Veteran duos Knierim/Frazier, Chock/Bates win U.S. titles in pairs and ice dance, respectively
Knierim and Frazier recaptured the crown after missing U.S. Championships in 2022 due to Covid. Chock and Bates won for a fourth time, landing on the podium for an 11th consecutive year.
Figure Skating
Reigning world champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier can all themselves national champions once again, too.
After missing the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 2022 due to a positive Covid-19 test for Frazier, the 2021 American winners climbed to the top of the podium in San Jose, Calif., at the SAP Center on Saturday evening (28 January).
They won going away, bringing the audience to its feet as a 146.01 in the free skate gave them a 227.97 overall, a 30-point gap between them and second-place finishers Emily Chan and Spencer Howe, who skated last and scored a 196.86 total (130.00 free).
It's a fifth national title for Knierim - having won three previously with her husband Chris - and third for Frazier, who formerly skated with Haven Denney.
Earlier, in ice dance, another veteran duo in Madison Chock and Evan Bates claimed their fourth national title and second in a row, landing on the podium for an 11th time in 12 appearances. Chock/Bates first won gold in 2015, then added titles in 2018 (also in San Jose), 2022 and this year.
The three-time world medallists won with a 229.75, over 20 points ahead of Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, who took silver with a 207.46.
Both Knierim/Frazier and Chock/Bates will lead their respective three-team squads for March's World Championships in Japan, U.S. Figure Skating announced on Saturday night.
On Friday (27 January), 15-year-old Isabeau Levito captured her first national title, holding off two-time champion Bradie Tennell. Ilia Malinin, meanwhile, leads the mean's event heading into Sunday's (29 January) free skate.
Pairs: Knierim/ Frazier see win as progression to what's next
There was a lingering satisfaction for Knierim/Frazier as they finished their Harry Styles "Sign of the Times" free skate, the two embracing mid-ice as SAP Center erupted around them. The team won two golds on the Grand Prix this season, but were second to the Japanese duo of Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi at last month's Grand Prix Final.
The rivals are set to meet at next month's Four Continents, but more notably at the World Championships in Japan in March.
"We had a late start to our season; we took time after the [exhibition] tour to continue on for another season," explained Frazier. "We treat every competition with the same intensity, but we are trying to progress every time we skate. This week was about progressing from Grand Prix Final."
The team was sturdy throughout, their side-by-side triple Salchows looking strong and their two Lasso lifts earning the biggest GEOs (Grades of Execution) of the night.
Chan and Howe skated after them, but the national title was sealed already.
Newcomer Ellie Kam and veteran Danny O'Shea, a new team this season, captured the bronze medal with a 184.01.
At Worlds, the top three teams (Knierim/Frazier, Chan/Howe and Kam/O'Shea) will represent Team USA, while Chan/Howe and Kam/O'Shea will be joined by fourth-place finishers Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez at Four Continents.
Ice dance: Chock/ Bates are class of field
It was over a decade ago - in 2012 - that Chock/Bates first appeared at nationals together, the competition taking in this very same building. Their fifth-place finish that year marks the only time they failed to land on the podium at the U.S. Championships in 12 visits.
"As sport evolves, you see more longevity from athletes in different sports," explained Chock, 30. "It's a great accomplishment for us to be a part of that group of people. We love working hard and that's something that drives us in our career."
Their "Souffrance"/"Les Tectonique" free dance swept the crowd away, and they got rewarded for it, a 137.85 the highest score of the day by more than 10 points. They received Level 4s across most of their elements, including their side-by-side twizzles mid-program which - upon completion - brought a roar from the arena.
Are the three-time Olympians thinking of competing until Milano Cortina 2026?
"Right now we're fully committed to our own process," replied Chock. "We don't know what the next four years hold, but we're committed to each other and to our goals. We'll decide when the time comes, take it season by season."
Their training mates Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker sat out the event, and while Green and Parsons won silver, it was Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko who claimed bronze, rising from fourth after the rhythm dance (198.45).
Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik placed fourth (198.13).
The Worlds team for ice dance will feature Chock/Bates and Green/Parsons, as well as Hawayek/Baker. Carreira/Ponomarenko got the nod for Four Continents, in addition to Chock/Bates and Green/Parsons.