Figure Skating placed her on the U.S. team for the 2004 Junior Worlds Championship in the Netherlands, where she won the silver medal; she was one of the youngest skaters at the competition.

[3][25][26][27] Meissner worked on a triple Axel jump early in the 2004–2005 season and had started to land them in August 2004, but had to take a two-month break from training the element due to a slight back injury.

[30] Meissner made "an impressive senior debut" at the Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic in October 2004; she replaced Carolina Kostner of Italy, competed against Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen, and came in fifth place.

[28] There was speculation as Meissner went into Nationals about her ability to land a triple Axel; she told the press that she would decide at the last moment if she were going to include one in her free skating program.

Kwan, who tied Maribel Vinson's record held since 1937 by winning her ninth U.S. title, stated afterwards, "It's amazing for skating, and for an American skater, it's fantastic.

He also stated that Meissner was able to "breathe fresh air into a sport that had begun to stagnate in the U.S. and offer a peek into the future of American skating".

Figure Skating's decision about the U.S. Olympics women's team and on Cohen's potential to win the title, so despite Meissner's successes of the past season and her second-place finish at Nationals, the media paid little attention to her.

[46] Meissner came down with the flu her last few days in Italy and suffered from a ruptured right eardrum on her flight home, which caused her pain while practicing her spins and disrupted her training for the Worlds Championships for two weeks, although she told reporter Rick Maese that her Olympic experience gave her more confidence.

She also worked with choreographers Lori Nichol and Nikolai Morozov, and focused on her artistry with Olympic ice dancing champion Natalia Linichuk; they put six triple jumps into her free skating program.

She had a minor injury to her left middle finger, which she gashed during a catch spin, treating with a tissue while waiting in the kiss-and-cry for her scores.

Meissner was the first female skater since Barbara Roles in 1962 to win what Bunch called the "U.S. nationals triple crown":[90] gold medals in the Novice, Junior, and Senior divisions.

She changed her free skating program and choreographer four weeks before her first competition of the season because the original routine failed to inspire and challenge her.

She returned to her previous choreographer, Lori Nichol, who created a routine to "Nessun Dorma," a piece usually reserved for pair skaters.

[2][75] Her aunt was diagnosed with cancer, she struggled with physical changes (growing four inches taller in two years), experienced a sprained ankle that bothered her all season, and transitioned to the new judging system.

The judges gave Meissner a deduction in her combination jump for failing to take off on the correct edge on her triple flip, but earned a slightly better technical score than Asada because she had better levels on her spins and on one of her spirals.

In her free skate, Meissner received no points for the second part of her triple flip-triple toe loop combination because she took off on the jump on the wrong edge.

[112] Figure skating reporter Elvin Walker said that Meissner's Lutz combination jump and triple flip in her short program were her strengths going into the 2007–2008 Grand Prix final.

[116] After what Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune called her "poor Grand Prix Final performances",[102] Meissner told figure skating commentator Peter Carruthers that she needed to train harder before U.S. Nationals.

She finished in seventh place overall, with 149.22 points, her lowest scores at U.S. Nationals,[118] and in what Candus Thomson called "the worst performance by a reigning women's champion in the past 50 years".

[127] Going into the 2008–2009 season, Meissner worked to get her career back on track with Callaghan and former figure skater and World Champion Todd Eldredge.

[135]  Despite her low results, Olympic champion and figure skating commentator Scott Hamilton, who blamed Meissner's difficulties on her recent growth spurt, said that she should not be counted out of consideration for future success.

After six weeks of physical therapy back home in Maryland, she was diagnosed with severe patellar tendonitis and a partial dislocation in her right kneecap.

[141]  She told the press, "For the United States to be represented properly, especially during an Olympic year, I feel I must put my personal desire to compete aside".

Conte helped her rebuild her jumping technique and make it more efficient, add rotation to her takeoffs and stability to her landings, and choreograph her ice show programs.

For many years, it was difficult for her to even watch competitions, but she found support from her family and from other skaters like Michelle Kwan and Ryan Bradley.

[144][145][11] In 2012, she competed in a pro-am competition, coming in sixth place, in 2014 and 2015, Meissner toured full-time with Stars on Ice, and in 2016 she served as a researcher for NBC at the Sochi Olympics.

[148][149] Meissner was one of the best technical figure skaters, with good position in the air on her jumps, smooth landings, fast speed, and high energy, but her weakness was her artistry, which the Associated Press, in 2007, speculated was due to her young age.

[72] Her coach Pam Gregory compared Meissner's discipline and work ethic to skaters Tara Lipinski and Sarah Hughes, who won Olympic gold medals when they were teenagers.

[45] Reporter Rick Maese stated in 2006 that Meissner tended to do better in the free skate than in the short program, "when her myriad of jumps can compensate for artistic deficiencies".

[2] After winning the Worlds championships in 2006, Meissner became the official ambassador for the "Cool Kids Campaign", which provided toys and games for pediatric oncology patients at the University of Maryland Medical Center and Johns Hopkins Hospital and paid for their families' outings during their treatment.