change it.” In a discipline in which skaters often find it difficult to stay together, Scimeca and Knierim said their relationship has helped them through the good times and the bad. In their first year together, Scimeca and Knierim won the silver medal at the 2013 U.S. Cham- pionships and placed ninth at Worlds. For a new team, they displayed a strong connection and a lot of potential. Te following year, with the Olympics on the line, they hoped to be one of two U.S. teams to be selected to compete in Sochi. But they were both coming off injuries; she in- jured her foot in practice shortly before the 2013 Four Continents Championships in February and he broke his ankle in July. He had several screws surgically placed in his foot and wasn’t able to jump until September. Sappenfield knew going into the pres-
sure cooker that is the U.S. Championships in an Olympic season, it was not going to be easy for her skaters, and in their short pro- gram to “Papa Can Your Hear Me?” they both fell on side-by-side Salchows, putting them in fifth place. Scimeca knew, she said, before the music ended that they were not going to make it to Sochi. Tey closed
the U.S. Champion-
ships with a bit of a comeback in the free skate, but placed a disappointing fourth overall, a finish that dashed their Olym- pic hopes but didn’t end their partnership. “I think I cried on his shoulder for days,”
said Scimeca, noting that she shut off her phone because she could not handle speaking much to anyone. “It was hard,” Knierim added, “but it made it easier because we had each other.” Making things more difficult was that they had to put their disappointment behind them quickly as they had to head straight to the 2014 Four Continents Championships in Taipei. Tey admitted they were “going through the motions” and practices were messy, and although they returned with a bronze medal, it was tough to get motivated at their rink back in Colorado. “I’m either all in or all out,” Scimeca
said. “Who’s to know if I had a different part- ner what might have happened? Chris tried to get me to enjoy it again but it was hard to go through the pain of not reaching your dream.”
Tey watched the Olympics and Worlds and said they cheered for Team USA but it was bittersweet. It wasn’t until they received a visit from Julie Marcotte that things began to change for the couple. Te high-energy, Montreal-based choreographer flew to Colo- rado, and her positive persona helped get the skaters back on track. “By the end of March, early April, I could see that they were really ready to let the past go and start fresh,” Sappenfield said. “Tey set goals and they haven’t looked back.” Te two are in a much better place on the ice and off of it.
A dedicated and skilled mechanic, Knierim hopes to one day own his own auto shop.
“Tere are days when we have a bad practice and both of us are upset,” Knierim said.
“But then one of us says, ‘Hey, snap out
of it,’” Scimeca said. Te two live together in an apartment
just a five-minute drive to the Ice Hall, and their home is sprinkled with various words of inspiration. A pillow on their couch reads, “Enjoy the little things in life, for someday you will realize they were the big things.” A painting on the wall has brushstrokes that one might think are just random lines, but Scimeca is quick to point out that one looks like the letter “C” and the other like an “A.” And the two quite dote on their cat,
Scarlet. Anyone who checks Scimeca’s Twitter feed quickly learns that Scarlet has more than a special place in her heart. Not only does Scarlet own a pink boa, she has a variety of dresses. Scarlet even played a role in Knierim’s marriage proposal as he tied the engagement ring onto a white satin dress that was custom made for the feline. “I threw a ball into Alexa’s room and
watched little Scarlet run after it,” Knierim said. “I waited about a minute and walked in. Got down on one knee the rest is history.” While they both clearly like each other, skating and Scarlet, they do have their dif- ferences when it comes to outside interests. Knierim is a car guy who loves to tinker with his 1999 Chevy Camaro. She, meanwhile, is perfectly fine in her Honda Civic.
PHOTOS BY HANS ROSEMOND
24 NOVEMBER 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68