Brandon Frazier and Chris Knierim

In 2012, Alexa Scimeca had flown out to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to begin training with Dalilah Sappenfield, and was just beginning a partnership with Chris Knierim.Scimeca and Knierim developed feelings for each other very quickly, but as they were still very early on in their partnership, Alexa couldn't be totally sure if the feelings were mutual.That is, until the pair got together to watch Lord of the Rings with Chris's old friend Brandon Frazier."Brandon went out of his way to tell me that he's never seen Chris act like that with a girl, and that he really likes me, because usually he's a little bit more shy," Alexa, married to Knierim since 2016, said. "And when Brandon said that to me, I knew that, oh, Chris really likes me, because Brandon was such a good friend."Now, eight years later, Alexa Knierim and Frazier are beginning a new chapter in their long history.With both Chris and Haven Denney, Frazier's longtime partner, stepping away from competitive figure skating, Knierim and Frazier have announced their partnership ahead of the 2020-21 season."One of the first things I did say after Alexa and I agreed to do a tryout, before I went out there, I just was like, 'Who would've thought you and I would've ever had an opportunity to skate together?'" Frazier said.It's news that caps a significant shakeup amongst the top U.S. pairs since the 2020 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships where the Knierims won their third U.S. title. Denney and Frazier were the top finishing U.S. pair on the Grand Prix circuit, winning bronze at 2019 Skate America presented by American Cruise Lines and Internationaux de France.In the next month, Chris announced his retirement from the sport. Meanwhile, Denney and Frazier, who won the U.S. title in 2017, were privately coming to the end of their own partnership, and several weeks after the U.S. Championships, they sat down to discuss their future."Haven and I care a lot about one another, obviously, given our history and everything, so it was a very good conversation about what we want, and where our hearts are, given where we were," Frazier said.They came to the mutual decision to no longer compete together – a difficult decision, but one they were comfortable with nonetheless – and began thinking about their next steps. It was then that Frazier knew that he wasn't done competing.With Denney's support, he began exploring other options."I definitely want to take the opportunity to just thank her for everything, all her devotion and work and sacrifice she's given," Frazier said. "It was amazing to be a part of. The things we did through our journey together, it's something that will last a lifetime for me, and honestly, she definitely brought out the best in me."Several days later, Frazier reached out to Knierim, who was going through her own grieving process following Chris's retirement. The two are still happily married, but Alexa took the weeks following Four Continents to process the ending of their skating journey, and gained some closure in not jumping into a new partnership right away.When she heard from Frazier, she was both ready to find a new partner and excited about the opportunity to skate with him, but there was some hesitation."When he called me, I was surprised and happy, but I really wanted to hear from Haven as well, because I've competed alongside them with Chris for seven years, and we've all developed a strong bond together," Knierim said. "And Haven's been one of the pair girls that I've really admired, and kind of let myself be vulnerable around. Her and I have had a lot of heart-to-heart talks throughout our competitive journey. And before pursuing anything, really, I wanted to hear her."The two spoke on the phone and, only after getting Denney's blessing and support, Knierim and Frazier arranged a tryout.They had begun talking just as the country was shutting down and limiting travel in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Frazier rushed to Knierim's home in California to sneak in a tryout while they still could. While it was an abbreviated tryout, just a few days, the chemistry and the potential were there."We were both honest that we were both kind of nervous for the tryout, because we were with the same person competitively for so many years," Knierim said. "We've done everything with one person forever. And we were both with someone that we care about deeply, so we were both kind of acknowledging that and knowing that it was going to be weird, but we were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. And I think that comes from both of us just loving the sport so much, and still being able to do what we love and take on a new challenge.""I even admitted to them (Alexa and Chris) that day one when we started, I was very nervous. I was probably more nervous than I was when I compete," Frazier added. "And not in a negative way. It was just all so new, and change can be different and can be a little nerve-racking. But working through that with Alexa, she has a very great open mind to talking and working through those feelings with her and with the team."The team includes coaches Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, as well as Chris, who will join the pair's primary coaching team. Chris was present for the tryout, offering both technical advice and more emotional support for his wife and old friend."Working with Chris was great," Frazier said. "Chris and I, we have a long history. We grew up together in Colorado. And he's got obviously a lot of experience, and a lot of amazing qualities about him, and he's definitely one of the best in the business. So him being there as a support system way was great for both of us. And then on a technical level, it was even better. It helped to process (things) so much easier and smoother, and I'm grateful for the work he was able to provide, and will provide in the future."Since the tryout, Knierim and Frazier have been unable to skate together. The Knierims are under the shelter-in-place order in California, while Frazier is at home in Florida. They've spent this mandatory time apart discussing their programs, music ideas and things they'd like to try, and getting to know each other in an off-ice capacity. Knierim sent Frazier an off-ice jump challenge, and had Chris practice lifts with her in the backyard to experiment with things she wants to try with Frazier."I don't feel stressed at all about anything," Frazier said. "It's really kind of nice to have this time to kind of gel into this situation, and think about our goals together and build that communication that we're going to use when we get on the ice to start all the brutal work."And obviously, I mean, I'm trying to do the jumps that she sent me," he said with a laugh. "It's really hard."While both have eventual Olympic aspirations, they're stepping into this new partnership with measured goals. They hope to be on the Grand Prix circuit as soon as this year, but first look forward to simply getting all their elements down.It's a far cry from 2012, when Frazier watched Alexa and Chris try out together for the first time, and third-wheeled on trips to Denver from Colorado Springs."It has been one big journey," Frazier said. "And they've always been such a fun team to compete against. As we've developed, they've always been that team that has pushed me to try to be better than what I think I'm capable of."So excitement is an understatement. It's going to be great, just to be with them and working with them on this professional level."