Addison Trail alumna to compete in 2018 Olympic Winter Games

Pictured is Addison Trail alumna Alexa Scimeca Knierim (class of 2009), with her husband and pairs figure skating partner, Christopher Knierim. The couple recently qualified to compete in the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Photo by Jay Adeff/U.S. Figure Skating

Addison Trail alumna Alexa Scimeca Knierim (class of 2009) began her journey in figure skating at the age of 7 at Addison Ice Arena. She recently achieved her dream of qualifying to compete in the Olympics, and she and her husband and pairs figure skating partner, Christopher Knierim, will represent the U.S. during the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Photo provided by the Scimeca family

When Alexa Scimeca Knierim, a 2009 graduate of Addison Trail, first laced up her skates and stepped onto the rink at Addison Ice Arena at 7 years old, she always dreamt big of where the sport could take her. Nearly 20 years after starting in ice skating, Scimeca Knierim has accomplished her dream of qualifying to compete in the Olympics.

She and her pairs figure skating partner, Christopher Knierim, won the U.S. Figure Skating Championship on Jan. 6 and were later selected as the pair to represent the U.S. during the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. They also won that title in 2015 and are four-time World Figure Skating Championship competitors.

“When we were announced as the selected pair for the Olympics, it made me recognize all the sacrifices my family went through to allow me to pursue my dreams, and I was just overcome with emotion,” Scimeca Knierim said. "The Winter Olympics provide the largest athletic stage in the world, based on the scope and scale of talent and competition that's assembled every four years. We’re truly honored to have the privilege to represent the United States. We’re looking forward to it and will do our best to make our country proud.”

The duo started skating together in 2012 and nearly made the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Scimeca Knierim said she and Knierim have been through many ups and downs together – including a stomach illness that required her to have multiple surgeries and kept them off the ice for nearly the entire 2016 season – and they married in June 2016. The two are the only pairs team for the U.S. at the upcoming Olympics, which means they will be responsible for the team event competition short program and free skate on top of the pairs event short program and free skate in the span of about a week. But Scimeca Knierim said they’re ready and excited for the challenge, and her love of the sport is what motivates her each day.

“It’s hard to put into words, but when you’re skating on the ice, you enter a different world – a place where you can let go and have the freedom to express yourself through your body,” she said. “Being on the ice is truly my sanctuary and happy place.”

While the couple lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., to train, Scimeca Knierim never forgets her Addison roots. While at Addison Trail, it was difficult for Scimeca Knierim to trade high school social events and gatherings for training sessions, but, she said, achieving her goal has made all the sacrifice worth it. She added the teachers and staff at Addison Trail were always there to support her and helped develop a flexible schedule and tutoring to allow her to pursue her Olympic dream.

“Addison will always be a special place to me, because my family still lives there and it’s where my passion for skating began,” she said. “No matter where I go in life, Addison will always be my true home.”

The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games will take place from Feb. 9 to 25 in South Korea. For more information, go to https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/index. For more about Scimeca Knierim and Knierim, go to www.TeamAKCK.com.