Alysa Liu retired in 2022 and is coming back in 2024

overedge said:
Again, the OGM is not the only medal of value in skating, and ice is slippery. Someone who looks like a sure bet one year can be completely out of the running in the following years. Tara was a world champion and US champion before 1998, and those titles alone would have been enough credentials to give her a solid professional career.
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But Tara wouldn't have had the big paycheck that came with winning the Olympic gold medal. The American press used to make such a big deal about how the American lady favorite at the Olympic must walk away with the gold medal around her neck in order to nail that million dollar contract once she turned professional.
 
4rkidz said:
I predict she will be national champion again - nicely prepped for Olympics following year. Heard it here first ;)
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Well, let's not get that far ahead of ourselves yet. Though I wouldn't be surprised if she's an Olympic champion by the closing ceremonies in Milano-Cortina. A combination of Alysa and Isabeau for the team event would be pretty tough for any other country but Japan to match (Korea ain't gonna qualify for the TE unless they get a pairs team pronto).
 
4rkidz said:
I predict she will be national champion again - nicely prepped for Olympics following year.;)
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Well if Alysa is in good shape with all of her jumps back and improved skating skills and speed she will be hard to beat. She's the best the US had when it comes to being a tough competitor who can skate under pressure. If she can somehow get her 3axel back watch out.
 
Alysa posted an Instagram story yesterday that showed the lovely dress she wore this past Saturday and confirmed it was a Lisa McKinnon creation - her caption at the top: "thank you Yerba Buena for inviting me to perform in the sf gala this past Saturday!! I had so much fun surprising eveyone!!"
 
Alysa looked great in that short clip. Her artistry looks better than I remember. Looking mature and lovely. I was (am) an Alysa uber. Of course I’m very excited she is skating again and wish her the best in her comeback. I’m also an Isabeau uber and would be so exited to have them both making world and Olympic teams in the next couple of years. Alysa is a world bronze medalist and Isabeau a world silver medalist. U.S. women’s prospects are looking up. The more competition for spots the better!
 
Jammers said:
Well if Alysa is in good shape with all of her jumps back and improved skating skills and speed she will be hard to beat. She's the best the US had when it comes to being a tough competitor who can skate under pressure. If she can somehow get her 3axel back watch out.
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I’d give Isabeau high marks for her efforts at Worlds this year. She’s learning to skate under pressure. I’d say she and Alysa could be interesting rivals.
 
Alysa will make her season international debut at CS Budapest Trophy next week. Her 2 Grand Prix assignments are Skate Canada International (Oct. 25-27) and NHK Trophy (Nov. 8-10).

Her ISU bio has her program music: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00103196.htm
SP: Promise by Laufey, Dan Wilson
FS: MacArthur Park Suite by Donna Summer
Choreographer: Massimo Scali
Coaches: Phillip DiGuglielmo, Massimo Scali

She recently shared Lisa McKinnon’s concept sketches for her 2024-25 costumes: https://www.instagram.com/p/DAWI7TZvm83/

Cross-posting the link to Alysa's This Week in Skating podcast episode (Oct. 6, 2024) here and in her fan thread:
After stepping away from the sport two years ago, 2022 World bronze medalist Alysa Liu will return to international competition this week at Budapest Trophy. Then in a few weeks, she will compete at Skate Canada International, her first Grand Prix event since 2021. Alysa joined Daphne, Gina and Matteo to talk about what's she been up to, why she decided to return to skating and what she hopes to accomplish in her comeback.
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Fan Zone article today (Oct. 7) by Darci Miller before Alysa competes in Budapest this week:
usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Older, Wiser Alysa Liu Returns to Competition - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

In less than two years, Alysa Liu went from the ISU World Figure Skating Championship podium to not even knowing where her skates were.
usfigureskatingfanzone.com usfigureskatingfanzone.com
Excerpts:
She spent lots of time with friends and family. She enrolled in UCLA, where she plans to go into psychology. She dabbled in other sports that skating had prevented her from trying, like skiing, and particularly enjoyed volleyball, basketball and tennis. She got into fashion, photography and dance, and explored Los Angeles, trying new cafes.
Ironically, it was her skiing experience that made her miss the skating career she thought she'd given up forever.
"At the very start of this year, I went skiing for the first time," Liu said. "And I hadn't felt that adrenaline rush, I guess, since I'd quit skating. It feels so similar to skiing. And so after I skied, I was like, 'Wait, let me get on the ice and see what it feels like.'
"At this point, I still wasn't planning to return. I just wanted to skate again because I hadn't stepped on the ice since I last got off for my last show. I just wanted to get back on and see how skates felt, the whole thing. That first session, I tried the double Axel, and I could do it. I was like, 'Oh.'"
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She's also been enjoying skating as an adult for the first time, as she turned 19 in August.
"I really am the one deciding for myself what to do," Liu said. "I get to make my own schedule, which is nice. I drive myself to the rink, or I take the train, and I get to pick my session times, pick my lesson times. It's all revolved around what I want to do, which I personally like. I get to decide what I want to wear to the rink, and which rinks I want to go to – all that. It's liberating."
And having more life experience has given Liu a new perspective on her skating career.
"I definitely see skating as something more of a hobby," said the Bay Area skater. "I'm kind of taking it less seriously than before. Not in an, 'Oh, I'm not going to train as hard' kind of way, but it's not my whole life. It's just one of the hobbies I have, so I guess, in that way, I can really enjoy it. I'm not taking it too personally. Truly, it's just for fun."
Liu said her goal for this season is just to get back out there, compete internationally and do her best. She plans to stay in school while skating and is taking her return to competition one season at a time – no pressure.
Even just the one season is like a bonus, considering she never thought she'd be doing this again.
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ETA - worth a listen to hear her voice as she talks about some of the things she mentioned in the above article:
Sylvia said:
Cross-posting the link to Alysa's This Week in Skating podcast episode (Oct. 6, 2024) here and in her fan thread:
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"Alysa Team 2026" is the name of the group chat for her team.
It's one of the good details in today's long Phil Hersh article for NBC.
Includes photos from her May 2023 trek to Mount Everest base camp, 17,598 feet above sea level.

www.nbcsports.com

How Alysa Liu rediscovered figure skating and came out of retirement

Alysa Liu returns to top-level figure skating competition this month after a two-year retirement.
www.nbcsports.com www.nbcsports.com
 
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