2021 US Nationals: Pairs Short - Thoughts and Observations

[gsk8]

In their debut together as a team, Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Brandon Frazier took the lead in the Pairs' event at the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. at The Orleans Arena on Thursday afternoon. Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson are currently in second, followed by Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov.

Scimeca Knierim and Frazier lead Pairs in debut at U.S. Nationals

In their debut together as a team, Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Brandon Frazier took the lead in the Pairs' event at the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating

www.goldenskate.com

"Brandon and I are really proud of our performance today," said Scimeca Knierim. "There's some areas in that program that we can improve on and do better, but we're quite pleased with how we held ourselves today. We are going to enjoy this moment and reset and focus for the free skate."

"After Skate America, Alexa and I went right back to work and tried working on things to improve our performance," said Frazier . "Technically, I think we made some better strides this time around, but there is still room for improvement. Overall, we are happy that we are seeing the progress each time we get out.

What are your thoughts on how the Pairs' SP went?

 

[moonvine]

K/F very strong. Gave me no feels. But Moonvine feels are worth 0 points.

Felt quite awful for Ash and Tim. Bring it in the free skate!

Liu/Mitrofanov very impressive debut!

 

[Arriba627]

I really enjoyed Alexa and Brandon. So happy their partnership is working out. Their twist was a beauty. Very impressed with Audrey and Misha. I love their energy. I was thinking of them for the pewter. Maybe bronze instead? Great to see Nate Bartholomay again.

 

[Skater Boy]

KF - wow. At the rate they are going with scores they will podium in pairs at worlds and the olympics. No real surprise tome at least. I am hoping there is huge US inflation with the marks beause to me all the scores seemed too high.

 

[TontoK]

For years, I really did not care much about the pairs discipline, and suddenly I think it's the most interesting.

It seems these pairs are figuring out how to work within the confines of IJS and yet still bring some individuality to their programs. The top four delivered basically the same content, but the look and vibe was unique to each of them.

I enjoyed this.

 

[Seren]

Something about Alexa and Brandon works for me in a way Alexa and Chris never did. They both really have that fire to win.

Gutted for Ashley and Tim. Ashley seems to have a confidence problem with her jumps. I am 100% certain she can land them but it feels like she loses her confidence in competition. They are such a joy to watch otherwise. I hope she skates more aggressively in the free.

 

[meem]

Something about Alexa and Brandon works for me in a way Alexa and Chris never did. They both really have that fire to win.

I never really cared for the Knierems as a team--they always looked tense, stern. Maybe that's because Chris really didn't want to be there, on competitive ice? But I love this new team. Brandon looks so calm, strong and happy. I also liked watching Chen & Howe. Johnny mentioned how smoothly they skated, their edges matched. And of course, my favorite male pairs skater, Nate Bartholomay was there, once again with a new partner! No matter who he skates with, this guy always has beautiful music playing...which is great cause I'm really hitting the mute button a lot during competitions now (I sorta miss the old war horse music...it just goes better w/competitive skating).

 

[moonvine]

Something about Alexa and Brandon works for me in a way Alexa and Chris never did. They both really have that fire to win.

Gutted for Ashley and Tim. Ashley seems to have a confidence problem with her jumps. I am 100% certain she can land them but it feels like she loses her confidence in competition. They are such a joy to watch otherwise. I hope she skates more aggressively in the free.

Sooo weird how opinions differ. Guess that’s a judged sport for you. K/F do absolutely nothing for me. Nothing.

 

[Arriba627]

Meem, agree with your comments about Brandon. He looked SO happy out there, and it didn't look fake -- it looked real! He looked like he was having the time of his life. If I was always holding my breath for Haven's jumps (and I was!), I can't imagine how he felt. I loved his partnership with Haven but really lost all confidence in them once she had her devastating injury. I was at Helsinki Worlds, and after their disastrous short (56.23 -- didn't make the cut to skate the free), they always made me SO nervous! Here's hoping he and Alexa continue to grow and improve together! I wish them all the best!

 

[elbkup]

Alexa & Brandon are my favorites going into the competition and I am now also very intrigued by Chan & Howe .. beautiful presentation, music and skate and they are from Boston.. my adopted home!! Good luck to both teams in the free

 

[Arriba627]

I am liking Chan and Howe more and more! They seem to.show a lot of promise, and I'm anxious to see how they do in the free.