Nikodinov began skating at the age of four. The athlete she admires most is speed skater Dan Jansen because of his comeback. Nikodinov's parents moved to the United States from Bulgaria. Angela is fluent in the Bulgarian language. Nikodinov trained in Detroit in the 1999/2000 season, but she moved back to California in fall 2000, because she felt homesick. Nikodinov's coach, Elena Tcherkasskaia, died of cancer in November 2001. Nikodinov kept dislocating her shoulder and underwent surgery in February 2003. She was off the ice for seven months and started to practice jumps again only in September 2003. She started her comeback in the 2004/05 season by winning Skate America in Oct. 2004, which was her first gold medal at a Grand Prix event.