I'm still sore about Alysa not getting to be on the team in Beijing since she was by far the strongest US lady that season but maybe if she makes the team she gets her chance for a team Gold medal.Well, they gave both to Karen Chen.
Didn't the USFS give the world medalists, Nathan Chen and Hubbell & Donohue, first choice on whether or not to split in 2022? I'm not sure if they'd do the same thing here or use a different method. Of course, they're likely to going to have three world medallists and at least one champion (Liu), so one will have to do both or opt out entirely.
U.S. Women [#7]: Make Me a Believer!
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Please don't tempt the skate gods.
I think they all will be promoted heavily. I can hear it already. "American Amber Glenn finally beat her inner demons and went undefeated all season . . . until fellow American, Alysa Liu came out of retirement to beat her out to become World Champion!"
"Isabeau Levito won a silver medal at Worlds, but then lost months of training to an injury and just missed the podium. Can she make the podium again - this time at the Olympics in her mother's hometown of Milan?"
I think Ilia probably needs to be marketed more like a skateboarder. Show him doing a back flip and raspberry twist, with footwork to a rap song. He could do an ad for energy drink.
And Chock and Bates will be promoted as lovers on and off the ice and champions looking to close out their careers by winning that one missing medal - an individual Olympic gold medal. I can totally see Tom Brady and Alysa Liu doing a fun ad related to coming out of retirement.
Jason is extremely popular with skating fans, but I don't think he ever was going to be a poster boy for the general viewer even if he makes the Olympic team.
Yeah, I think it would be a no-brainer to have Ilia skate twice if it weren't for the timing. But, we don't have a second man with world medals that we can count on to finish high.
Yes, but wasn't Alysa dealing with security issues in China, and didn't both Alysa and Mariah have COVID the month before the Olympics? The Americans really do have the most depth in the women's field, so it would be a shame if they didn't split. But, I think timing will dictate that decision.
Do we know that it wasn't Alysa's choice? We never knew the details of what was going on with her father and the Chinese, but as I recall, she spent very little time in China and arrived shortly before her event. I would really like to see her be able to skate in the team event under happier conditions.
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SkateSand
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I can see Alysa doing both segments because she has the best head for competition. If anyone can withstand the Oly pressure, it's Alysa.
olympic
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OMG. Looking forward to 2026 Nationals in St. Louis -
You have 3 world class women - Amber, Alysa and Isabeau, whose BOW had been outlined by a poster above, and now factor in a resurgent Bradie, who if you recall was the most competitive skater against the RUS triumvirate / Rika Kihira just before YKW, flirting with scores of 220, then Sarah Everhardt who doesn't know the meaning of the word 'meltdown', Elyce Lin Gracie, as well as Ava (if she can get near her potential), and the US is approaching former Russo-Japanese depth for the first time in like decades.
Nationals is going to be one of the most interesting competitions in decades. Maybe ever! A bloodbath with a really good skater(s) left off the team.
ETA - I am still mind-boggled by the depth of US women all of a sudden
You have 3 world class women - Amber, Alysa and Isabeau, whose BOW had been outlined by a poster above, and now factor in a resurgent Bradie, who if you recall was the most competitive skater against the RUS triumvirate / Rika Kihira just before YKW, flirting with scores of 220, then Sarah Everhardt who doesn't know the meaning of the word 'meltdown', Elyce Lin Gracie, as well as Ava (if she can get near her potential), and the US is approaching former Russo-Japanese depth for the first time in like decades.
Nationals is going to be one of the most interesting competitions in decades. Maybe ever! A bloodbath with a really good skater(s) left off the team.
ETA - I am still mind-boggled by the depth of US women all of a sudden
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skatinggold
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Just based on body of work, Alysa, Isabeau, and Amber are going to the Olympics unless someone other than these three wins US Nationals next year.
olympic
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Eh. I think we should wait and see the results of the GP series and Nationals, though. Anything could happen, theoretically.
Private Citizen
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I'm somewhere in between. If I were Sarah Everhardt or Elyce Lin-Gracey, though, I'd be training a triple axel or a quad. I think it will take a 3A or a quad -- in addition to GP medals and probably GPF qualification -- to get any of the "next gen" skaters on the team. GP medals and consistency alone won't do it. One of them would have to win the GPF to seriously change the conversation without a 3A or quad.
Bradie Tennell could possibly make it through GP medals and consistency, especially if either Levito or Glenn struggles on the GP and Tennell makes the GPF and medals there.
kwanfan1818
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Liu wasn't added to the TE because of security concerns, plus Covid.
On paper, the disciplines are ranked by strength, and then the strongest skaters get to choose whether to do one (and which one) or two. I'm sure USFS will do what it pleases, but the only way there are two Pairs is if C/B and Malinin choose (or "choose") to do both, and there is a second substitution to be able to. And then, who would the second Pair be, if Efimova doesn't get citizenship?
I'm assuming that singles will be foremost on USFS's mind, since USA and JPN are most likely to go head-to-head in those, and it could come down to the differential in a first in Dance vs. closer to the bottom and a first or second in Pairs (should Germany manage to qualify in Beijing/be able to use a quota spot) vs. the top US Pair, which gets flattened with only five teams in the FS.
On paper, the disciplines are ranked by strength, and then the strongest skaters get to choose whether to do one (and which one) or two. I'm sure USFS will do what it pleases, but the only way there are two Pairs is if C/B and Malinin choose (or "choose") to do both, and there is a second substitution to be able to. And then, who would the second Pair be, if Efimova doesn't get citizenship?
I'm assuming that singles will be foremost on USFS's mind, since USA and JPN are most likely to go head-to-head in those, and it could come down to the differential in a first in Dance vs. closer to the bottom and a first or second in Pairs (should Germany manage to qualify in Beijing/be able to use a quota spot) vs. the top US Pair, which gets flattened with only five teams in the FS.
Karen-W
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That's sort of how I'm seeing it. I do think Amber needs to probably have at least one or two competitions next fall where she goes clean across both programs, or she makes herself vulnerable to one of the other three coming up from behind.
Why does she have to go clean across both programs? She scores higher with mistakes than others do without them. It's not like she skated clean to win all her competitions this year, and she came in fifth at Worlds despite mistakes in both programs. IMO, she can't go back to falling apart after making mistakes like she used to do. But, I don't think that is likely to happen. She's done a lot of work on both the mental and physical side, and it has paid off.
Karen-W
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Because I don't think that those other three, but especially Bradie or Sarah, are going to let up and I do think they'll see their own scores rising the more consistent they are. What I'm saying is that Amber is vulnerable to losing to those three when she isn't clean, and they are all solid enough & capable enough skaters to 1) potentially beat her handily in that scenario and 2) put the USFS in a position where they're perfectly fine with just going off the results from Nats b/c their own int'l results are hardly anything to sneer at.
Amber didn't win Nationals by skating clean, and she beat them both. If we see Bradie or Sarah start competing consistently clean with a triple axel, that would be great, though.
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MacMadame
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I still have mine! (I did sell a second one. Made a little $$ but not much.)
Maximillian
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Do you really think Sarah has the content to challenge Amber? People keep talking about how consistent Sarah is and that's great, but even Amber Corwin was nailing a 3t-3t (cheated as it was), on the regular 25 years ago...I think Sarah's going to have to beef up the conten next season and THEN if she's still consistent, I would add her into the conversation.
Sarah has said she plans to add a harder 3-3 combo next season. It was reported that she was practicing 3Lz-3T at the Legacy on Ice show practice.
US ladies started the season on fire winning most of the Senior B Challengers but other then Amber they then struggled on the GP. But winning Worlds and having 3 skaters in the top 5 and also winning two medals and having 3 skaters in the top 4 at 4CC showed how they peaked at the right time.
Private Citizen
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I agree, and I'm rooting for her. But.... if she skates like she did at Worlds (not terribly, not great) in the fall and doesn't make the GPF, while someone else lights up the scoreboard and makes the GPF, and then that someone else also beats her at Nationals, IMO she's vulnerable.
If she medals in or wins her GPs and medals in the GPF, she's on the team. Her triple axel is relatively consistent and a BIG factor in her favor.
Just want to stop in and say congrats to Liu for breaking a 20 year drought and winning the Worlds. An incredible moment that makes me really glad I made the last-second decision to go! I am REALLY impressed she was able to hold it together being the last skater of the night, at home, following a knockout skate by the defending champ and leading after the SP. Just like with Wagner in 2016, the energy built throughout the skate, the atmosphere was electric and we were on our feet even before the music ended!
The crowd really got behind Glenn in the SP…I mean, REALLY got behind her - the energy was unreal and then to see her fall on the 3A and the collective OH - I was quickly reminded of what happened with Gracie Gold in the 2016 FS in this same arena. That energy was transferred over to Liu for the FS. I’m glad that Glenn was able to come back with a strong skate in the FS.
Levito was great as well, and it was very nice to see her back on the ice after being sidelined with injury - although the fall in the FS was disappointing and likely kept her OTP. Like I said elsewhere, I had an open mind and wasn’t crazy about her skating style watching Nationals on TV - so I was a bit surprised to find that even after seeing her live, that I more or less still hold that opinion. She’s impressive in other ways - more subdued, solid consistency and great speed - but in a field of several “performer” type skaters, her more “subdued” style sorta stood out a bit more. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing, I should stress.
The trip was totally worth it after all!!!
The crowd really got behind Glenn in the SP…I mean, REALLY got behind her - the energy was unreal and then to see her fall on the 3A and the collective OH - I was quickly reminded of what happened with Gracie Gold in the 2016 FS in this same arena. That energy was transferred over to Liu for the FS. I’m glad that Glenn was able to come back with a strong skate in the FS.
Levito was great as well, and it was very nice to see her back on the ice after being sidelined with injury - although the fall in the FS was disappointing and likely kept her OTP. Like I said elsewhere, I had an open mind and wasn’t crazy about her skating style watching Nationals on TV - so I was a bit surprised to find that even after seeing her live, that I more or less still hold that opinion. She’s impressive in other ways - more subdued, solid consistency and great speed - but in a field of several “performer” type skaters, her more “subdued” style sorta stood out a bit more. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing, I should stress.
The trip was totally worth it after all!!!
I think it's really just a matter of taste, though I do think that the crowd often feeds off higher energy and less subtle performing styles (and judges may feed off of that). I haven't really liked Alysa's long program this season (not necessarily because of the music and style), but I thoroughly enjoyed it this week because of the emotion that came with it and in that context. Nothing wrong with Isabeau's style not being your taste.
I love that the three American women all had different styles that I enjoyed. Amber tends to be more intense with her emotive style, Alysa was very joyful in her long program to Donna Summer, and Isabeau's short program has charm while her long program style is more classical and balletic.
Glad to hear that Isabeau was recovered enough to have speed. I know she felt that she was only at 85%, but I hope she takes some confidence away from this. She did really well even when you don't take into account the lost training and missed competitions.
olympic
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Speaking of Isabeau, I watched fan cam videos of her. Is she faster than it appears on NBC? I am not saying she's powerful or saying her technique is perfect, but she seems to get across the ice quite fast or faster than I thought ..
I've heard other people say the same thing she actually has good skating skills too but her coaches she be fired for giving her that jump technique.
People who have observed her in person say she has good speed, though not Kaori type of speed. Ashley has mentioned this multiple times. (But, Isabeau has mentioned herself, when she gets nervous and tentative, she sometimes slows down and she been trying not to do that.) She may look slower than she is because tv cameras pan with her. But, I also think she may look slower than she is because her movements themselves aren't quick and because she can look very deliberate.
I think she started working with Evegeny Platov at a fairly young age, so her skating skills definitely weren't ignored.
My impression of Isabeau last year in Montreal was that she skated with nice speed when she wasn’t entering a jump. She slowed down considerably going into the jumps though. She is capable of skating with an above average amount of speed, but she wasn’t doing it for the whole program. Not sure if it looked different than this here or not.
sk9tingfan
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Alysa reacts to her win.
www.instagram.com
刘美贤 Alysa Liu on Instagram: "What the hell."
42K likes, 752 comments - alysaxliu on March 30, 2025: "What the hell.".
www.instagram.com
sk9tingfan
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Alysa shows another side of her ability to dance; this time off ice!Alysa reacts to her win.
刘美贤 Alysa Liu on Instagram: "What the hell."
42K likes, 752 comments - alysaxliu on March 30, 2025: "What the hell.".
刘美贤 Alysa Liu on Instagram: "Had to do it, Like @jennierubyjane"
11K likes, 258 comments - alysaxliu on March 23, 2025: "Had to do it, Like @jennierubyjane".
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LilJen
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I just want everyone to be healthy and injury free.
SkateFanBerlin
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Also, Amber made giant steps in consistency this year. I see her going back and working like Osmond to get the programs clean ALL the time. Plus, she has potential to increase her difficulty.
In one word: Yes.
That said, she does lean into her jumps quite a bit, which may give the opposite impression when watching on TV.
Before Worlds, I hadn’t watched Glenn except at Nationals, so I wasn’t aware that she went undefeated this season until I heard on the PA during the SP warmup introductions. I remember she’s had very shaky consistency in the past - but after watching her both on practice and competition here, I have to agree that she’s improved tremendously in that regard. She could have folded after the first mistake, but I saw determination and fight in her afterward which I would say is a good sign.
