Knierim and Frazier, Tennell Lead After First Day of 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships

Originally slated for San Jose, California, action returned to The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas for the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Competition kicked off with a bang Thursday night, with perennial U.S. title contender Bradie Tennell leading the ladies' field and Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier pacing the pairs in the first U.S. Championships of their partnership.
 
LADIES
 
The circumstances of the 2020-21 season are not what one would consider ideal, with skaters facing a lighter competition schedule, staying in a bubble and performing without a crowd.
 
For 2018 U.S. champion Bradie Tennell, she also doesn't have coach Tom Zakrajsek with her in Las Vegas.
 
Luckily for Tennell, she has a secret weapon.
 
"Honestly, I think I perform better under adverse circumstances," she said.
 
That held true in the short program, as Tennell's performance to "Moderation" by Florence and the Machine earned 79.40 points, setting a new U.S. Championships record and landing her in first place.
 
"I'm really happy with the way I skated tonight," Tennell said. "I think I really went out there and attacked it, and did what I've been training. And I'm just really happy that with everything that's gone on this year, I was able to put out a performance that I'm really proud of."
 
Tennell has now won the short program in four consecutive U.S. Championships dating back to 2018, when she won the title. She has since won silver in 2019 and bronze in 2020.
 
While she would love to win the title again, it's not something she allows herself to dwell on.
 
"It's one of those things that can be very overwhelming if you constantly dwell on it," she said. "So I choose to keep it tucked away in the back of my mind. But it is something that I'm striving for. So I would say that it's always there, but it's not like on a billboard. It's kind of in a drawer."
 
She could now, however, be close to climbing that mountain again, as she heads into the free skate with momentum on her side.
 
"I think that's the most relaxed I've ever skated at any competition ever," Tennell said. "It was just so much fun, and I just really enjoyed myself. That feeling when I finished that program, that is what I work for every day. That's why I go to the rink every day, is to have that feeling at the end of a program at a competition. So I'm really happy that I was able to have that and perform like that, and I can't wait to perform again tomorrow."
 
Two-time reigning U.S. champion Alysa Liu sits in second place with 76.36 points for her skate to "La Strada - Suite" by Nino Rota.
 
"I'm pretty pleased with myself," Liu said. "It's the program I wanted to do, the program I've been practicing for the last few weeks, and I'm pretty happy with how I did today."
 
This is Liu's first competition of the 2020-21 season since the International Selection Pool (ISP) Points Challenge, a virtually-held competition hosted by U.S. Figure Skating, in September. The last time she skated at a live competition, she took bronze at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2020 last March.
 
"It does feel a little weird having nationals be the first live competition, not going to lie," Liu said with a laugh. "It's a little strange, especially because it's also the last competition of the season. So it feels a little different. It doesn't really feel like a nationals, but it does feel like a competition still, without the audience."
 
In third place, 2020 U.S. silver medalist Mariah Bell scored 72.37 points for her skate to "Glitter in the Air" by P!nk.
 
"I am honestly pretty disappointed," Bell said. "I had a mistake on the Lutz that I honestly never make, but other than that, I'm really looking forward to the long program, and I know that we're all really lucky just to be able to compete."
 
Bell was also appreciative of the "Kiss and Cry Live," a video board in the kiss and cry that allowed family members and Friends of Figure Skating to cheer on skaters live via Zoom.
 
"I did see (my family) after my program, so that was really cool," Bell said. "I usually have a lot of family that comes to U.S. Championships, so it's kind of like a family reunion every year. Obviously it's a bummer we don't get that this year, but I did feel like they were kind of there."
 
2017 U.S. champion Karen Chen is in fourth place after her program to "Rise" by Katy Perry earned 70.99 points.
 
"It was really great. I really fought for all my jumps," Chen said. "I will say the combo and the loop were not the best. I've done so much better in practice, and I was definitely just a little bit tense during the performance. But I'm really happy with how I just fought through this whole entire program and gave it my all."

The ladies finale will air live tomorrow night from 8-11 p.m. ET on NBC. Fans can also watch the competition live and on-demand on Peacock Premium.

PAIRS

The joy was written all over Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier's faces in the kiss and cry as their short program score was announced.
 
Skating to "In the End" by Tommee Profitt and "Too Far Gone" by Hidden Citizens, Knierim and Frazier scored 77.46 points, breaking the pairs short program record set by Alexa and Chris Knierim last season at U.S. Championships.
 
Not even face masks could hide their delight as they celebrated taking a sizable lead at their first U.S. Championships as a team after pairing up in March of 2020.
 
"I have so many emotions; I already cried once I got off the kiss and cry," Knierim said immediately following their performance. "All positive emotions, of course. We just worked so hard. I can't even describe the work we put in to get here."
 
The duo won 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America in October for their first medal together as a team in not just their first Grand Prix together, but the first live competition of their partnership.
 
This was their third clean program in a row.
 
"Even when you're under pressure, especially at a championship event, no matter how trained you are, there is a little bit of that uncomfortable competitive feeling you get," Frazier said. "But her and I stayed locked in, and we really trusted each other and worked together."
 
They head into Saturday's free skate with a 6.16-point lead on training mates Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson, who currently sit in second place.
 
Knierim and Frazier, both of whom have won U.S. titles with previous partners Chris Knierim and Haven Denney, respectively, are still adjusting to their new partnership and the added pressure that comes with any level of success.
 
"I definitely remember that feeling of not having too much of an expectation at Skate America, and I will say, because of the hours that we put in after Skate America up until this day, I did have more expectation out of myself because I feel like I've grown in those last two months," Knierim said. "So I actually did have more expectation today within myself as an individual skater to bring to the team than I did before. And I think that's also why I started my program a little bit tight, because I had a little bit more thought process behind it all."
 
"This is our second live event, and we're still learning, so this was a huge (step)," Frazier added. "We got the job done, and it always feels good when you can do that, but this is experience for us for the bigger picture."
 
Calalang and Johnson earned 71.30 points for their program set to "Light of the Seven" composed by Ramin Djawadi.
 
"Brian and I agree that our program today was a little bit of a fight," Calalang said. "But we are just going to put that past us and look forward to the free skate."
 
The pair finished a career-best second at last year's U.S. Championships, and won silver at Skate America®.
 
"Definitely being at Skate America this past year helped us know what to expect when we do both of our programs," Calalang said of the closed-to-fans environment in The Orleans Arena. "So at home we've really been focusing on performing, even when no one is in the stands, and we just pretend that there's everyone there."
 
Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov, the 2018 U.S. junior champions, placed third, scoring 69.56 points for their program to "Show Must Go On" from Moulin Rouge!.
 
"We're very happy," Mitrofanov said. "We can see that our hard work is paying off. I think the best thing we can say right now is our goal is just to make it to the World Team, and so that's what we're now trying to push forward towards. So we're very happy with this accomplishment."
 
2019 U.S. Champions Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc placed fourth in the short program, with their skate to "Never Tear Us Apart" by Bishop Briggs from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack earning 66.02 points.
 
"Overall, I feel like the program as a whole was good," Cain-Gribble said. "Just with that mistake in there, and the slight touchdown on the Lutz, but they're things that can be fixed."

The pairs will return to the ice on Saturday night at 5:19 p.m. PT for the free skate. Fans can watch the pairs live on NBCSN from 9 p.m. – midnight ET.

Don't forget to check out the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships Virtual Fan Experience for a behind the scenes look at the event from the comfort of your home!