KNIERIM-FRAZIER FORCED TO WITHDRAW
Defending champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier withdrew from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday night when he tested positive for COVID-19.
The pairs event begins today at what amounts to the U.S. trials for the Beijing Olympic team. Knierim and Frazier, who became a duo last season when her husband, Chris, retired from skating, still could be selected for the games. They would need to petition to a selection committee and prove they are fit to be chosen.
The United States has two spots in the pairs field for China.
Knierim competed at the 2018 Winter Games with her husband, finishing 15th.
The news of their withdrawal came hours after the sight of figure skating fans strolling past the historic Ryman
Auditorium and mingling around the entrance to Bridgestone Arena for the U.S. championships was at once fabulous and frightening.
Fabulous in that it should provide plenty of energy and atmosphere for the athletes, who last year had to skate before a sea of cardboard cutouts in Las Vegas because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Frightening for those with Olympics ambitions who, despite stringent protocols and vaccination requirements for everybody from fans on down, could be put at risk less than a month before the Beijing Games. As Knierim and Frazier learned.
“I know U.S. Figure Skating is doing everything it can to keep all the skaters and everyone protected,” said Karen Chen, a member of the 2018 team for the Pyeongchang Games. “All the skaters are vaccinated. We need a PCR test that’s negative before we get a credential. At least the people around me should be good and COVID-free.”
“But with the new variant out there, it’s a little scary,” Chen added. “I know it’s definitely going to be around. All we can do is just sanitize our hands a lot, wear our masks and hope for the best.”
For those who have credentials for the event — athletes, coaches, judges and the media — it takes navigating a pleasant if strict assembly line-like process just to gain entry. There are waivers to be signed, vaccination cards to be shown, a negative test taken within 72 hours of receiving credentials, and the agreement to test again four days after arrival.
For the fans, the decision was made late last month to implement stricter protocols that include proof of vaccination or a negative test within three days of the day they attend for anybody over 5 years old. There are signs with QR codes all over the place to download the CLEAR app, which helps streamline the process.
“I don’t know how I feel,” said two-time U.S. champ Alysa Liu, who is hoping to make her Olympic debut next month. “It would be a lot safer if everyone was vaccinated going through the hotels and stuff, but as long as I wear my masks the whole time and try to stay six feet apart or further from people, then I should be fine.”
Still, there are many other Olympic precursors unwilling to take a chance so close to the Beijing Games.
Last week, Skate Canada announced it will have no fans in attendance for its national championships, which begin this weekend at TD Place Arena in Ottawa. The move aligns with the Ontario government’s decision to limit attendance at sports and other event venues to 1,000 spectators or 50 percent of capacity, whichever is less.