US Figure Skating Championships 2021: TV Schedule, Top Contenders and Event Info

Alysa Liu and Nathan Chen will seek to successfully defend their U.S. Figure Skating Championships when they return to the ice for the 2021 competition in Las Vegas.

There will be no fans in attendance, but the eyes of the figure skating world will be on them as they attempt to etch their names into the history books.

Who will stand in their way, attempting not only to dethrone them as champions but also earn their way on to the U.S. national team ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics?

Schedule

Thursday, January 14: Pairs Shorts (6 p.m. - 8 p.m.); Women's Short (10 p.m. - 12 a.m.)

Friday, January 15: Rhythm Dance (4 p.m. - 6 p.m.); Women's Free (8 p.m. - 11 p.m.)

Saturday, January 16: Men's Short (4 p.m. - 6 p.m.); Free Dance/Pairs Free (9 p.m. - 12 a.m.)

Sunday, January 17: Men's Free (3:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.)*

Sunday, January 24: Free Dance (5 p.m. - 6 p.m.)*

*Will air on NBC and stream on Peacock. All other competition will air on NBC Sports and stream on Peacock.

Liu Faces Competition

Liu will look to become the first female skater to win three consecutive U.S. National Championships since Michelle Kwan, but she will have to overcome growing pains in order to do so.

Speaking with Philip Hersh of NBC Sports, she said, "I don't necessarily care about my placement anymore."

Her growth and physical ailments may make it difficult for her to stand atop the podium as a three-time champion. She told Hersh she has grown three inches taller since last year's championships, affecting her ability to make jumps that she would have otherwise easily completed in years past.

Then there is a hip injury suffered last October that prevented her from practicing.

Throw in the numerous changes in routine and training forced upon her and many of her peers in this year's competition and you have a series of obstacles she will have to overcome to realize her goal of a three-peat.

Mariah Bell, the reigning Skate America winner, is likely to provide Chen with her fiercest competition while building on a 2020 campaign that proved her best and most successful to this point.

Do not count out Bradie Tennell, who broke the scoring record at the national competition just one year ago and is a 2018 Olympian.

Chen Looks to Continue His Domination

For Chen, he will seek to win his fifth consecutive U.S. Figure Skating Championship, a feat not accomplished since Dick Button won seven from 1946-52.

He is the heavy favorite, but there is plenty of competition.

Jason Brown should join Chen on the podium when all is said and done. He's ready to get back to live competition for the first time since February.

"I didn't realize until now how much competitions and the breaks from the daily routine they give you and the anticipation of them help you pace yourself and work through the monotony of training," he told Hersh. 

Coach Tracy Wilson marveled at Brown's work: "There have been moments in his training so brilliant that [coach Brian Orser] looks at me with tears in his eyes. There was one moment, watching Jason do his choreography, that Brian said, 'I've never seen anything better than that.'"

Chen will be difficult to unseat as he continues an incredible streak of success, but keep an eye on Brown, who is determined to perform at a high level and make the national team.