Lisa Dannemiller was born on March 19, 1987, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She began skating at the age of four and "went to open skate with my mom, and I absolutely hated it! But I tried it again. The second time I went with my aunt and I loved it." 2003 marked the fifth consecutive season that she has competed at the national level -- she won the Intermediate National Championship in 2000 and the Novice bronze medal in 2002.

In late June of 2003, Dannemiller moved with her mother to Colorado Springs, CO, where she is coached by Diana Ronayne and Hoon Kim and her choreographers are Tom Dickson and Catarina Lindgren. She plans to compete again as a Junior in the 2003-04 season. Dannemiller was coached in Ann Arbor, MI, from the ages of 9 to 15, by Joe Mero. For five years, she was a proud member of the Ann Arbor Hockettes synchronized skating team, which, in 2003, placed 4th at a junior international competition in Prague, Czech Republic, and 4th at Junior Nationals.

Dannemiller aspires to win the gold medal at Senior U.S. Nationals, as well as an Olympic medal and "to keep skating for as long as I am still enjoying the sport." Her favorite spin is the layback spin. Her least favorite jump is the triple loop. She admires Michelle Kwan, Todd Eldredge and Alexei Yagudin. The 5'3" teen says of skating: "I love the way you feel when you are flying across the ice in a spiral or just gliding. I absolutely love spinning. I love the way you feel after you have just landed a jump clean for the first time. I love the way skating is such a graceful, beautiful sport."

Competitive Record 2003 U.S. Championships-Junior - 12th 2003 Midwestern Sectional-Junior - 3rd 2003 Eastern Great Lakes Regional-Junior - 1st 2002 North American Challenge Skate (Thunder Bay)-Junior - 7th 2002 U.S. Championships-Novice - 3rd 2002 Midwestern Sectional-Novice - 3rd 2002 Eastern Great Lakes Regional-Novice - 1st 2001 North American Challenge Skate (Chicago)-Novice - 1st 2001 U.S. Championships-Novice - 14th 2001 Eastern Great Lakes Regional-Novice - 1st 2000 North American Challenge Skate (Lake Placid)-Novice - 5th 2000 U.S. Junior Championships-Intermediate - 1st 2000 Eastern Great Lakes Regional-Intermediate - 2nd 1999 Junior Olympics-Juvenile - 6th 1999 Eastern Great Lakes Regional-Juvenile - 1st

Links Spotlight on Lisa Dannemiller

Biography written by Sylvia; June 2003. Photograph copyright © Peter Draugalis, courtesy Lisa Dannemiller.
Skate photograph copyright © Dave Amorde. Unless otherwise noted, all content Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.