (Canada) - 41st 2001 Four Continents Championships (United States) - 19th 2000 Trophee Lalique - 12th 2001 NZ National Championships - 1st 2000 Junior World Championships (Germany) - 21st 2000 U.S. Championships-Junior - 4th 2000 Eastern Sectional-Junior - 1st

Links Spotlight on Dirke O'Brien Baker Figure Skating Corner Photo Gallery/Biography Internation Skating Union Biography

Biography written by Anna; April 2001. Photograph courtesy Dirke O'Brien Baker.
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