If there's been one constant in the 2018-19 season for Alexa Scimeca-Knierim and Chris Knierim, it's change.
"It's been a crazy season for us both on and off the ice, but we knew going into this season that this was a building year for us," Knierim said on the couple's teleconference a few weeks prior to the 2019 GEICO U.S. Figure Skating Championships. "We're just happy that now everything is settling down."
From packing their belongings in bins that remain in Chicago, departing Colorado Springs and moving to Oberstdorf, Germany, to train under Olympic champion Aljona Savchenko, and returning to the United States to compete and train with their new coaches Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Knierim admits it feels as if they have traveled all of "God's green earth," in such a short time.
"It's been a year now since we've had our own place as a married couple," Knierim said.
After the thousands of miles traveled, the pair is seeking a bit more normalcy and routine in California, hoping to find their own place, a church that they feel comfortable in, as well as welcoming their two dogs, two cats and packed-away possessions back into their lives.
Last season, the U.S. champions had prepared heavily for an Olympic placement in PyeongChang, which ultimately led to an Olympic Team Event bronze medal for the U.S. competitors, leading into the 2018 ISU World Championships in Milan, Italy, where they placed 15th overall.
That's when the whirlwind began to pick up speed.
The couple chose to uproot their lives and train in Oberstdorf with Olympic and World champion Savchenko, gathering as much knowledge, technique and information from her as they could.
"We got a lot of good training in because [Oberstdorf] is so secluded," Scimeca-Knierim said. "There's not a lot of distractions, which sometimes was difficult."
Ultimately, the couple agreed things just weren't working out. They loved living in Europe, but they wanted out. There were no hard feelings because they trusted that they learned everything they could, but their outlook beyond was falling fast.
"We just felt like if we had stayed, there would have been more of a downward slope in some terms of things," Scimeca-Knierim said. "And we kind of felt like we needed to save ourselves in the moment which is why we switched so quickly."
The pair returned to the States to compete at 2018 Skate America in Everett, Washington, where they finished just short of the podium in fourth. The following day, Todd Sand took up their ask to assist in training between their Grand Prix performances.
"He was kind of there to keep us in line because we didn't have a coach," Scimeca-Knierim said. "And it was very nice of him to come out after we had offered to him, and we felt like it was a good vibe from that point."
The couple placed third at their second Grand Prix assignment, NHK Trophy in Japan, and returned to meet Jenni Meno, Sand's wife and former champion pairs partner. It was an instant fit.
"They've been through everything that we've been through and are going through together." Knierim said. "They're married, they were skating and competing while they were married, and it's a really good balance between the two of them because they get everything that's happening."
Scimeca-Knierim echoed her husband's praises of the coaching duo, adding that they see similarities in their personalities with each coach, and it makes the on-ice dynamic better when each coach can see either side.
"If there's tension or emotion building, I can take my two cents and talk to Jenni, and Chris can take a lap with Todd, and they kind of give us insight and opinions on what to do," Scimeca-Knierim explained.
With an additional coach, she finds that there are less draining or discouraging moments in their day-to-day training, especially when she or Knierim don't have to hear the other person's side consistently, and can catch a breath every once in a while.
"They understand the difference between showing up at the rink and seeing your partner for four hours a day and separating, versus seeing your partner 24/7," Knierim said. "They are more sensitive to the idea that we're together all the time, and that we care a little bit more about how the other person feels in that moment, and it goes beyond just a partner."
Other than the on-ice dynamic, the couple has been touching up elements, refining moments and reconnecting with the flow of the season, citing that their new coaching team has helped them become more consistent looking towards U.S. Championships.
"During those first few weeks, we kind of simplified the chaos we were feeling on the ice," Scimeca-Knierim said. "We're in a really good head space right now."
Through it all, the couple relied on each other for strength, patience and faith.
"Each obstacle that came our way, and each decision we had to make, there was never any panic," Scimeca-Knierim said. "We just built on that from past experiences and having the knowledge that we can't control everything. It just made us tougher, and gave us a little bit thicker skin."
As 2018 came to a close, the whirlwind slowed, and the pair continued to prepare to defend their title, Knierim said, "We're just excited to go compete and show what we've been working on to all the fans in Detroit."
Watch the championship pairs and entire senior competition live, on-demand and commercial-free on NBC Sports Gold Figure Skating Pass.
