Ellie Kawamura is an American

Americans

The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...

 ladies figure skater. She is 2009 U.S. Junior National silver medalist

2009 United States Figure Skating Championships

The 2009 United States Figure Skating Championships were the United States Figure Skating Championships of the 2008-2009 figure skating season. They were a national championship to determine the national champions of the United States. In addition to determining the national champions, the event...

.

Career

Kawamura began skating at age 4 because her parents thought it would be good exercise and balance training for little kids.

She points to winning the junior silver medal at the 2009 U.S. Championships

2009 United States Figure Skating Championships

The 2009 United States Figure Skating Championships were the United States Figure Skating Championships of the 2008-2009 figure skating season. They were a national championship to determine the national champions of the United States. In addition to determining the national champions, the event...

 as her career-defining moment. Kawamura was then sent to the 2009 International Challenge Cup

2009 International Challenge Cup

The 2009 International Challenge Cup was the International Challenge Cup figure skating competition for the 2008-2009 figure skating season....

 in The Hague

The Hague

The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...

, Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 where she won silver on the junior level.

Kawamura made her ISU Junior Grand Prix

2009–2010 ISU Junior Grand Prix

The 2009–2010 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the thirteenth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the Junior-level complement to the 2009–2010 Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which is for Senior-level...

 debut in the following season. She was assigned the 2009-2010 ISU Junior Grand Prix

2009–2010 ISU Junior Grand Prix

The 2009–2010 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the thirteenth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the Junior-level complement to the 2009–2010 Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which is for Senior-level...

 event in Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 where she placed 4th. She was then assigned to a second event in Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

 where she won the bronze. This qualified her for the 2009–2010 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final

2009–2010 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final

The 2009–2010 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final was the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and the Junior Grand Prix Final competition of the 2009–2010 figure skating season...

 in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 where she placed 8th.

Programs

Season	Short program	Free skating	Exhibition
2010–2011	Mishima Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is an American/Japanese film co-written and directed by Paul Schrader in 1985. It was co-produced by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas....   by Phillip Glass	El Tango de Roxanne  from the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack by Mariano Mores Mariano Mores Mariano Martínez, better known as Mariano Mores , is a famous Argentine tango composer, pianist and conductor.-Biography:...   Tango de los Exilados by Walter Taieb Walter Taieb Walter Taieb is a French composer and conductor.Taieb is the composer of The Alchemist's Symphony with Juilliard professor Philip Lasser RCA Red Seal USA. Editions Alphonse Leduc France. He studied conducting with Rolf Reuter in Berlin.-References:...   performed by Vanessa-Mae Vanessa-Mae Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson , known professionally as Vanessa-Mae , is an internationally known British violinist. Her music style is self-described as "violin techno-acoustic fusion", as several of her albums prominently feature the techno style...
2009–2010	Somewhere Over the Rainbow  from The Wizard of Oz The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...	El Tango de Roxanne  from the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack by Mariano Mores Mariano Mores Mariano Martínez, better known as Mariano Mores , is a famous Argentine tango composer, pianist and conductor.-Biography:...   Tango de los Exilados by Walter Taieb Walter Taieb Walter Taieb is a French composer and conductor.Taieb is the composer of The Alchemist's Symphony with Juilliard professor Philip Lasser RCA Red Seal USA. Editions Alphonse Leduc France. He studied conducting with Rolf Reuter in Berlin.-References:...   performed by Vanessa-Mae Vanessa-Mae Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson , known professionally as Vanessa-Mae , is an internationally known British violinist. Her music style is self-described as "violin techno-acoustic fusion", as several of her albums prominently feature the techno style...
2008-2009	Libertango Libertango Libertango is a composition by tango composer Ástor Piazzolla, recorded and published in 1974.The title is a portmanteau merging "Libertad" and "Tango", symbolizing Piazzolla's break from Classical Tango to Tango Nuevo....   by Ástor Piazzolla Ástor Piazzolla Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...	101 Dalmatians  by Michael Kamen Michael Kamen Michael Arnold Kamen was an American composer , orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician.-Background:...

Competitive highlights

Event	2003-2004	2004-2005	2005-2006	2006-2007	2007-2008	2008–2009	2009–2010	2010–2011
U.S. Championships United States Figure Skating Championships The United States Figure Skating Championships is figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".Skaters...				5th N.	8th J.	2nd J.	21st	16th
U.S. Junior Championships	3rd Ju.		3rd I.
Junior Grand Prix Final 2009–2010 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final The 2009–2010 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final was the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and the Junior Grand Prix Final competition of the 2009–2010 figure skating season...							8th
Junior Grand Prix, Croatia 2009–2010 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 2009–2010 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the thirteenth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the Junior-level complement to the 2009–2010 Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which is for Senior-level...							3rd
Junior Grand Prix, Hungary 2009–2010 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 2009–2010 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the thirteenth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the Junior-level complement to the 2009–2010 Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which is for Senior-level...							4th
International Challenge Cup International Challenge Cup The International Challenge Cup is an annual figure skating competition held in the spring...						2nd J.
NACS, Canada North American Challenge Skate The North American Challenge Skate was a series of annual summer figure skating competitions for American and Canadian figure skaters on the novice and junior levels. It was a developmental program rather than an elite competition series; the purpose of the program was to give young skaters a...				3rd N.
Pacific Coast Sectionals Pacific Coast Sectional Figure Skating Championships The Pacific Coast Sectional Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating.Skaters compete in three levels: Senior, Junior, and Novice. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies singles, Men's singles, Pairs, and Ice dance...				3rd N.	1st J.	1st J.		4th
Southwest Pacific Regionals	1st Ju.	6th I.	1st I.	1st N.	1st J.	1st J.		4th

• Ju = Juvenile level; I = Intermediate level; N = Novice level; J = Junior level