Every season is a fresh start for skaters, a chance to write a different chapter. That's what Alexa Knierim and Chris Knierim are looking to do this season. Their move to coaches Jenni Meno & Todd Sand has refreshed their skating and given them a more confident mindset this year.
Last season, the Knierims never got a chance to feel settled in one place. After the Olympics, they moved to Chicago and commuted between that city and Oberstdorf, Germany, to work with 2018 Olympic champion Aliona Savchenko. When that coaching situation ended, they had to move again, midway through the 2018-19 season, to join Meno and Sand's group in Southern California.
"There were a lot of challenges," Alexa said of last season. With all the difficulties off the ice, the team found it hard to achieve good results on the ice.
Additionally, Chris struggled with a torn wrist tendon all season. "It started last summer, with the lift we were doing in the short program, where Alexa did a flip up," he explained. "All season, it was there. We just kept going." Chris had surgery in February. The rehab from the injury was a bit frustrating, in that he could not practice lifts and some other elements. However, the injury is now fully healed.
The couple has chosen to look for the silver lining in the difficulties they've faced. "If we hadn't experienced some of the things we did last year, we might not have ended up here, which is where we needed to be. Everything worked out in the end. We just had to wait for it to work itself out, as is usually the case," Alexa said philosophically.
After a full off-season with Meno and Sand, the Knierims feel that their level of confidence and readiness is much improved. "We've been training much more consistently in practice," Alexa said. The team has been completing their elements more regularly when doing sections of programs or full run-throughs.
"Inconsistency in practice had been a problem for a long time," Scimeca Knierim admitted. In the past, the team felt physically prepared for competitions, but didn't necessarily have the number of successful reps on elements that they might have liked.
In the new training situation, their consistency on elements has improved. "It helps us feel calmer going into competition," Alexa said. When they skate well, she noted, "it doesn't come as a shock or a surprise." Rather, it's more a reflection of what they're doing in practice.
The team opened their 2019-20 season at Nebelhorn Trophy, where they claimed the silver medal. They followed that success with a fourth-place finish at Skate Canada International. "It was a strong field at Skate Canada. We felt that we held our own pretty well," Alexa commented.
This year, the Knierims started working with coach Rafael Arutunian to improve their side-by-side jumps. "We try to work with Rafael as often as we can," Alexa said. They typically take two lessons a week with Arutunian, plus two edge classes with his group. "That's in addition to our regular pairs training sessions," she noted. When Arutunian travels to competitions, they work with one of his assistant coaches.
"Rafael said that it will be a year before we really see the full effect [of his approach]. But we already see small improvements," Alexa noted. A key area where Arutunian is helping? Confidence. "He has confidence in us, that we can do the jumps," said Alexa. It's a boost for the couple.
The Knierims modified their jump layouts this season to work toward more consistency. They've replaced their longtime jump in the short program, side-by-side triple Salchows, with triple toe loop. "We'd been doing triple Salchows for so long, and we'd been having jump issues for so long, that we thought we might as well try something new," Chris said of the change. "We didn't have much to lose this year."
The team has also opted to make triple toe loop the first jump in their free skate (in combination), with a triple Salchow placed second. "Since we've been doing triple Salchow for so long, we felt we could better perform it with a little fatigue," Chris explained.
The couple is also fine-tuning their throw jumps. Alexa said their throws suffered a bit last season, likely because of the intervals when they were between coaches. "Without a coach's eye on them, we saw some regression in our throw jumps," she said. They are working to get back to their former level of consistency.
The Knierims asked Benoit Richaud to choreograph their programs for the second year in a row. The couple had a strong vision of the programs they wanted this season, choosing both pieces of music themselves.
For the short program, the Knierims went with the popular romantic standard "At Last." They had been wanting to use "At Last" for several years. "It's something we really relate to. But it just kept getting pushed to the side," said Alexa. "This year, for whatever reason, turned out to be the year." They chose the Beyonce version because it was slightly more upbeat than other renditions and "wouldn't be too slow on the ice."
For their free skate, the Knierims discussed with their coaches the type of mood they wanted. When they saw Mariah Bell skate her long program last year to Ludovico Einaudi's "Experience," the music immediately clicked. "Jenni and I just looked at each other, and we said, 'That's it!'" Alexa recalled.
They considered several other pieces of music. "But we just kept coming back to it," Alexa said of "Experience." The music in the middle of their free skate, "Drops of Fragrance," was composed for them by Maxime Rodriguez.
The intriguing and dramatic free skate has personal significance for the Knierims. It's meant to tell the story of their own journey on the ice over the last few years. "We're going through a rebirth, in a way," Alexa said of their skating now. The program is intended to evoke this feeling.
Richaud loved the music and concept for the free skate and was inspired to work on it. Together, Richaud and the Kneirims decided where to place the technical elements in the program. The Knierims are appreciative of the opportunity to work with Richaud; they feel he has helped take their skating to another level.
"Everything he does is a little bit unusual, but in a good way. It can take a long time to really understand what he wants you to do," Alexa noted. But they're very happy with the end result.
The couple's vision for their programs extended to costumes as well. "With costumes, we've done different approaches. But this year, I had something in mind for both costumes," Alexa said.
They again worked with noted costume designer Lisa McKinnon, as they have for several years. Alexa's elegant pale pink dress for their short program was inspired by a gown that the skater saw online. McKinnon designed the accompanying tuxedo costume for Chris. "Which he looks really handsome in," Alexa said approvingly.
For the long program, Alexa wanted a different look. "From the start, I knew it was going to be all about simplicity, no stones," she said. She chose the deep, dark purple shade for the top of her dress, and McKinnon dyed the fabric for her skirt. McKinnon went with a spare, complementary look for Chris' costume.
With their programs and packaging set, and good results already behind them this season, the Knierims look forward to competing this week at NHK Trophy in Sapporo, Japan. It will be their fifth time competing at the Japanese Grand Prix.
"We love competing at NHK," said Chris. "It's always a very well-run competition, and the crowds are amazing. Every year, when we think about competitions that we'd like to do, we think--Japan."
The Knierims will look to sustain the positive momentum of this season in Sapporo.
