Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim, American skaters: “We will continue compeiting with the quad and will try to improve us again”

Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim won the national title in January with a good score and a beautiful performance with an high level quadruple twist. At Four Continents the american couple finished fifth. Surely a pair that can obtain a good result at World Championship 2015, but also in the next international competitions and in the Olympic Games.

Are you satisfied with the beginning of the season? What are your feelings after the national title?

“We are very pleased with the start of the 2015 year. It was a huge aspiration of ours to win Nationals. We went into the competition with the intention to win, so being able to succeed there is an unforgettable experience. We were able to carry the mindset and momentum going into the Four Continents Championships. We wanted to make small improvements there because there was a short turn around from US Nationals to the Four Continents. We were able to perform a seasons best score in both the short and long internationally. There is still room for improvement”.

What are your goals for  the World Championships?

“Our goal for worlds is to skate a clean short and long. We have not performed a clean long this season in competition and it would be very gratifying to do so at the World Championships. We believe we are cabable of doing so”.

This season you have been working on the quadruple twist that you have made at the Nationals perfectly. How did you work on this technical element? What is your training routine?

“The quad twist came to us very quickly. We excuted one fully rotated on the first day. With more practice and repetition we decided it would be a good risk for us to take at competitions. We executed a level 3 at Nationals with positive GOE. At Four Continents the twist wasn’t as smooth. We lost points on it, but it equals out to be the same as a triple. We will continue compeiting with the quad and work on consistently executing the catch smoothly”.

Can you tell us about your programs? How did you choose the music?

“The short is El Tango de Roxxane. When we chose the music it was very out of the box for us. We wanted to explore our capabilities with different music genres. This program happened to work out for the best. It has enhanced our skating and taken it to the next level. The free skate music was chosen by our choreographer. It is a fun and romantic piece. It is great to have two programs be so opposite of each other”.

What will you do when you will stop your competitions at high level?

“We both want to give back to our sport. We will continue to stay connected in some way and help others reach their potential”.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

“As a couple we like to stay home and keep our free time relaxing. However, in the summer we enjoy outdoor activites like camping and fishing. Chris has a passion for cars and often works on them for enjoyment”.

After changing some partners, when did you realize that you were the perfect ones for each other?

“From the beginning, our bodies matched up nicely. The height diffference was great and our legs shared a very similar line. After spending time on the ice for a few weeks the elements had potential to be great. We made the decision to skate together although we had diffferent technique from different partners. We worked hard and adjusted things. When our personal relationship began to mesh, we knew our partnership was perfect for us”.

Last season you didn’t take part to the Olympic Games: a great disappointment for you. Anyway you won the bronze medal at the Four Contintents: were you happy with this result?

“Yes. There will always be disapointments along the way in any journey. The key is to keep moving forward and focus on what you can control”.

Special thanks to Chris and Alexa for attention, to the manager Kylie Culnane of Fireworks Sports and Entertainment for the courtesy and Wilma Alberti for the fabulous photos.

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eleonora.baroni@olimpiazzurra.com