# Alissa Czisny

Alissa Czisny (born June 25, 1987) is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2010 Grand Prix Final champion, a two-time Skate Canada champion (2005, 2010), the 2011 Skate America champion, and a two-time U.S. national champion (2009, 2011). She is also the 2019 and the 2021 U.S. Professional Open Grand Champion.

## Personal life

Alissa Czisny was born together with a fraternal twin sister, Amber, on June 25, 1987, in Sylvania, Ohio. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Bowling Green State University where she was on a full academic scholarship while also competing at the international level and majored in international studies. She took some of her classes online due to her skating, training, and traveling schedule. Czisny is a vegetarian. She took ballet lessons from a young age to improve her flexibility and strength.
In August 2022, Czisny married Canadian figure skater Kurt Browning.

## Career
### Early career

Czisny began skating at age 1½ when she and her sister, Amber, accompanied their mother to the ice skating rink because they did not want to stay at home with the babysitter. Czisny started skating in Bowling Green, Ohio, where Shelly Bressler was Czisny's first skating coach. Julianne Berlin became her coach in 1998. Czisny's first national medal came in 2001 where she finished 2nd in the junior event
Czisny finished 4th in her Grand Prix debut at 2004 Skate America, to which she was invited after Michelle Kwan withdrew.

### 2005–06 season

Czisny first gained international attention when she won the gold medal at the 2005 Skate Canada International and silver at the 2005 Skate America where she received a standing ovation for her free program. She qualified for the 2005–06 Grand Prix Final and placed sixth. Czisny went on to the 2006 U.S. Championships in St. Louis, where she finished seventh overall. She was one of four figure skaters featured on the 2006 TLC series, Ice Diaries.

### 2006–07 season

Czisny began the season at the 2006 Skate Canada International where she placed fourth. She also competed at the 2006 Cup of Russia in November. At the 2007 U.S. Championships she was in fifth after the short program, but went on to win the free skate to win the bronze medal and the final U.S. spot to the 2007 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. At the World Championships, she finished 15th.

### 2008–09 season

Czisny finished third at the 2008 Skate Canada International in the 2008–09 Grand Prix series behind Joannie Rochette and Fumie Suguri. At the 2009 U.S. Championships, she won the short program by over five points. She finished third in the long program but won the gold medal due to her lead from the short. Czisny won her first national title, ahead of Rachael Flatt and Caroline Zhang. She earned her second trip to the Four Continents and the World Championships, in which she finished ninth and eleventh, respectively.

### 2009–10 season

In the 2009–10 Grand Prix season, Czisny placed fourth at the 2009 Rostelecom Cup and won the silver medal at the 2009 Skate Canada International. Her short program score of 63.52 was the fourth highest of this ISU Grand Prix season, only surpassed by Yuna Kim (two scores) and Joannie Rochette. Czisny placed tenth at the 2010 U.S. Championships; as a result, she did not make the Olympic team and financial support to help cover her mid-five-figure training expenses was cut. She also found out her sister had cancer (in remission as of 2011). Czisny considered retiring but her mentors Brian Boitano and Linda Leaver encouraged her to continue.
In February 2010, she left coach Julianne Berlin, who had coached her for twelve years. In May, she said she would remain at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with new coaches Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen. She reworked her jump technique with the help of her new coaches, who also helped her with her mental approach. She noted, "I finally realized that my results in skating didn't define who I am as a person."

### 2010–11 season

Czisny began the 2010–11 season by winning the 2010 Skate Canada International, her first gold medal on the Grand Prix series since winning 2005 Skate Canada. She also won Midwestern Sectionals, qualifying her to compete at US Nationals in 2011. She won bronze at her second Grand Prix event, 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard, which combined with her Skate Canada result qualified her for the Grand Prix Final.
At the 2010–11 Grand Prix Final, Czisny won the short program with 63.76 points and placed third in the long program with a new personal best of 116.99 points. She won her first Grand Prix Final title with a new personal best combined total of 180.75 points. At the 2011 U.S. Championships, Czisny placed second in the short program with 62.50, and then placed first in the free skate with 128.74, giving her a combined total of 191.24 to win the gold. She thus won her second national gold medal, finishing 7.86 points ahead of the defending champion Rachael Flatt. It was the first time since Michelle Kwan's ninth win in 2005 that a ladies' single skater won more than one U.S. national title. She placed fifth at the 2011 World Championships, her best ever result at the event. During the off-season, she skated in a number of shows. In 2011, she also made a brief appearance in a Super Bowl commercial for Chrysler and Detroit and starred in Chrysler's Perseverance video.

### 2011–12 season

In the 2011–12 season, Czisny was assigned to 2011 Skate America and 2011 Trophée Eric Bompard as her Grand Prix events. She won the gold medal at Skate America and bronze at Trophee Bompard. She was first in the free program at Bompard with 121.90 points, setting a new personal best international free skate score. Czisny qualified for the Grand Prix Final. She sustained a calf injury during a practice session on December 8, explaining "it was the way I picked on a flip jump." After team doctors determined that she would not make the injury worse, Czisny went on to compete and finished 5th at the event. She won the silver medal at the 2012 U.S. Championships. After the 2012 Challenge Cup, where she took bronze, she decided not to include the double axel-triple toe combination in her program at Worlds. Falling twice in the short program and five times in the free skate, she placed 22nd overall at the 2012 World Championships.
Czisny was invited to the World Team Trophy but her coach Jason Dungjen declined and Gracie Gold was selected instead. In May 2012, an MRI revealed that Czisny had a torn labrum in her left hip. Czisny said she would not have competed at Worlds if she had known she was injured. After undergoing surgery on June 6, 2012, in Nashville, she began physical therapy the next day and after a month no longer needed crutches.

### 2012–13 season

In the 2012–13 season, Czisny received an assignment to the NHK Trophy but withdrew in order to continue her recovery from surgery. She hoped to compete at the 2013 U.S. Championships. On January 12, 2013, at the 2013 Fox Cities Invitational in Appleton, Wisconsin, Czisny dislocated her left hip when she fell on a triple flip. She was taken to hospital where her hip was moved back into alignment. Her withdrawal from the U.S. Championships was confirmed when she had to undergo another hip surgery on her left hip.
In April 2013, Czisny resumed her regular training schedule at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

### 2013–14 season

In preparation for the 2013–14 season she skated two sessions per day, gradually increasing the difficulty of her jumps and spins and aiming to add a triple-triple jump combination to her long program. She worked regularly with an off-ice trainer and underwent physical therapy daily. With the goal of earning a spot on the 2014 U.S. Olympic team, Czisny made her comeback at the 2014 Eastern Great Lakes Regional Championships and won the gold medal with a total score of 145.12 after placing first in both segments. This qualified her for the Midwestern Sectionals in November but she withdrew and ended her season because she did not feel fully recovered.

### Post-competitive career

On June 19, 2014, Czisny decided to retire from competition, due to having had two consecutive surgeries on her left hip, saying she would continue to skate in shows and work as a coach. In June 2016, she underwent hip surgery for a third time, this time due to a torn labrum in her right hip.

## Skating technique

Unlike most skaters, Czisny spins and jumps clockwise. She is known for her excellent spins. She said, "When I was younger, my sister and I always practiced our spins together. We would spin for hours, seeing who could hold their spin longer and/or who could spin faster. We also tried to come up with as many variations as possible."

## Programs

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| 2013–14 | Consolation No. 3 in D Flat Major by Franz Liszt | Gone with the Wind by Max Steiner, Richard Clayderman | |
| 2012–13 | La Vie en rose by Édith Piaf choreo. by Yuka Sato, Pasquale Camerlengo | Gone with the Wind by Max Steiner, Richard Clayderman | |
| 2011–12 | La Vie en rose by Édith Piaf choreo. by Yuka Sato, Pasquale Camerlengo | Valse triste by Jean Sibelius choreo. by Pasquale Camerlengo | Dancing with Myself by Nouvelle Vague Moon River (from Breakfast at Tiffany's) |
| 2010–11 | Romance from Violin Concerto in D by Erich Wolfgang Korngold | Winter into Spring by George Winston choreo. by Pasquale Camerlengo | You'll Never Walk Alone by Barbra Streisand I Like the Way (You Move) by Bodyrockers Dancing with Myself by Nouvelle Vague Moon River (from Breakfast at Tiffany's) |
| 2009–10 | Diego's Goodbye (from The Mask of Zorro) by James Horner A Proposal with Pearls (from The Legend of Zorro) by James Horner The Mask of Zorro main title | Doctor Zhivago Suite by Maurice Jarre Lara's Theme (from Doctor Zhivago) by Maurice Jarre | You'll Never Walk Alone by Barbra Streisand I Like the Way (You Move) by Bodyrockers |
| 2008–09 | The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns | Doctor Zhivago by Maurice Jarre | I, Don Quixote by Linda Eder Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel |
| 2007–08 | The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns | West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein, O. Sonstadt | |
| 2006–07 | Prelude & Quadukka-I-Mayas by Jesse Cook performed by the Hamzy Egyptian Strings Ensemble | Sabrina (1995 film) by John Williams | Man of La Mancha by Mitch Leigh vocals by Joe Darion |
| 2005–06 | Prelude & Quadukka-I-Mayas by Jesse Cook performed by the Hamzy Egyptian Strings Ensemble | La Bayadère by Ludwig Minkus | Someone Like You by Linda Eder |
| 2004–05 | The Mission (1986 film) by Ennio Morricone | Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Un Bel di Vedremo (from Madame Butterfly) by Giacomo Puccini performed by Opera Babes |
| 2003–04 | The Mission (1986 film) by Ennio Morricone | Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Un Bel di Vedremo (from Madame Butterfly) by Giacomo Puccini performed by Opera Babes |
| 2002–03 | Rushing Wings of Dawn by Tim Janis | Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninoff | Romeo and Juliet (1968 film) by Nino Rota, André Rieu |
| 2001–02 | Rushing Wings of Dawn by Tim Janis | Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninoff | Romeo and Juliet (1968 film) by Nino Rota, André Rieu |
| 2000–01 | Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven | Faust by Charles Gounod | |

## Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
International :
| Event | 00–01 | 01–02 | 02–03 | 03–04 | 04–05 | 05–06 | 06–07 | 07–08 | 08–09 | 09–10 | 10–11 | 11–12 |
| Worlds | | | | | | | 15th | | 11th | | 5th | 22nd |
| Four Continents | | | | | | | 5th | | 9th | | 5th | |
| GP Final | | | | | | 6th | | | | | 1st | 5th |
| GP Bompard | | | | | | | | | | | 3rd | 3rd |
| GP Cup of China | | | | | | | | 9th | | | | |
| GP Cup of Russia | | | | | | | 9th | | 4th | 4th | | |
| GP NHK Trophy | | | | | | | | 6th | | | | |
| GP Skate America | | | | | 4th | 2nd | | | | | | 1st |
| GP Skate Canada | | | | | | 1st | 4th | | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | |
| Nebelhorn Trophy | | | | | 4th | | | | 1st | 1st | | |
| Nepela Memorial | | | | | | 2nd | | | | | | |
| Challenge Cup | | | | | | | | | | | | 3rd |
| International: Junior |||||||||||||
| Junior Worlds | | | | | 6th | 6th | | | | | | |
| JGP Final | | | 5th | | | | | | | | | |
| JGP Bulgaria | | | | 5th | | | | | | | | |
| JGP France | | | 2nd | | | | | | | | | |
| JGP Slovakia | | | 2nd | | | | | | | | | |
| Gardena | | 1st | | | | | | | | | | |
| Triglav Trophy | 1st | | | | | | | | | | | |
| National |||||||||||||
| U.S. Champ. | 2nd J | 11th | 10th | 12th | 7th | 7th | 3rd | 9th | 1st | 10th | 1st | 2nd |
| U.S. Collegiate | | | | | 1st | | | | 1st | | | |
| J = Junior |||||||||||||

## Detailed results

2013–14 season :
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| October 5–8, 2013 | 2014 Eastern Great Lakes Regionals | 1 50.23 | 1 94.89 | 1 145.12 |
| 2011–12 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| March 26–31, 2012 | 2012 World Championships | 16 48.31 | 22 75.80 | 22 124.11 |
| March 8–11, 2012 | 2012 International Challenge Cup | 2 59.82 | 5 92.92 | 3 152.74 |
| January 21–29, 2012 | 2012 U.S. Championships | 2 63.14 | 2 116.86 | 2 180.00 |
| December 8–11, 2011 | 2011–12 Grand Prix Final | 4 60.30 | 5 96.67 | 5 156.97 |
| November 17–20, 2011 | 2011 Trophée Eric Bompard | 3 57.25 | 1 121.90 | 3 179.15 |
| October 21–23, 2011 | 2011 Skate America | 1 64.20 | 2 113.28 | 1 177.48 |
| October 1, 2011 | 2011 Japan Open | | 5 107.64 | |
| 2010–11 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| April 25 – May 1, 2011 | 2011 World Championships | 4 61.47 | 5 120.78 | 5 182.25 |
| February 15–20, 2011 | 2011 Four Continents Championships | 5 58.94 | 5 109.87 | 5 168.81 |
| January 22–30, 2011 | 2011 U.S. Championships | 2 62.50 | 1 128.74 | 1 191.24 |
| December 8–12, 2010 | 2010–11 Grand Prix Final | 1 63.76 | 3 116.99 | 1 180.75 |
| November 25–28, 2010 | 2010 Trophee Eric Bompard | 4 55.50 | 4 104.30 | 3 159.80 |
| November 11–13, 2010 | 2011 Midwestern Sectionals | 1 56.98 | 1 104.47 | 1 161.45 |
| October 28–31, 2010 | 2010 Skate Canada | 4 55.95 | 1 116.42 | 1 172.37 |
| 2009–10 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| January 14–24, 2010 | 2010 U.S. Championships | 7 54.18 | 11 86.19 | 10 140.37 |
| November 19–22, 2009 | 2009 Skate Canada | 2 63.52 | 4 100.01 | 2 163.53 |
| October 22–25, 2009 | 2009 Rostelecom Cup | 2 57.64 | 4 100.66 | 4 158.30 |
| September 23–26, 2009 | 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy | 2 60.38 | 6 91.02 | 1 151.40 |
| 2008–09 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| April 22–29, 2009 | 2009 World Championships | 14 53.28 | 8 106.50 | 11 159.78 |
| February 2–8, 2009 | 2009 Four Continents Championships | 7 55.62 | 9 104.19 | 9 159.81 |
| January 18–25, 2009 | 2009 U.S. Championships | 1 65.75 | 3 112.31 | 1 178.06 |
| October 20–23, 2008 | 2008 Cup of Russia | 5 53.50 | 4 97.53 | 4 151.03 |
| October 30 – November 2, 2008 | 2008 Skate Canada | 6 49.66 | 2 108.26 | 3 157.92 |
| September 25–28, 2008 | 2008 Nebelhorn Trophy | 1 56.55 | 1 111.73 | 1 168.28 |
| August 7–9, 2008 | 2008 U.S. Collegiate Championships | 1 56.61 | 1 95.29 | 1 151.90 |
| 2007–08 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| January 20–27, 2008 | 2008 U.S. Championships | 9 50.58 | 9 95.80 | 9 146.38 |
| November 28 – December 2, 2007 | 2007 NHK Trophy | 4 58.24 | 6 86.08 | 6 144.32 |
| November 7–11, 2007 | 2007 Cup of China | 5 51.08 | 11 69.35 | 9 120.43 |
| 2006–07 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| March 20–25, 2007 | 2007 World Championships | 18 49.43 | 12 98.31 | 15 147.74 |
| February 7–10, 2007 | 2007 Four Continents Championships | 4 54.64 | 6 99.39 | 5 154.03 |
| January 21–28, 2007 | 2007 U.S. Championships | 5 58.15 | 1 119.59 | 3 177.74 |
| November 24–26, 2006 | 2006 Cup of Russia | 8 44.98 | 10 76.23 | 9 121.21 |
| November 2–5, 2006 | 2006 Skate Canada | 4 56.12 | 3 107.57 | 4 163.69 |
| October 10–14, 2006 | 2007 Eastern Great Lakes Regionals | 1 52.85 | 1 108.49 | 1 161.34 |
2005–06 season :
| Date | Event | Level | QR | SP | FS | Total |
| March 6–12, 2006 | 2006 World Junior Championships | Junior | 3 83.40 | 4 50.36 | 11 73.82 | 6 124.18 |
| January 7–15, 2006 | 2006 U.S. Championships | Senior | – | 5 54.51 | 7 95.00 | 7 149.51 |
| December 16–18, 2005 | 2005–06 Grand Prix Final | Senior | – | 6 48.26 | 6 92.64 | 6 140.90 |
| October 27–30, 2005 | 2005 Skate Canada | Senior | – | 1 58.54 | 1 109.78 | 1 168.32 |
| October 20–23, 2005 | 2005 Skate America | Senior | – | 3 52.82 | 1 106.48 | 2 159.30 |
| October 8, 2005 | 2005 Campbell's FS Classics | Senior | – | – | 5 84.81 | – |
| September 22–25, 2005 | 2005 Ondrej Nepela Memorial | Senior | – | 2 49.06 | 1 91.04 | 2 140.10 |
| 2004–05 season |||||||
| Date | Event | Level | QR | SP | FS | Total |
| February 28 – March 6, 2005 | 2005 World Junior Championships | Junior | 8 69.26 | 2 52.91 | 8 84.08 | 6 136.99 |
| January 9–16, 2005 | 2005 U.S. Championships | Senior | – | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| December 3, 2004 | Marshalls World Cup | Senior | – | – | 5 | – |
| November 18–20, 2004 | 2005 Midwestern Sectionals | Senior | – | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| October 21–24, 2004 | 2004 Skate America | Senior | – | 3 50.20 | 4 91.16 | 4 141.36 |
| October 12–16, 2004 | 2005 Eastern Great Lakes Regionals | Senior | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| September 2–5, 2004 | 2004 Nebelhorn Trophy | Senior | – | 4 44.64 | 4 79.39 | 4 124.03 |
| August 5–7, 2004 | 2004 U.S. Collegiate Championships | Senior | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2003–04 season :
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| January 3–11, 2004 | 2004 U.S. Championships | Senior | 8 | 15 | 12 |
| November 20–22, 2003 | 2004 Midwestern Sectionals | Senior | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| October 14–18, 2003 | 2004 Eastern Great Lakes Regionals | Senior | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| September 11–14, 2003 | 2003 Sofia Cup | Junior | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| 2002–03 season ||||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| January 12–19, 2003 | 2003 U.S. Championships | Senior | 14 | 9 | 10 |
| December 12–15, 2002 | 2002–03 Junior Grand Prix Final | Junior | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| November 14–16, 2002 | 2003 Midwestern Sectionals | Senior | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| October 3–6, 2002 | 2002 Skate Slovakia | Junior | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| August 21–25, 2002 | 2002 ISU JGP Courchevel | Junior | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 2001–02 season ||||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| March 27–31, 2002 | 2002 Gardena Spring Trophy | Junior | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| January 6–13, 2002 | 2002 U.S. Championships | Senior | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| November 15–17, 2001 | 2002 Midwestern Sectionals | Senior | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| October 1–6, 2001 | 2002 Eastern Great Lakes Regionals | Senior | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2000–01 season ||||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| April 18–22, 2001 | 2001 Triglav Trophy | Junior | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| January 14–21, 2001 | 2001 U.S. Championships | Junior | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| November 16–18, 2000 | 2001 Midwestern Sectionals | Junior | 1 | 1 | 1 |