Overall, the pairs event at US nationals was probably the least exciting for me. As much as I enjoyed the skating, the rivalries within the other disciplines were more interesting, and I found less discrepancies in judging. After some of the other events, the Pairs was of the least interest to me.
Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim are a fantastic pair, and one of the few with a quad element. Their quad twist has not always been executed well, but at nationals their quad twist was executed better than some of the triple twists from other teams.
Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier were a bit of a surprise to me at the beginning of the season. When I saw they were skating to The Lion King, I have to say, I was skeptical, but the program has grown on me, and though not my favourite, it is certainly not one of the worst music choices this season. The US has some strong pairs teams, but it is doubtful that any of their pairs will end up on the world podium, though certainly not impossible, should other teams have less than perfect skates it is entirely possible for either Scimeca and Knierim or Denney and Frazier to take a spot on the podium.
Madeline Aaron and Max Settlage, one of my personal favourites, finished in 4th place overall, after a less than stellar 7th place finish in the short program. Considering their place and the distance behind even third place, a fourth place finish was a solid way for these two to end the competition. They will not get to attend worlds or four continents, though is the US had a third spot to the Four Continents Championships, there is a good chance they would have been selected to attend. However, scoring well is too important to ensure that next year the US can send at least two teams, that sending the fourth place team would have not been the safest choice for the USFSA. It is, however, unfortunate that we will not get to see them compete again this season. Their programs are charming, and watching Madeline in particular is always a delight, even when the technical elements are not executed perfectly.
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