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(24 January 2020)
The 2020 U.S. Championships, held
at the Greensboro Coliseum in the heart of North Carolina, kicked off in
splendid fashion with a memorable senior pairs short program
competition.
Described by
various members of the press as one of the finest pairs competitions
they had ever seen, Alexa & Chris Knierim, who won their first U.S.
title in this venue back in 2015 and are the 2018 U.S. champions,
wound up at the top of the leaderboard with a 77.06.
Skating to the
classic romantic ballad ‘At Last’ by Etta James, the Knierims put
out their A game, knocking out all of their elements, including a
soaring lasso lift, solid side by side triple toe loops and a high
throw triple flip with the expertise, strength and confidence of
seasoned top world competitors.
Alexa, wearing a
sparkling soft pink dress and Chris, donned in a tuxedo, emanated
the feeling of dancers at the famed Rockefeller Center Rainbow Room
in New York City with their performance, something that resonated
strongly with the audience, who responded with rousing applause
while the panel of officials awarded them accordingly.
The Knierims,
who have faced some challenges since representing the U.S. at the
2018 Olympics after making a coaching change where they moved from
Colorado Springs to Southern California (to train with Jenni Meno
and Todd Sand, the three-time World medalists and thrice U.S.
titlists in 1994, 1995 and 1996) have been focusing on jump
consistency this past season, which made this a program to remember.
“I think the
reaction we had [at the end of the program] showed how happy we
felt,” said Chris Knierim. “I think throughout the season we’ve been
going in a good direction.”
Alexa agreed.
“I’ve been
waiting for this moment to come,” said Alexa. “I’ve been dreaming
about it and I was just glad we were able to put [this program] out
tonight.”
Tarah Kayne & Danny O’Shea, the 2016 U.S. titlists,
earned the second-highest score, a 70.35, for their exquisite
interpretation of Claude Debussy’s "Claire de Lune."
The team, who
trains with Delilah Sappenfield in Colorado Springs, skated a
seamless and clean program that earned them a standing ovation from
the crowd.
They executed
all of their elements with the ease, fluidity and command of
premiere international contenders and used some creative and
innovative entries for their death spiral, triple Salchows and throw
triple Salchow, among other things.
This team, who
has been competing together nationally for eight years, said their
goal was to make sure their execution, performance and the quality
of their skating skills was on point, things they said they’ve been
focusing on this season thus far.
“We wanted to
feel that at every competition we were taking a step forward,” said
Kayne.
The two said
they have a particular affinity for this program, which was created
in mid-December by Sappenfield, with the footwork having been
crafted by 2014 Olympic dance champion Charlie White.
“The music
really settles me,” said Kayne, who said her nature is to run on a
high-speed gear. “The music comes on and I feel comfortable.”
Ashley
Cain-Gribble & Timothy LeDuc, the 2019 U.S. titlists finished in the
third spot with a 68.86.
This Dallas-area
based duo earned high scores for their terrific skills, which
included a breathtaking pinwheel/horizontal lasso lift that covered
the entire ice length, solid triple Salchows and fast,
well-synchronized spins, which made them a crowd favorite.
They had a
slight two-footed landing, however, on a throw triple flip.
Still, their
dramatic program to Tommee Profitt’s ‘A Storm is Coming’ was
outstanding, earning them high enough scores
to put them in the hunt for a second U.S. title.
“Ashley and I
had worked really hard going into this competition,” said LeDuc.
“We’re really excited for a good effort in the long [program].”
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