About Me

PSA Rating: Registered Freestyle- Hockey

US Figure Skating Gold Medalist in MIF & Freestyle. Great Britain level 10 in MIF & Freestyle

Two time US national competitor. On the Great Britain national team two years in a row.

Full member of PSA and USFSA

I began skating at the age of 8, which everyone told me was too late to start skating.

As you can see, I didn’t listen!

Just a few months after I began skating, I competed in my first competition. I remember winning a gold medal in the first event and then telling my mom that I wanted to get 2nd place in my other event so I could have a different color medal. I moved to Atlanta in 1998, shortly after I had started skating.

Aren Nielsen and Kaysi

Robin Wagner and Kaysi

I took lessons from two coaches for only a couple of months, before switching to Aren Nielsen, my coach of 8 years over my career. Aren holds multiple US National medals at the novice, junior, and senior levels. He made the world team in 1994. He is also a PSA master rated coach. In the first 6 years I was with Aren, I accomplished making it on the 2002 US Junior National team, where I won the short program and made it on the podium with 4th overall. I also accomplished all of my triple jumps, as well as landing multiple triple, triple combination jumps, all by the age of 14.

In 2005, after just turning 15, my mom, brother, and I moved to Hackensack NJ, for me to train with Robin Wagner, former coach of 2002 Olympic gold medalist, Sarah Hughes. In my first year with Robin, who was at the time, also training 2 time Olympic medalist Sasha Cohen, I made it to the US National Championships at the novice level, where I won the short program and came 6th overall.

My second season with Robin Wagner, I moved up to the Junior level and made it to sectionals with an 8th place finish. In the two years I trained with Robin, I learned an unbelievable amount. It was also very cool training alongside Sasha Cohen!

At the end of 2006, we moved back home to Atlanta. I began training with Aren again, and made it back to sectionals with a 7th place finish. The last two seasons of my career I competed as a senior lady for the United Kingdom, making it on the UK National team both years.  At the end of my 2008 season I decided to fully switch to coaching. I absolutely love coaching and having the opportunity of teaching my students everything I’ve learned over my 10 year skating career.

Skating taught me much more than just how to jump and spin and glide on a 1/8 inch blade across a surface of ice, it taught me from a very young age, the meaning of work ethic. It taught me that nothing worth having is easy, and it also taught me how to appreciate the journey that it takes to reach your goals. I couldn’t be more blessed, for the lessons this sport has taught me!

For the FULL Story and more pictures click on these links:

Article on USFSA after winning the short program at nationals

Pictures of the top four girls.. Kaysi Kitsell, Rachael Flatt, Kirsten Olsen, Caroline Zhang.