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2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships January 11-21, 2021 Las Vegas | The Orleans Arena Media Information and Story Ideas The U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held annually since 1914, is the nation’s most prestigious figure skating event. The competition crowns U.S. champions in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dance at the senior and junior levels. The 2021 U.S. Championships will serve as the final qualifying event prior to selecting and announcing the U.S. World Figure Skating Team that will represent Team USA at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm. The marquee event was relocated from San Jose, California, to Las Vegas late in the fall due to COVID-19 considerations. San Jose meanwhile was awarded the 2023 Toyota U.S. Championships, marking the fourth time that the city will host the event. Competition and practice for the junior and Championship competitions will be held at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The event will take place in a bubble format with no spectators. Las Vegas, Nevada This is the first time the U.S. Championships will be held in Las Vegas. The entertainment capital of the world most recently hosted 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America and 2019 Skate America presented by American Cruise Lines. The Orleans Arena The Orleans Arena is one of the nation’s leading mid-size arenas. It is located at The Orleans Hotel and Casino and is operated by Coast Casinos, a subsidiary of Boyd Gaming Corporation. The arena is the home to the Vegas Rollers of World Team Tennis since 2019, and plays host to concerts, sporting events and NCAA Tournaments. Learn to Skate USA – Las Vegas Learn to Skate USA programs make skating fun and safe for all as they grow an everlasting love for this sport. January marks the 20th anniversary of National Skating Month, and U.S. Figure Skating is promoting ways to celebrate both in- person and virtually. Las Vegas is home to three U.S. Figure Skating Clubs. Figure Skating Club Arena Las Vegas FSC SoBe Ice Arena SC of Nevada Las Vegas Ice Center Vegas Golden Knights Center of Excellence City National Arena U.S. Championships Records Most U.S. titles: Ladies: Michelle Kwan, Maribel Vinson – 9 Men: Dick Button, Roger Turner – 7 Pairs: Theresa Weld Blanchard and Nathanial Niles – 9 Ice dance: Meryl Davis and Charlie White – 6 Youngest U.S. ladies and men’s champions: Ladies: Alysa Liu, 13 (2019) Men: Scott Allen, 14 (1964) Oldest U.S. ladies and men’s champions: Ladies: Theresa Weld Blanchard, 30 (1924) Men: Chris Christenson, 51 (1926) Scores Scores before 2019 listed in the section below are considered historic due to the change in the IJS scoring structure during the 2018-19 season. The top three championship-level scores at the 2020 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships: Ladies: Alysa Liu | SP: 75.40, FS: 160.12, Final: 235.52 Mariah Bell | SP: 73.22, FS 151.99, Final: 225.21 Bradie Tennell | SP: 78.96, FS: 141.90, Final: 220.86 Men: Nathan Chen | SP: 114.13, FS: 216.04, Final: 330.17 Jason Brown | SP: 100.99, FS: 191.89, Final: 292.88 Tomoki Hiwatashi | SP: 94.21, FS: 183.87, Final: 278.08 Pairs: Alexa Knierim and Chris Knierim | SP: 77.06, FS: 139.09, Final: 216.15 Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson | SP: 67.56, FS: 146.01, Final: 213.57 Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea | SP: 70.35, FS: 133.72, Final: 204.07 Ice Dance: Madison Chock and Evan Bates | RD: 87.63, FS: 134.23, Final: 221.86 Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue | RD: 86.31, FS: 130.88, Final: 217.19 Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker | RD: 82.59, FS: 118.57, Final: 201.16 Reigning U.S. champions personal best scores: ALYSA LIU (ladies) International Competition SP – 71.19 (2019 Junior Grand Prix Final) FS – 138.99 (2019 Junior Grand Prix, Poland) Final Score – 208.10 (2019 Junior Grand Prix, USA) U.S. Qualifying Competition SP – 75.40 (2020 U.S. Championships) FS – 160.12 (2020 U.S. Championships) Final Score – 235.52 (2020 U.S. Championships) Historic Personal Bests (pre 2018-19 season) International Competition SP – 42.79 (2018 Challenge Cup, Adv. Novice) FS – 86.99 (2018 Challenge Cup, Adv. Novice) Final Score – 129.78 (2018 Challenge Cup, Adv. Novice) U.S. Qualifying Competition SP – 63.83 (2018 U.S. Championships, Junior) FS – 120.33 (2018 U.S. Championships, Junior) Final Score – 184.16 (2018 U.S. Championships, Junior) NATHAN CHEN (men) International Competition SP – 110.38 (2019 Grand Prix Final) FS – 224.92 (2019 Grand Prix Final) Final Score – 335.30 (2019 Grand Prix Final) U.S. Qualifying Competition SP – 114.13 (2020 U.S. Championships) FS – 228.80 (2019 U.S. Championships) Final Score – 342.22 (2019 U.S. Championships) Historic Personal Bests (pre 2018-19 season) International Competition SP – 104.12 (2017 Skate America) FS – 219.46 (2018 World Championships) Final Score – 321.40 (2018 World Championships) U.S. Qualifying Competition SP – 106.39 (2017 U.S. Championships) FS – 212.08 (2017 U.S. Championships) Final Score – 318.47 (2017 U.S. Championships) ALEXA KNIERIM AND CHRIS KNIERIM (pairs) International Competition SP – 71.28 (2019 Skate Canada International) FS – 131.58 (2019 Nebelhorn Trophy) Final Score – 202.41 (2019 Nebelhorn Trophy) U.S. Qualifying Competition SP – 77.06 (2020 U.S. Championships) FS – 139.09 (2020 U.S. Championships) Final Score – 216.15 (2020 U.S. Championships) Historic Personal Bests (pre 2018-19 season) International Competition SP – 72.17 (2017 World Championships) FS – 140.35 (2016 Four Continents Championships) Final Score – 207.96 (2016 Four Continents Championships) U.S. Qualifying Competition SP – 74.01 (2015 U.S. Championships) FS – 136.48 (2015 U.S. Championships) Final Score – 210.49 (2015 U.S. Championships) MADISON CHOCK AND EVAN BATES (ice dance) International Competition RD – 85.76 (2020 Four Continents Championships) FD – 129.01 (2019 Grand Prix Final) Final Score – 213.18 (2020 Four Continents Championships) U.S. Qualifying Competition RD – 87.63 (2020 U.S. Championships) FD – 134.23 (2020 U.S. Championships) Final Score – 221.86 (2020 U.S. Championships) Historic Personal Bests (pre 2018-19 season) International Competition SD – 79.05 (2017 World Team Trophy) FD – 113.31 (2016 World Championships) Final Score – 189.01 (2017 World Team Trophy) U.S. Qualifying Competition SD – 79.96 (2017 U.S. Championships) FD – 119.08 (2017 U.S. Championships) Final Score – 199.04 (2017 U.S. Championships) All-time Top U.S. Championships Scores: Ladies: Short Program: 78.96 (Bradie Tennell, 2020) Free Skate: 160.12 (Alysa Liu, 2020) Final: 235.52 (Alysa Liu, 2020) Men: Short Program: 114.13 (Nathan Chen, 2020) Free Skate: 228.80 (Nathan Chen, 2019) Final: 342.22 (Nathan Chen, 2019) Pairs: Short Program: 77.06 (Alexa Knierim and Chris Knierim, 2020) Free Skate: 146.01 (Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson, 2020) Final: 216.15 (Alexa Knierim and Chris Knierim, 2020) Ice Dance: Rhythm Dance: 87.63 (Madison Chock and Evan Bates, 2020) Free Dance: 134.23 (Madison Chock and Evan Bates, 2020) Final: 221.86 (Madison Chock and Evan Bates, 2020) Historic Top U.S. Championships Scores (pre 2018-19 season): Ladies: Short Program: 73.79 (Bradie Tennell, 2018) Free Skate: 148.98 (Ashley Wagner, 2015) Final: 221.02 (Ashley Wagner, 2015) Men: Short Program: 106.39 (Nathan Chen, 2017) Free Skate: 212.08 (Nathan Chen, 2017) Final: 318.47 (Nathan Chen, 2017) Pairs: Short Program: 74.01 (Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim, 2015) Free Skate: 142.04 (Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea, 2016) Final: 211.65 (Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea, 2016) Ice Dance: Short Dance: 82.42 (Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, 2017) Free Dance: 119.50 (Meryl Davis and Charlie White, 2014) Final: 200.19 (Meryl Davis and Charlie White, 2014) 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America Due to the impact of COVID-19, the ISU Council determined that the Grand Prix Series would be staged as domestically run events with participants at each event limited to athletes from the host country, training in the host country or in the respective geographical area. As a result, the United States only sent athletes to 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America in Las Vegas. The event was held in a bubble format at The Orleans Arena with no spectators. The medalists at 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America are detailed below: Ladies: Mariah Bell | SP: 76.48, FS: 136.25, Final: 212.73 Bradie Tennell | SP: 73.29, FS 137.78, Final: 211.07 Audrey Shin | SP: 69.77, FS: 136.38, Final: 206.15 Men: Nathan Chen | SP: 111.17, FS: 187.98, Final: 299.15 Vincent Zhou | SP: 99.36, FS: 175.74, Final: 275.10 Keegan Messing (CAN) | SP: 92.40, FS: 174.02, Final: 266.42 Pairs: Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier | SP: 74.19, FS: 140.58, Final: 214.77 Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson | SP: 71.08, FS: 136.32, Final: 207.40 Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov | SP: 67.52, FS: 122.13, Final: 189.65 Ice Dance: Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue | RD: 85.30, FS: 126.09, Final: 211.39 Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker | RD: 81.15, FS: 121.32, Final: 202.47 Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko | RD: 78.63, FS: 107.15, Final: 185.78 The Athletes At the 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, Alysa Liu (ladies), Nathan Chen (men), Alexa Knierim and Chris Knierim (pairs), and Madison Chock and Evan Bates (ice dance) were crowned champions.