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I think it's time to start a cheer/fan (not overhyping) thread for Alysa ahead of the Junior Grand Prix Final with this feature article by Phil Hersh, published today (Dec. 2), in which Carolina Kostner's role (at the request of Lori Nichol) is revealed: https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2019/12/02/alysa-liu-junior-grand-prix-final/
Excerpts:
Excerpts:
Kostner would work with Liu for two weeks last April at a rink in the Toronto suburb... Before the first session, Kostner had watched video of Liu’s triumphant, historic performances at last year’s U.S. Championships, where Liu, then 13, became the youngest U.S. singles champion ever, the first U.S. woman to land a triple Axel in the short program and the first to land two triple Axels in the free skate. <snip> ...
“I admired Alysa before meeting her,” Kostner said, “and I admired her even more after for her work ethic, her eagerness to learn and her humbleness to say, ‘Oh, yeah, that was wrong. I’m going to try it again and see how I can make it work.’”
Kostner and Nichol have been together so long the skater knows intuitively how to process what the choreographer tells her to do. When she saw that Liu sometimes was unfamiliar with what Nichol was asking of her, Kostner would explain it, usually by doing the movement herself or doing it alongside Liu. Sometimes, the veteran would simply share what was involved in every aspect of being an elite skater.
I'm really looking forward to seeing how Alysa competes in Torino this week... wishing her all the best!“It’s not just a process of the body, of learning things and putting them into action, but also of the mind, of the maturity of a person, of a girl slowly becoming an adult,” Kostner said. “Alysa is very aware of the steps she has to take, and I saw her ready to take those steps and also to have the patience to go through the steps. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
Both look at what they have done together so far as the start of a long-term relationship. Since April, they have used video and video chat to continue the work. They plan another series of live sessions together in Italy after the Junior Grand Prix Final.
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