U.S.Women [#9]: Now That's What I'm F*@&%!$ Talking About!

[Maximillian]

I'm not expecting too much from Sarah all of the sudden, considering all of her international results this season have been lukewarm. I honestly don't think she's proven yet that she will be a legitimate contender in the upcoming cycle. Don't get me wrong, I hope she does, but I don't think there's been much strong evidence for it.

 

[natsulian]

I'm not expecting too much from Sarah all of the sudden, considering all of her international results this season have been lukewarm. I honestly don't think she's proven yet that she will be a legitimate contender in the upcoming cycle. Don't get me wrong, I hope she does, but I don't think there's been much strong evidence for it.

I think every skater goes through a "sophomore slump." Sarah had a breakout senior debut, nabbing a championship medal to cap off a stellar season. Unfortunately for Sarah, she experienced her sophomore slump during the Olympic season. If she can add a triple Axel to her repertoire this upcoming cycle, she will definitely be a contender. I believe the only skaters moving up to the senior ranks are Sophie and Sherry, both of whom are hot or cold skaters. Sophie did acquire a level of consistency this season, having scored between 186-193 throughout the Junior Grand Prix season. She is coming off of an injury, so her Junior Worlds results are not too concerning. Sherry, conversely, had a less than stellar season. She is attempting to add a consistent 3-3, but rotation and consistency issues have been plaguing her more than in seasons past. Elyce has also gone through a bit of a slump, exacerbated by injuries. Having changed coaches recently, I hope Elyce falls in love with the sport again and manages to climb the ladder like Amber—one of, if not, her biggest role models. With Alysa and Isabeau staying on for, presumably, another quad, Sarah has all the ingredients necessary to be a contender for the upcoming cycle. The other skater I am excited to watch is Alina Bonillo. She has huge jumps, but also struggles with consistency. If she figures that out, she will be a force to be reckoned with because she combines artistry and athleticism seamlessly.

 

[viennese]

I had a feeling that a few of the Olympic medalists (Liu, Shaidarov) would be so overwhelmed with media and celebrations that they would not have enough time to train. I hope she comes back next season when she's ready.

 

[Sylvia]

I wonder how she funded her comeback if she did not seek her father's support? From what I understand, elite level coaching, ice time, off-ice training, costumes, music rights, etc are incredibly expensive.

AFAIK Alysa has not said publicly that her father has not been helping with her skating expenses since her comeback in 2024 (I assume that he has been).

Alysa attended the final day of Paris Fashion Week and met Zendaya today : https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/alysa-liu-cheer-fan-thread.106483/page-13#post-6910598

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

I could swear that in the early days of her comeback it was said that Alysa asked her previous coaches Phillip and Massimo to train her again (and in Massimo's case, also choreograph for her), and she 'hired them' herself, without telling her dad until after the fact. She has also repeatedly said in interviews that she made it clear that she didn't want her father 'as invested' in her career as before. What is not clear is if that also meant financially. Iirc Alysa did have some sponsors prior to her early retirement, prize money from competitions, as well as earnings from skating shows, including in Japan where I assume it's a bit more lucrative than Stateside? I don't know if television shows pay guests for appearances, but Alysa did go on shows like Jimmy Fallon's when she first won Nationals. There might have been a little money in that as well.

Of course now, post winning the Olympics, girlfriend must be raking it in! Star figure skaters have a much smaller window of financial opportunities than ball players so I say strike the iron while it's hot Alysa!

 

[acraven]

I've been thinking about the financial end of things, too. When Alysa first came to prominence, winning Nationals at 13, she began winning prize money and having performing opportunities. I don't know how much income that added up to, but she was too young to go out spending that money hand over fist. She was years away from getting her driver's license, so no need for a car; she's said she basically had only skating clothes when she was younger, so I don't think she was shopping for a designer wardrobe at 13-15.

Her father may have invested her winnings and performance money for her and continued paying all or a significant part of her training expenses himself. The S&P 500 is up 140% since March 2019. Her father is a lawyer in a high-cost part of the country, I assume with an income to match; otherwise, how would he have been able to afford three pregnancies by surrogacy and Alysa's training expenses?

There must have been some money squirreled away, because that trek to the Mt. Everest base camp cannot have been cheap, and interviews with Alysa and her coaches have included references to extra costumes (more than one per program) since she resumed training.

 

[ChillSkate]

At the very least:
Toyota started sponsoring Alysa in late 2020. (I don't recall whether or not she had other sponsors, but Toyota was a biggie.)
Alysa was in the 2022 Stars on Ice cast, both in the U.S. and in Japan. (I don't recall whether or not she performed in other shows in Japan or Europe.)
Alysa won ISU prize money for 2022 Worlds bronze, plus I believe USOPC also gives a bonus for world championship medals in all sports.
Before then she earned ISU prize money for GPs, Junior Worlds, JGPF, JGPs; also USFS envelope funding.

I've been thinking about the financial end of things, too. When Alysa first came to prominence, winning Nationals at 13, she began winning prize money and having performing opportunities. I don't know how much income that added up to, but she was too young to go out spending that money hand over fist. She was years away from getting her driver's license, so no need for a car; she's said she basically had only skating clothes when she was younger, so I don't think she was shopping for a designer wardrobe at 13-15.

Her father may have invested her winnings and performance money for her and continued paying all or a significant part of her training expenses himself.

Thanks - I had forgotten about her Toyota endorsement and mistakenly thought I saw something saying her Dad was unhappy she didn't do Stars on Ice in 2022. So, it does seem feasible that she could have saved her earnings from 2022 Worlds Bronze and other prize money, endorsement earnings, and Stars on Ice & other tour revenue and used this to fund her comeback independently.

It's interesting because that implies Alysa's current approach to skating was enabled by her early success, which I think does have implications for how other up and coming skaters approach the sport. Even Alysa has said she wouldn't change anything about her past because those early years made her who she is today. It’s definitely eaiser to have a more enpowered attitude towards skating after winning 2 National Championships, winning a Worlds bronze medal, and competing in an Olympics.

And great to see how many opportunities she is having post-Olympics! I'll miss her at Worlds but believe her that she'll be back next season.

 

[Jayar]

From competitions alone, Alysa earned more than $100K last season. This season she has increased that to over $200K-- $51K for the Grand Prix and $175k for the Olympics ($100k for being on the team, and $37.5k for the gold medals). She is also in Team USAs envelope, should receive a monthly stipend from the USOPC, insurance, and funding that pays for all of her training. I imagine that she likely has a contract with her boot and blade makers. That's not including the Japanese and US tours that she has coming up and any endorsements that she will/has secured. She is doing well without her father's financial support.

 

[attyfan]

Given that she is a Californian, a percentage of her earnings (while a minor) had to go into a trust fund -- athletes provide "creative services" for the purposes of the Jackie Coogan law (the law mandating that a portion of the earnings are in trust for the kid earning them)