2026 US Nationals Women's FS "Liu Monsters go Gaga"

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Mariah Bell won nats in 2022

Mariah didn’t win four straight gold medals at the Grand Prix’s and golds at all of her challengers for two years and a Grand Prix final and she’s also didn’t score 150 points.

I say it will probably be split. I just wish we saw the gaga in the gaga performance.

 

[BittyBug]

I say it will probably be split.

The decision about whether to split has nothing to do with whether other team members are worthy of a medal, it's based solely on what would give Team USA the highest chance to win the most medals. And the timing of dance and men, combined with the fact that our top athletes in both those categories are contenders for gold in their individual events, leans toward splitting those two events, not women.

 

[HaNguyen]

I’d like her to watch the last 2 minutes of Gaga doing Bad Romance at the Super Bowl and try to bring this energy to it. Watch how sharp the dancers are with their movements. She’s trying to do some of this exact kind of movement and it’s not coming across because of the lack of tension and energy in her body.

https://youtu.be/mjrdywp5nyE?si=OBHn7NWlLvbIAj-

After watching the video, I think Alysa can’t skate to Gaga. She doesn’t do staccato, energetic choreography, she does smooth lines. Sarah Everhardt could do the Gaga and the aggressive type of skating needed.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Her Gaga is literally the same exact layout and timing of pretty much everything jumps and spins.

I noticed this exact thing as well, when she got to just past the halfway mark of the program I like this is just MacArthurs park with different music. The layout seemed the same on everything.

 

[Karen-W]

I noticed this exact thing as well, when she got to just past the halfway mark of the program I like this is just MacArthurs park with different music. The layout seemed the same on everything.

Same! There were a couple of standing-in-place choreo bits that were Gaga-esque but everything about the program, especially the layout and the first half of the step sequence, was lifted straight from MacArthur Park.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

How is she going to react to having the pressure to deliver for all the team on her back?

She did just that in Japan nine months ago scoring almost 150 points in her free program. No errors at all.

 

[RoseAugust]

I was looking forward to see Amber skate live because I've never really connected with her skating through the t.v. and I really wanted to because she's such a lovely person. But, aside from the triple axle, she still doesn't do it for me. Kind of disappointed.

 

[Simone411]

This team reminds me most of 1988. Debi, a World champion: Jill, a National champion with the most difficult element, and Caryn, who was the best of the 3 when she was on.

Also, a kickass pewter medalist, Jeri Campbell.

Yes, this was the first year that I watched Figure Skating without my mom. We always watched together, and she was the one that got me hooked on Figure Skating back in 1968. I was 10 years old. My mom would have loved to see Debi, Jill and Caryn at the 1988 Olympics.

I felt really bad for Caryn when she had to withdraw after her short program because she got the flu.

 

[Vagabond]

The Big Three are sui generis. Liu and Glenn in particular carry themselves on and off ice differently from any skaters I can remember, and the rapport among the three is unlike anything I have seen in U.S. skating outside of an advertisement for canned soup.

Can you imagine Yamaguchi, Harding, and Kerrigan (or even Thomas, Trenary, and Kadavy) in a circle celebrating together? I can't.

 

[RoseAugust]

One more thing. I miss the Kwan Spiral SO MUCH! Is it really impossible to include such a thing of beauty in today's programs?

 

[deegee]

Yeah, if Alysa is going to keep this program, everything about it needs to be 200% more. She’s performing it in a lackadaisical way, but it needs to be sharp and energetic.

I’d like her to watch the last 2 minutes of Gaga doing Bad Romance at the Super Bowl and try to bring this energy to it. Watch how sharp the dancers are with their movements. She’s trying to do some of this exact kind of movement and it’s not coming across because of the lack of tension and energy in her body.

https://youtu.be/mjrdywp5nyE?si=OBHn7NWlLvbIAj-c

omg gaga's wearing a silver version of piper's rd fit!

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

I thought she was in front of Alysa in the free?

You`re right. My mistake.

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

Honestly, I found Alysa’s unusual white striped hair dye very distracting….my eye kept getting drawn to that while she was skating.

In the skating only one stripe was showing. So when she showed up at the press conference with horizontal zebra stripes I thought it was a joke. Alysa wearing a funny wig.

 

[bardtoob]

Comparing Levito to Cohen is like comparing French Ballet to Russian Ballet.

Levito is so much more conservative with her movements while Cohen used her body positions as a special feature.

 

[Skaterbob]

Comparing Levito to Cohen is like comparing French Ballet to Russian Ballet.

Levito is so much more conservative with her movements while Cohen used her body positions as a special feature.

I dunno they have both fallen on spins for no reason.

 

[mtnskater]

Comparing Levito to Cohen is like comparing French Ballet to Russian Ballet.

Levito is so much more conservative with her movements while Cohen used her body positions as a special feature.

Two of my all time favorites. Both very different, but have similar attention to line, position and stretch. Sasha was more intense with fire. Isabeau more reserved and gentle. It’s rare to see such attention to line in figure skating these days with so much sloppiness, slam bam and airplane/windmill arms.

 

[Jammers]

It should never have gotten to this place that Alysa had to basically debut a new FS at Nationals where she will have no feedback from international judges on this program. Between this and the missing 3axel that she said was coming this whole season has been badly planned by her and her team. Yes i get she's going to do what she wants and dances to her own music and says results don't matter but if your a athlete you still plan to do the best that you can do and not just act like competing don't matter.

 

[annie_mg]

Comparing Levito to Cohen is like comparing French Ballet to Russian Ballet.

Levito is so much more conservative with her movements while Cohen used her body positions as a special feature.

It's because of the way they carry their head and their straight backs.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

miss the Kwan Spiral SO MUCH! Is it really impossible to include such a thing of beauty in today's programs

I mean, could it be the choreography sequence?

 

[overedge]

One more thing. I miss the Kwan Spiral SO MUCH! Is it really impossible to include such a thing of beauty in today's programs?

Basically, yes. There's so many elements that the skaters have to include in their programs, and that makes it hard to also have an element that takes as much time as a Kwan spiral (I'm guessing you mean the long spiral with the change of edge). The skaters also want to maximize the point value of their programs, and there are many elements that will (sadly) rack up lots more points than a beautiful spiral.

 

[once_upon]

I like Alisa skating, the Gaga number just didn't connect to music, which now make sense if she is using the exact same pattern as McAurher Park. Felt like exhibition number.

I was/am put off with her cutesy type of Marilyn Monroe type antics (in the KnC and awards presentation). Therel is a whole array of hairstyles to use with GAGA music.

Isabeau looked a little lost in the threesome group celebrating after Amber's skating. Like a join us, you are part of us, but uncertain how she fit.

Definitely an awesome line up for the US. How do we stack up with the Japanese?

 

[Icetalavista]

Alyssa's hair makes her the honey badger.

I got more of a Wolverine vibe. Saw one in Yellowstone.

 

[viennese]

Her Gaga is literally the same exact layout and timing of pretty much everything jumps and spins. Someone posted a side by side on Reddit and this program and her previous free and while there are some different movements overall every element, location, and timing of those elements are exactly the same. She could be skating to any random music. Even Kwan’s Tosca and Bolero weren’t this similar. I’m wondering who actually wanted to skate to Lady Gaga because it doesn’t seem like Alysa wanted to. lol We have seen Alysa dancing off ice and she has 10000% more sass in those clips than all of this 4 minute program combined.

I want to love this program and it's just OK. The one section of choreograph/movement that's really effective is the axel series, right on the beat(s) Liu's skating is so fluid and that isn't necessarily complemented by the music choice.

The program that really grew on me was Sarah Everhardt's FS. Her choreographer took her weaknesses (lack of facial expression, sometimes stiff legged skating) and transformed them, with an unexpected music choice, into strengths.

Last petty comment: Pale pastel colors (yellow, lavender) made the skaters fade into the colorful advertising signs on the boards.

 

[Garden Kitty]

is that a SCOB patch on Tenley's arm or something from her own Olympics?

From a pic on Twitter , it's her Cortina 1956 jacket! What a gift she is to skating

Loading…

pbs.twimg.com

 

[LilJen]

I believe this what her new dress is referencing

The Mission

Looks like it. No idea why they chose the cut on the front they did. Topless look for extra points? Regardless, Bradie skated so, so well. I hope she has a great 4CCs.

Truly happy that all three of them skated well, but I don’t seeAmber’s presentation as being anywhere near Isabeau’s. Give Amber the TES and penalize Isabeau on bad toe jumps, but also recognize who skates beautifully to the music.

I liked Gaga and it needs more oomph and mileage. I have no worries about Alysa, she always takes the criticism and gets better. And that dress is a marvel.

Their styles are all so very different. I have not seen any of them in person but I imagine their speed is roughly similar. Alysa has joy, Isabeau has floatiness, and Amber has intensity.

 

[Coco]

I got more of a Wolverine vibe. Saw one in Yellowstone.

You're probably right, but honey badger don't care!

This link probably has some NSFW language.

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111K likes, 1,548 comments - clenae on July 2, 2025: "Forever an iconic video 😅🦡 . . #explore #explorepage #fyp #trending #viral #reels #relatable #meme #memes #humor #honeybadger #honeybadgerdontcare #honeybadgers #animallovers #exoticanimals #animals #natgeo".

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[tangerine dream]

She did just that in Japan nine months ago scoring almost 150 points in her free program. No errors at all.

The pressure of a team olympic medal does not compare with the pressure of being in 9th place at worlds after the short program.

Please know, I am not against Amber at all. I just don't see how they could use her for the team event if we can only have one woman. Not when the poster child for delivering under pressure is sitting right next to her.

ETA: I could not have imagined USFS choosing Karen Chen for the team event in Beijing when both Liu and Bell were skating significantly better than her, so take anything I say with a grain of salt.

 

[Garden Kitty]

Are the spots on the team event subjective, or are they based on objective criteria such as world standing?

 

[kwanfan1818]

Comparing Levito to Cohen is like comparing French Ballet to Russian Ballet.

Levito is so much more conservative with her movements while Cohen used her body positions as a special feature.

Sylvie Guillem would like a word.

 

[Karen-W]

Are the spots on the team event subjective, or are they based on objective criteria such as world standing?

No one knows for sure, though it did look like the USFS used world standings in 2022 and 2018 to determine the TE assignments.