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2021 US National Championships

SKATERS REPRESENTING THE RINKS AND GREAT PARK ICE WIN FIVE MEDALS AT U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIP

THE FOUR SENIOR MEDALS WERE THE MOST BY A SINGLE SKATING PROGRAM IN THE COUNTRY

NATHAN CHEN WINS FIFTH STRAIGHT U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIP, ALEXA KNIERIM AND BRANDON FRAZIER WIN PAIRS

IRVINE, Calif. – The Irvine Ice Foundation today announced that skaters representing The Rinks and Great Park Ice won two gold medals and four combined medals at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships this week in Las Vegas at Orleans Arena. The four medals represented the most by a single skating program in the country. Fifteen skaters (equaling the most in the country) represented The Rinks and Great Park Ice at the national championship. 

Nathan Chen won his fifth straight U.S. Figure Skating Championship today (2017-present), becoming the first American to win five consecutive national championships since Dick Button earned seven straight titles from 1946-52. Skating under Great Park Ice’s Head Coach of High Performance, Rafael Arutyunyan and choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne, Chen (322.28) won the championship by a 30.9 point margin, placing first in both the Short Program and Free Skate.  

Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier won their first-ever U.S. Figure Skating Championship as a pair on Thursday, with Knierim collecting her fourth overall and second straight Pairs title. Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson finished second for the second straight year, with Great Park Ice’s pairs teams coached by Todd Sand, Jenni Meno Sand and Christine Binder, placing in the top two positions in both 2020 and 2021.   

Five skaters from The Rinks and Great Park Ice will represent Team USA at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships to be held in Stockholm from Mar. 22-28, including Chen, and pairs Knierim and Frazier, and Calalang and Johnson. Chen is a two-time World Champion.

Yaroslav Paniot, coached by Todd Eldredge, won the pewter medal in the men’s championship, with Eric Sjoberg finishing ninth.  Kanon Smith (age 12), coached by Tammy Gambill, won the silver medal in the Junior Ladies championship.

Also representing The Rinks at this week’s U.S. Figure Skating Championship were Mariah Bell (fifth overall, Senior Ladies), Starr Andrews (12th, Senior Ladies), JoonSoon Kim (13th, Senior Men), and Katie McBeath and Nathan Bartholomay (seventh, Pairs),  Matthew Nielson (7th Junior Men), and Michael Xie (8th Junior Men).

Nathan Chen - 2021 US National Senior Men's Champion

Accomplishments:
  • 2018 Olympic Bronze Medalist – Team Event
  • 2018, 2019 World Champion
  • 2017, 2018, 2019 Grand Prix Final Champion
  • 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 US National Senior Champion
  • 2020 Skate America Champion – (7-Time Sr. Grand Prix Champion)
  • 2020 USFS ISP Points Challenge – 1st Place Senior
Coaching Team:

Rafael Arutyunyan, Shae-Lynn Bourne

 

 

Yaroslav Paniot - 2021 US National Senior Men's Pewter Medalist

Accomplishments:
  • 2018 Olympian – Ukraine
  • 2020 US National – 10th Place Senior
  • 2020 USFS Virtual Championship Series – 2nd Place Senior
Coaching Team:

Todd Eldredge, Misha Ge

 

 

Alexa Knierim & Brandon Frazier - 2021 US National Pairs Champion

Accomplishments:
  • 2020 Skate America Champion
  • 2020 USFS ISP Points Challenge – 2nd Place
  • Alexa Knierim
    • 2018 Olympic Bronze Medalist – Team Event
    • 2015, 2018, 2020 US National Champion
  • Brandon Frazier
    • 2017 US National Champion
    • 2013 Junior World Champion
Coaching Team:

Todd Sand, Jenni Meno, Christine Binder, Chris Knierim, Rafael Arutyunyan, Nina Mozer, Renee Roca

 

 

Jessica Calalang & Brian Johnson - 2021 US National Pairs Silver Medalist

Accomplishments:
  • 2020 US National Silver Medalist
  • 2020 Skate America Silver Medalist
  • 2019 Warsaw Cup Champion
  • 2020 USFS ISP Points Challenge – 1st Place
Coaching Team:

Jenni Meno, Todd Sand, Christine Binder, Nina Mozer, Cindy Stuart, Benoit Richaud

 

 

Kanon Smith - 2021 US National Junior Ladies Silver Medalist

Accomplishments:
  • 2019 US National Juvenile Champion
  • 2019 Pacific Coast Sectional - Juvenile Champion
  • 2020 USFS Virtual Championship Series – 4th Place Junior
Coaching Team:

Tammy Gambill, Jonathan Cassar, Alex Chang

 

 

2021 U.S. Nationals Competitors

Senior Ladies:

Starr Andrews

Accomplishments:
  • 2017 US National - Junior Silver Medalist
  • 2019 International Cup Silver Medalist
  • 2017, 2020 Junior World Competitor
  • 2020 US National – 6th Place Senior
  • 2021 US National – 12th Place Senior
Coaching Team:

Derrick Delmore, Peter Kongkasem, Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov, Anastasiya Sharenkova

Mariah Bell

Accomplishments:
  • 2017, 2018, 2019 World Team Member
  • 2017, 2019, 2020 US National Senior Medalist
  • 2020 Skate America Champion – (4-Time Sr. Grand Prix Medalist)
  • 2020 USFS ISP Points Challenge – 1st Place Senior
  • 2021 US National – 5th Place Senior
Coaching Team:

Rafael Arutyunyan, Vera Arutyunyan, Adam Rippon, Shae-Lynn Bourne, Molly Oberstar

 

 

Senior Men's:

Joonsoo Kim

Accomplishments:
  • 2019 US National Collegiate Champion
  • 2019 US National - Junior Bronze Medalist
  • 2019 Bavarian Open – Junior Silver Medalist
  • 2021 US National – 13th Place Senior
Coaching Team:

Derrick Delmore, Peter Kongkasem, Ivan Dinev

Eric Sjoberg

Accomplishments:
  • 2016 US National Novice Champion
  • 2017 US National - Junior Pewter Medalist
  • 2020 US National - Junior Silver Medalist
  • 2020 USFS Virtual Championship Series – 1st Place Senior
  • 2021 US National – 9th Place Senior
Coaching Team:

Rafael Arutyunyan, Nadezda Kanaeva, Vera Arutyunyan, Denys Petrov, Adam Rippon, Tom Dickson, Molly Oberstar

 

 

Senior Pairs:

Katie McBeath & Nate Bartholomay

Accomplishments:
  • 2020 USFS ISP Points Challenge – 7th Place
  • 2021 US National – 7th Place Senior
  • Nathan Bartholomay
    • 2014 Olympian
    • 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019 US National Senior Medalist
  • Katie McBeath
    • 4-Time US National Senior Ladies Competitor
Coaching Team:

Todd Sand, Jenni Meno, Christine Binder, Chris Knierim, John Kerr

 

 

Junior Men:

Matthew Nielsen

Accomplishments:
  • 2018 US National – Intermediate Silver Medalist
  • 2019 US National - Novice Silver Medalist
  • 2020 USFS Virtual Championship Series – 5th Place Junior
  • 2021 US National – 7th Place Junior
Coaching Team:

Rafael Arutyunyan, Vera Arutyunyan, Nadia Kanaeva, Hov Mkrtchian, Tom Dickson

Michael Xie

Accomplishments:
  • 2019 Pacific Coast Sectional - Intermediate Gold Medalist
  • 2020 Pacific Coast - Novice Bronze Medalist
  • 2020 Challenge Cup (The Hague) - Advanced Novice Gold Medalist
  • 2020 USFS Virtual Championship Series – 10th Place Junior
  • 2021 US National – 8th Place Junior
Coaching Team:

Laura Lipetsky, Alex Chang

 

 

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