Olympian John Zimmerman Suspended, Accused of Covering Up Sexual Abuse
Mar 9, 2021
Figure skater John Zimmerman arrives for a gala benefiting Figure Skating In Harlem at Central Park's Wollman Rink Monday, March 31, 2008, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
Former Olympic figure skater and U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Famer John Zimmerman has been suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport after allegedly failing to report sexual abuse against a 13-year-old girl in 2017, according to Christine Brennan of USA Today.
Zimmerman, who was coaching the girl, was allegedly told in 2017 that French Olympic figure skater Morgan Cipres sent two pictures of his penis to the girl. Zimmerman was also Cipres' coach, and the girl and her parents say both Zimmerman and his wife, Silvia Fontana, told them not to go to the authorities because Cipres and his pairs partner Vanessa James were in preparations for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Per Brennan: "The girl and her parents allege that Zimmerman and Fontana intimidated the girl for several weeks, telling her that she was at fault for receiving the pictures because she was a 'pretty girl and men have their needs,' that no one would believe her and that she would be shamed on social media, particularly in France, where Cipres was popular."
The girl and her parents say that Vinny Dispenza, a coach who works with Zimmerman and Fontana at the AdventHealth Center Ice rink in Florida, initiated the sending of the photos and also threatened the girl.
"If I said something, he said I would never skate again," the girl said.
The girl's tutor, who learned of the alleged pictures, sent an email to psychologist Dara Bushman in 2017, and Bushman contacted authorities. But, according to her parents, the girl would not talk with police at the time.
A friend of the family did report the situation to SafeSport—which was formed in 2017 to investigate sexual abuse cases in Olympic sports—in 2019, however, and the Pasco County Sheriff's Office in Florida reopened the investigation in June 2020.
Per Brennan, the 47-year-old Zimmerman is now banned from "participation in any capacity in any program, activity, event or competition sponsored by, organized by or under the auspices of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the national governing body for the sport (U.S. Figure Skating in this case), or at a facility under the jurisdiction of the USOPC or USFS."
Zimmerman competed at the 2002 Olympics, finishing fifth in pairs with partner Kyoko Ina.
US Figure Skating Championships 2021: Sunday Results for Men's Free Skate
Jan 17, 2021
Nathan Chen competes during the men's short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Nathan Chen entered Sunday's free skate at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas with the smallest lead he's held in any of his last four U.S. Figure Skating Championship runs. But thanks to a 208.36 free skate that included five quad jumps, he was crowned the men's champion for the fifth consecutive time with a combined score of 322.28.
The 21-year-old is the first U.S. skater to win five titles in a row since Dick Button (1946-52), and he has now won 23 of his last 24 programs since the 2018 Winter Olympics. A third-place finish in the short program at the French Grand Prix in 2018 is his only loss.
Though he is used to his place atop the podium, Chen had to work to get there Sunday.
Men's Championship Leaderboard (Total Score)
1. Nathan Chen, 322.28
2. Vincent Zhou, 291.38
3. Jason Brown, 276.92
4. Yaroslav Paniot, 266.97
5. Maxim Naumov, 244.20
6. Jimmy Ma, 230.78
7. Tomoki Hiwatashi, 230.14
8. Camden Pulkinen, 220.10
9. Eric Sjoberg, 213.39
10. Dinh Tran, 210.79
11. Aleksei Krasnozhon, 206.76
12. Joseph Kang, 203.45
13. Joonsoo Kim, 197.12
14. Ryan Dunk, 192.66
15. Jordan Moeller, 191.33
16. Peter Liu, 171.18
17. Mitchell Friess, 163.07
Chen entered the final day of competition with a 6.13-point lead over Vincent Zhou, the smallest lead he's held in any of his four consecutive title runs. The tight lead wasn't due to a tough performance as Chen's short program consisted of a strenuous set of jumps—including a quadruple Lutz, a triple Axel and a quad flip-triple toe loop combo that netted him a 113.92 score.
Zhou landed a quad lutz-triple toe and quad salchow in his short program to inch closer to Chen and create the tight competition coming down to the free skate.
Refusing to back down, Chen aimed to complete five quads in his free skate, a feat he had not accomplished at the national level since 2018.
"You know me: I like to always challenge myself and one-up myself after every competition," Chen said before taking the ice on Sunday (h/t Philip Hersh of NBC Sports). "But it will be a game-time decision."
He was successful in his attempt, stumbling on his opening quad attempt but completing the rest with precision to land atop the leaderboard.
Zhou would need to be perfect in his free skate to get past his longtime rival, but a fall in the midst of his free skate on an under-rotated quad lutz cost him first place. He ended with a 183.59 free skate, good for a combined score of 291.38 in second place.
In his first competition since February 2020, Jason Brown secured a third-place finish with a free skate worth an even 176.00 for a combined score of 276.92. His short program nabbed him the greatest component score in the event despite not including a quad jump. His short program score of 100.92 put him 17.18 points ahead of the fourth-place skater, Yaroslav Paniot, heading into the free skate.
U.S. Figure Skating has yet to officially announce which male skaters will join Bradie Tennell and Karen Chen in representing the United States at the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm in March.
US Figure Skating Championships 2021: Sunday TV Schedule, Top Contenders
Jan 17, 2021
Nathan Chen reacts after finishing his routine during the men's short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Four-time champion Nathan Chen will try for his fifth straight win in the men's competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Sunday. If he takes the victory, he will become the first American man to win five titles in a row since Dick Button did it in 1950.
NBC will carry full coverage of the final day of competition, starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.
While Chen is the favorite to win the gold medal, his path to victory isn't as certain as in years past.
On Saturday, he took the top spot with 113.92 points after landing a quadruple Lutz, a triple Axel and quad flip-triple toe loop in the short program.
"I'm thrilled with the short program today," Chen told Barry Wilner and Bernie Wilson of the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo). He continued:
"I made a couple little bobbles on the landings and wish I had skated a little bit cleaner, but overall I'm really happy with the program.
"The season, this whole year, I mean last year and leading into this year, has just been crazy and everything is just so unexpected. The fact that we're all here, that we're all healthy, that we're able to do this is just incredible."
Challenging the two-time world gold medalist is longtime rival Vincent Zhou, who only trails by 6.13 points.
That gap is not impossible to close, but unless Chen makes a major mistake, he's a lock for the win.
Vincent Zhou
After coming in fourth and just missing a medal in last year's competition, Zhou is primed to challenge for first place.
His improved performance may be due to his change in coaches and being fully healthy after dealing with some injuries.
In the short program, the 20-year old Californian scored a career-best 107.79 points.
"A score like that didn't seem like an impossibility in my head. I knew that if I got the job done I was very capable of that," Zhou told Wilner and Wilson. He continued:
"At the beginning of this year at a small, local competition, in Colorado, I scored 103 with a clean program. That was way before Skate America, that was way before I put all this effort into developing the quality of everything: my landings, my spins, my choreography. So I know that with that much room to grow I could definitely score a couple points higher than 103.
"But the whole year was just about not being too hard about specifically points but rather just keeping my head down and working to get myself to the point where if I skated like I did in practice, if I got my job done, then that would be very possible."
Jason Brown
Last year, Jason Brown took home the silver medal in this competition, and he's in the mix for another medal this year.
After finishing with 100.92 points Saturday, he's hoping to close the gap on Zhou and Chen.
At 26, the 2015 U.S. national champion is older than most of his competitors and doesn't quite jump as well, but he's still a viable threat to win.
Yaroslav Paniot
Yaroslav Paniot has a lot of ground to cover after scoring just 83.74 during Saturday's short program.
Even with an outstanding performance Sunday, unless someone else misses the mark, the best he can hope for is fourth or fifth place.
While this will be another year that sees the 23-year old miss the podium, it will still be an improvement after he placed 10th last year.
Maxim Naumov
Maxim Naumov is basically neck and neck with Paniot after finishing with 83.53 points Saturday. Not bad for his first time skating in this competition. Look for the 2020 U.S. junior national champion to leave Sunday with a lot of confidence after doing so well.
Prediction: Chen takes the gold, Zhou takes silver and Brown takes bronze.
US Figure Skating Championships 2021: Final Results for Saturday Events
Jan 16, 2021
Nathan Chen reacts after finishing his routine during the men's short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The battle between Nathan Chen and Jason Brown to become the top men's figure skater in the United States continued Saturday at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas as the duo stepped onto the ice for its short program.
However, the 2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championships featured another contender ready to crash the party: Vincent Zhou.
The skater out of SC of San Francisco posted a 107.79 in his first appearance in front of the judges this weekend, finishing the day in second place behind Chen (113.92 points), the defending champion. Brown (100.92) ended the day in third.
What looked like a two-man duel for the gold medal suddenly has turned into a three-way race to the top of the podium.
Here's how the action played out in the men's championship:
Chen finished first in the short program for the second straight year after posting a 114.13 in 2020. Brown finished behind him with 100.99 points. The two nearly replicated those scores Saturday, but a noticeably improved Zhou has amped up the pressure on both skaters.
After recording a 94.82 in his short program last year, Zhou scored a 107.92 in Las Vegas thanks to nearly flawless quad lutz and triple toe loop combo that earned him 20.30 points. Neither Brown nor Chen even attempted the move.
Instead, Chen's highest individual mark came on a quad flip and triple toe loop that earned him a 20.90 following a quad lutz the judges assigned a 15.64.
Brown's best move, a triple lutz and triple toe loop scored a 13.71.
Since winning gold in 2015, Brown has earned two bronze medals and one silver at the U.S. Championships, while Chen is looking to capture his fifth consecutive gold medal.
If the pairing of Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier didn't have the sport on notice before, it certainly does now. The duo is two-of-two with gold medals at both nationals and 2020 Skate America.
What was already a runaway after the short program became even more of a rout Saturday when they scored a 150.64 in their free skate—16 points higher than any of their competitors. That gave them a nearly 28-point advantage over second-place finishers Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson.
The battle for silver proved much more compelling as second and fourth place were decided by just eight points. Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc finished second in free skate, but it wasn't enough to earn anything higher than bronze.
That made it all a rather drama-free evening for Knierim and Frazier, who twice scored more than 10 points on individual elements. A Group 5 axel lasso lift earned a 10.36 from the judges, while a Group 5 Reverse Lasso Lift gave the pairing a 10.08.
It was more than enough to walk away with a well-deserved gold medal.
Championship Ice Dance
(Free Dance scores in parentheses)
1. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, 224.56 (134.90)
2. Madison Chock and Evan Bates, 222.93 (132.83)
3. Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, 212.55 (127.27)
4. Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, 192.39 (112.29)
5. Molly Cesanek and Yehor Yehorov, 177.40 (106.29)
6. Lorraine McNamara and Anton Spiridonov, 162.86 (96.99)
7. Eva Pate and Logan Bye, 154.93 (90.56)
8. Livvy Shilling and Alexander Petrov, 131.10 (77.29)
9. Hilary Asher and Ryan O'Donnell, 122.68 (71.30)
10. Breelie Taylor and Tyler Vollmer, 100.76 (61.36)
Friday night saw the pairing of Madison Chock and Evan Bates set a U.S. Championships record with a score of 90.10 to barely move into first place after the rhythm dance. Less than a full point separated Chock and Bates from Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue.
Saturday saw a reversal of fortunes as Hubbell and Donohue scored less than two points higher than Chock and Bates to take home the gold in another epic showdown.
Regardless of the outcome, the two pairings have proved themselves as the top duos in the nation for multiple years running.
After Hubbell and Donohue won back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019—with Chock and Bates behind them on the podium each year—Chock and Bates took over the top spot last season with Hubbell and Donohue finishing second. The 2021 competition saw them flip spots once again.
Meanwhile, Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker claimed the bronze medal at nationals for the third consecutive year after putting together a strong free dance featuring a curve lift combo the judges scored 14.44.
As impressive as they were, it remains clear who runs the sport, and the pairing of Hubbell and Donohue doesn't seem ready to pass off the mantle anytime soon.
US Figure Skating Championships 2021: Saturday TV Schedule, Top Contenders
Erik Beaston
Jan 16, 2021
Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier perform during the pairs short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier dominated the pairs short program Thursday, and on Saturday, they will look to put an exclamation point on their nationals performance in the pairs free program.
Their return to the ice is just one part of a jam-packed Saturday that also features the first appearance of four-time U.S. champion Nathan Chen.
The celebrated male skater will take to the ice eager to make history as the first five-time champion since Dick Button won seven from 1946-52.
Free Dance (10:30 p.m. - 12 a.m.*, NBC Sports; Skate order currently unavailable)
*Men's short and free programs are subject to change pending NFL schedule changes.
Knierim and Frazier Control Pairs Competition
Knierim and Frazier control the pack following an impressive pairs short program in which they scored six full points higher than their closest competition, Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson.
Both skaters are products of previous championship-winning pairs. When defending titleholder Knierim's husband Chris retired, she knew exactly who she wanted to pair with moving forward.
"I just needed to see if he liked me and liked our skating, and if he would even be comfortable coming into an environment by himself with a whole new team. To me it wasn't a tryout. To me it was the beginning of our partnership," she told NBC Sports' Olympic Talk.
The success in Thursday's free program has them in the proverbial driver's seat for one of two spots at the world championships.
That competition takes place March 22-28.
They skate eighth Saturday.
Adequate Competition for Nathan Chen
The eyes of the figure skating world are on Nathan Chen and his quest for a fifth national championship this year, but do not count out Jason Brown and Vincent Zhou, both of whom are more than capable of defeating the favorite and emerging with a title of their own.
At the 2020 nationals, Brown's "total program component scores (PCS) were just a shade lower than Chen's," according to Team USA's official website.
This will be Brown's first live competition since February, and though he detailed his struggles with the monotony of everyday practice without competing over the last 11 months for NBC Sports, he is focused on earning a win and, ultimately, a spot on the 2022 Olympic team.
"I work on both (toe loop and salchow), trying to push forward and have that (competitive) mentality. I'm eyeing the 2021-2022 Olympic season, as far as that end game," he told Team USA.
SkateAmerica silver medalist Zhou is a technician on the ice with a flair for the artistic and quadruple jumps.
He is more than capable of overtaking Chen and Brown if either make even the slightest slip-up.
US Figure Skating Championships 2021 Results for Ladies Free Skate, Rhythm Dance
Jan 15, 2021
Madison Chock and Evan Bates perform during the rhythm dance program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The pairing of Madison Chock and Evan Bates needed an epic performance in order to top the 89.66 points set by Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue to nab first place at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
They ended up setting a competition record with the highest score in rhythm dance with 90.10 points.
Still trying to catch their breath, the pair celebrated inside the spectator-less Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Friday as their score was announced.
Chock and Bates scored 51.66 on their executed elements (including straight-line lift four, diagonal-step sequence four and sequential twizzles) and added 38.44 on their program components, highlighted by a 9.75 on interpretation of music and timing.
The pair, which has been skating together since 2011, entered the championships as the fourth-ranked duo in the world after the 2019-20 season. They begin 2021 with their third gold medal on the country's biggest stage after previously winning in 2014-15 and 2019-20.
Until Chock and Bates took the ice to defend their title, the gold was seemingly all lined up for Hubbell and Donohue, who were the fourth duo to perform and set the bar high.
Hubbell and Donohue earned 51.66 points on their executed elements and 38.44 on their program components, with their pattern dance-type step earning an impressive 12.34.
None of the next four pairings came close to topping their score as the majority of the field finished well below the 80 threshold. Only the pairings of Caroline Green/Michael Parsons and Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker came close, and the latter still finished four points below Hubbell and Bates.
The No. 1 pair in the world held on until Chock and Bates, the final performers, entered the rink. Only a few minutes later, U.S. Figure Skating history had been made, Hubbell and Donohue were dethroned, and the return of Chock and Bates to the top of the podium had been cemented.
Bradie Tennell is back on top of the women's figure skating world, winning the Ladies Championship for the second time after breaking through in 2018.
It's a massive accomplishment for the 22-year-old, who earned a bronze medal at the 2018 Olympics and reaffirms what's long been known: Tennell isn't just the future of the sport in the United States, she's the present.
Tennell finished first in both the Short Program and Free Skate, winning by a nearly 20-point margin as she begins the road toward the Beijing Olympics in 2022. No one even came close to Tennell's score of 153.21 in the Free Skate, though there were plenty of impressive showings across the board.
Amber Glenn dazzled in the Free Skate after finishing fifth in the Short Program. The Dallas native nailed a triple flip and triple toeloop combo, earning a score of 11.83, her best individual element. The sheer bewilderment on Glenn's face when her scores rolled in said everything viewers needed to know about her performance. Not even Glenn could believe how well she executed.
It was a less than stellar outing for Gracie Gold, the former two-time U.S. champion who's been missing on the podium since 2016. Gold finished 13th in the Free Skate after a 12th place showing Thursday in the Short Program.
That landed Gold in 13th place overall, a slight decline from last year's 12th-place finish, but considering she was forced to withdraw in 2018 and 2019, it was noteworthy to see her finish at all.
Meanwhile, 15-year-old Alysa Liu continued to stun the judges Friday, picking up a fourth-place finish in the Free Skate after placing second in the Short Program. That landed her in fourth overall, just off the podium, but unequivocally one of the skaters to keep an eye on as the Beijing Games draw closer.
US Figure Skating Championships 2021: Friday TV Schedule, Top Contenders
Erik Beaston
Jan 15, 2021
Bradie Tennell performs during the women's short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Bradie Tennell took an early lead Thursday on the opening day of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, scoring a competition record 79.40 in the women's short program as she attempts to regain her national title.
Women's Free (8-11 p.m., NBC; Skate order currently unavailable)
Tennell Seeks Second Championship
If history repeats itself, the winner of Thursday's short program will see her quest to win a second national title end in heartbreak.
After winning the gold in the 2018 championships, Tennell jumped out to an early lead in 2019 and '20 by winning the short program. She would falter in the free program, though, and watch as Liu claimed the title.
Tennell hopes the third time is the charm, but she is not obsessing over it.
"Winning another has been a driving force for me," she told Philip Hersh of NBC Sports. "It can be very overwhelming if you constantly dwell on it. I choose to keep it tucked away in the back of my mind. It's always there, but not like on a billboard, kind of in a drawer."
Even more impressive than Tennell's historic scores in the short program is the fact that she accomplished it with head coach Tom Zakrajsek back in Colorado after testing positive for COVID-19.
"It has been a bit strange, especially because of all the recent changes I've made," Tennell told Hersh. "Not having my head coach at a competition is a completely new experience for me."
She returns to the ice Friday seeking to rewrite her recent history. To do so, she will have to overcome familiar competition in position to eclipse her once more.
Can Liu Make It Three in a Row?
Despite finishing second to Tennell, 2019 and '20 national champion Liu scored higher in Thursday's short program than she had the previous two years. It is somewhat surprising given the literal growing pains and hip injury she suffered last October, as detailed by Hersh.
She said after her 76.36: "I've found a new appreciation for skating skills and spins, because before I would just focus on jumps. When I had my injury and couldn't jump I was a little sad, but then I started to enjoy the skating part of skating."
That the 15-year-old scored the way she did, with the hurdles she has overcome in the last year, makes her showing in the short program a bit surprising. More so would be a third championship, which she is more than capable of securing Friday.
US Figure Skating to Pay $1.5M Settlement in Richard Callaghan Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
Jan 14, 2021
TOPSHOT - Close up of USA's Mirai Nagasu skate as she competes in the women's single skating free skating of the figure skating event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung on February 23, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. Figure Skating agreed to pay $1.5 million in a settlement to Adam Schmidt, who filed a lawsuit alleging the organization was negligent in failing to protect him from sexual abuse, according to Pete Madden of ABC News.
The terms of the settlement state the governing body is "making no admissions of fault, liability, wrongdoing or misconduct of any kind, and no admissions as to the validity of any the claims or defenses in the action."
"I think the settlement speaks for itself," Schmidt said. "People don’t settle things for millions of dollars for nothing."
Schmidt also received a $1.75 million settlement from the Michigan skating rink where he said the abuse took place.
In the lawsuit, Schmidt said Callaghan sexually abused him multiple times while training with the coach in Michigan between 1999 and 2001.
Callaghan had been accused of sexual abuse previously but "the federation dismissed the grievance without full consideration because skating bylaws stipulated that alleged misconduct must be reported within 60 days," per Madden and Cho Park. As a result, Callaghan was allowed to continue coaching.
In July, former skater Craig Maurizi filed a lawsuit against Callaghan and U.S. Figure Skating alleging the former coach sexually abused him in the 1970s and 1980s. Maurizi had reported the alleged abuse to U.S. Figure Skating in 1999.
Callaghan has denied any misconduct and his initial lifetime ban from U.S. Figure Skating was overturned and lowered to a three-year suspension.
The long-time coach was known for leading Tara Lipinski to an Olympic gold medal in 1998, also coaching 1996 world champion Todd Eldredge.
US Figure Skating Championships 2021: Results for Pairs, Ladies Short Program
Jan 14, 2021
Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier perform during the pairs short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing are still more than a year away, but the top American figure skaters are looking for a different type of gold medal this week at the 2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Things got underway Thursday at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas with the pairs short program and the ladies short program.
The top individual women will finish their competition Friday during the ladies free, while the pairs finish with their free skate on Saturday.
Here is a look at the results for Thursday's short programs.
Championship Pairs Short Program
1. Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, 77.46
2. Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson, 71.30
3. Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov, 69.56
4. Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc, 65.81
5. Emily Chan and Spencer Howe, 60.41
6. Olivia Serafini and Mervin Tran, 59.23
7. Katie McBeath and Nathan Bartholomay, 58.23
8. Evelyn Grace Hanns and Jim Garbutt, 47.98
9. Laiken Lockley and Keenan Prochnow, 45.34
*Results via U.S. Figure Skating's official website
The biggest storyline coming into competition was the Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier pairing.
After all, Knierim won a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in a team event and three U.S. pairs titles (2015, 2018 and 2020) with her husband and former partner, Chris. Frazier and his former partner, Haven Denney, won the national title in 2017.
While it seems like a dynamic pairing on paper, this was the first time Knierim and Frazier skated together at nationals.
"Our tryout got cut short, because of the [COVID-19] lockdowns," Frazier said before the competition, per Lynn Rutherford of NBC Sports. "But we didn't need the whole normal, traditional tryout to make the decision. I mean, we grabbed each other's hand on the ice and did a lap of crossovers. And I just was like, 'Yeah, it's going to work.'"
Work it did, as the Knierim-Frazier pairing set the tone from the start.
They put on a graceful and nearly flawless performance compared to the competition and are now more than six points clear of the second-place team of Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson.
Anything but victory for the pair in their first U.S. championships together would be a shocking result, as they appeared as comfortable with each other as they did with their former partners. That development alone spells trouble for the rest of the field, as the only realistic chance for the challengers was a lack of chemistry and practice time spilling into the competition for Knierim and Frazier.
The race for second place figures to be closer, as the Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov pairing and Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc pairing are well within striking distance of Calalang and Johnson.
Still, everyone is looking up at Knierim and Frazier.
Championship Ladies Short Program
1. Bradie Tennell, 79.40
2. Alysa Liu, 76.36
3. Mariah Bell, 72.37
4. Karen Chen, 70.99
5. Amber Glenn, 70.83
6. Lindsay Thorngren, 62.54
7. Gabriella Izzo, 62.32
8. Rena Ikenishi, 60.14
9. Pooja Kalyan, 58.29
10. Audrey Shin, 57.74
11. Hanna Harrell, 56.93
12. Gracie Gold, 53.88
13. Heidi Munger, 52.11
14. Finley Hawk, 52.08
15. Emilia Murdock, 51.25
16. Violeta Ushakova, 49.76
17. Starr Andrews, 45.93
*Results via U.S. Figure Skating's official website
There was no shortage of star power in the ladies short program.
Gracie Gold won a bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and is a two-time U.S. champion. She was solid at the U.S. Championship Series and bounced back from a disappointing showing at Skate America in October.
Gold may be the Olympic medalist, but Alysa Liu was the headliner coming into Thursday's competition as the two-time defending champion at just 15 years old.
Still, Philip Hersh of NBC Sports suggested defending her crown would be an uphill battle as she works her way back from a hip injury. She also faced a number of challenges this year because of closed rinks in the Bay Area where she trains and a number of coaching changes.
"Obviously, you want to win, but the most important thing will be to skate my best," Liu said. "You can win and skate bad, and you don't feel so good about yourself. I would rather skate very well and not focus on placement."
While she did not attempt her patented triple axel given some of the uncertainties in the lead-up, she was surely pleased with how well she skated. Liu was in the final group and catapulted to the lead with a head-turning performance. Her jumps were all clean, and she put herself in position to challenge for a third straight title.
Gold, on the other hand, struggled with a handful of technical mistakes. She also fell on one of her jumps and does not appear to be a challenger.
Bradie Tennell very much is a challenger and concluded the competition with the best showing. She moved ahead of even Liu with a combination of technical brilliance and execution and is primed to return to the top of the podium at the U.S. Championships for the first time since 2018.
US Figure Skating Championships 2021: Thursday TV Schedule, Top Contenders
Jan 14, 2021
Nathan Chen of the United States competes during men's short program in the International Skating Union Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
As has been the case for so many sporting events during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championships will be held without fans in attendance this year in Las Vegas.
The championships, which get underway Thursday, will have significant implications for the 2022 Beijing Olympics and feature defending champions Nathan Chen and Alysa Liu.
U.S. Figure Skating Championships competition will takes place at Orleans Arena, with each discipline airing live on NBC or NBCSN and streaming live on Peacock, which will also stream practice sessions.
The event is under an even greater spotlight this year as uncertainty surrounds the viability of the world championships in light of COVID-19.
Skate Canadaannounced on Monday it would cancel its national championships, which had already been delayed to February. In December, skating officials in Swedencancelled all remaining domestic competition. We will have to wait and see if the worlds will be able to go on in 2021.
For now, though, we have the events over the coming days in Las Vegas to focus on. All the information you need to know about how to tune in to the championships and who to watch is below.
2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
Dates: Monday, Jan. 11-Thursday, Jan. 21
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas
Thursday TV Time: 6-8 p.m. ET (Pairs Short); 10 p.m.-12 a.m. (Ladies Short)
The major storyline surrounding this year's U.S. Figure Skating Championships is, of course, whether Chen can win his fifth straight national title in the men's field.
The most recent singles champion in the U.S. to win five consecutive titles is Michelle Kwan, who claimed eight in a row from 1998 to 2005.
The last American man to win at least that many was two-time Olympic champion Dick Button, who won seven straight titles from 1946 to 1952.
It's rarefied air for Chen, but there's no question he belongs there. The 21-year-old is the first skater to land five types of quadruple jumps in competition (toe loop, Salchow, loop, flip and Lutz).
Though he was suffering from the flu prior to the 2020 U.S. championships, returning to training only two weeks before the event, he took the title. At the 2019 World Championships, he set the men's record for the combined total with 323.42 points.
On the women's side, defending champion Liu is looking to become the first woman to win three national titles in a row since Kwan did it in 2005.
Now 15, Liu won her first national title at 13. She will be challenged by 2018 Olympian and former national champion Bradie Tennell and Mariah Bell, the reigning Skate America champion.
Part of what makes Liu so dangerous in competition is her signature triple axel and quad jumps. However, those may not be in her back pocket this time around; as she told NBC Sports recently, a three-inch growth spurt and an injury have threatened her jumps in practice.
In pairs, Alexa Knierim has a new partner, Brandon Frazier, after her former partner and husband Chris Knierim retired. The new pairing won the discipline at Skate America. Both skaters individually have won titles at the U.S. championships, but it would be their first national win as a pair.
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships action will continue Friday with the Rhythm Dance and Ladies Free. The full schedule can be found here.
