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

[kwanfan1818]

Tcherkaskaya worked for Nikodinov, because she already had brilliant technique and an intrinsic fluidity and gentleness that needed to be expressed. Plus willingness and simpatico with her coach/teacher in what was an unusual relationship in skating. Everhardt doesn't have that movement quality.

I think what she does have could be amplified with a super-heroine type of program and a costume with clean lines: fussiness does not translate into detail, costume- or movement-wise. I don't know if she likes unitards, but there are plenty of dresses that could do the trick.

I know that the actual Firebird character is an empowered, magical creature, not Swan Lake II: even if she is caught, she has enough power to bargain her way out of captivity. The program didn't lean into the sharpness and power of the character, but many people wouldn't have accepted it, although I think it would have played to her strengths more.

She can be so wry IRL, but wryness isn't one of those qualities that translates into singles programs that readily.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Amber is such a strange case for me. I root so hard for her because I adore her as a person, but her skating doesn’t excite me that much. Maybe it’s because I’m always so stressed out watching her, waiting for the other shoe to drop, that I can’t fully enjoy what she’s doing. The only performance I can remember that fully engaged me was her SP this year at Nats. I know she’s had some other great performances, but maybe it’s also the music choices she’s had (the long programs have been especially snoozy for me).

 

[Skaterbob]

Amber is such a strange case for me. I root so hard for her because I adore her as a person, but her skating doesn’t excite me that much. Maybe it’s because I’m always so stressed out watching her, waiting for the other shoe to drop, that I can’t fully enjoy what she’s doing. The only performance I can remember that fully engaged me was her SP this year at Nats. I know she’s had some other great performances, but maybe it’s also the music choices she’s had (the long programs have been especially snoozy for me).

Amber skating really excited me for the first time in the fall of the previous season where she beat Kaori but this season not much. I previously remember being rather fond her of her skating in 2018 then I was focusing on Mirai but also remember her being so emotional even during practices like she was about to burst into tears when she made mistakes. Since then I have just be teetering on the edge of my seat like you waiting for the other shoe to drop. It is horrible experience as a viewer (at least for me) so that is why I am selfishly saying I would like her to move on from competition because I can't do it anymore. lol Also I think her focusing on trying to keep everything together has really stunted her long programs performances for the last two season but that is common with a lot of skaters. Her shorts have been rather entertaining with the Janet program from last season being the tops for me.

None of this has to do with Amber off-ice because she appears to a wonderful person.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

I feel that Amber should continue competing for as long as she wants to. If it makes her happy just in the trying, that is entirely her choice.

Most athletes don't medal at a Worlds or Olympics anyway. And Amber did win an Olympic gold medal in the Team event. Also, apart from Alysa and Isabeau, there aren't too many US skaters that can challenge and beat her at this point in time. Which of the current ones have ever beaten Amber at a GP event or Nationals in recent memory?

I understand the frustration. BELIEVE me I do - I went through this with Sasha Cohen who DID medal at Worlds and the Olympics, but she always seemed to just miss the gold. I went through it again with Mirai Nagasu who topped off her career with a triple Axel and burnished bronze in the Olympic team event. And there's nothing 'wrong' with that as no doubt Alysa Liu would point out. Most of us will never be top five, or ten in the World at anything, let alone make it to a Worlds or Olympics. I hope that skaters like Amber and Bradie stay in as long as THEY want to, not as long as some fans want them to.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

Hmmmm....uptrend someone pointed out that Kaori leaving doesn't chage much. Already there is Mone, Nikki, Jin and now Shimada. It's a numbers game. Under what circumstances could Amber score higher than these women?

Not sure about Alysa. Promoters will offer any $$ she wants. Plus all the endorcement money crashing at her feet. Will she give this up to spend 7 hours a day training? Hard to keep them down on farm........

According to Alysa she trains at most 3 hours a day. She hasn't trained under some crazy schedule since before she retired. And if I trust anyone at their word, it's Alysa. She's stated repeatedly that she loves to compete and that she'll be back next season. Until she states otherwise for whatever reason, Alysa WILL be back.

And if Amber doesn't beat any of those new kids on the block next season, so what? As long as she's in good shape and wants to compete, that should be sufficient. There aren't too many US skaters that are going to be able to challenge her anyway, apart from Alysa and Isabeau. That is if this year's Nationals is anything to go by.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Even while less than perfect, Amber has placed 5th and 6th at the only two Worlds she competed at. Hardly terrible results. She's not going to stick around for another full Olympic cycle, but if she wants one more year, I don't believe we here should begrudge her that.

What kind of crack do they deal in southern Illinois? Amber has skated at doubled the amount of Worlds you say she has. Four times in fact. The last four consecutive worlds. Now, can I get an amen up in here?

Stop. That. Train.

 

[Karen-W]

Even while less than perfect, Amber has placed 5th and 6th at the only two Worlds she competed at. Hardly terrible results. She's not going to stick around for another full Olympic cycle, but if she wants one more year, I don't believe we here should begrudge her that.

What kind of crack do they deal in southern Illinois? Amber has skated at doubled the amount of Worlds you say she has. Four times in fact. The last four consecutive worlds. Now, can I get an amen up in here?

Stop. That. Train.

LOL - yes, I was going to say... "Wait a minute, did someone purge Amber's 12th & 10th place finishes in 2023 & 2024 from their mind before posting?"

She's done well the past two seasons, make no mistake, but those first two Worlds appearances were less than auspicious - especially 2023 when she & Bradie couldn't manage to finish in the Top 9 and we lost the 3rd spot as a result; though credit to her for managing Top 10 in 2024 along with Isabeau's 2nd place & securing the 3rd spot again, which they both stated was their goal going into Montreal.

 

[peibeck]

What kind of crack do they deal in southern Illinois?

Sorry, dealing with some personal drama and have had very little sleep the last 9 days. Honestly I only remembered her past two appearances. Sorry!

 

[Allskate]

So, is the mental aspect of competing not just as important as physical injuries?

It is not as important, and it is not the same. Amber suffers from anxiety and also has ADHD. That is going to be a challenge for her whether she is skating or not. Not so with physical injuries. And it's been a challenge for her for her entire career. Should she never have skated at all?

But, you know what Adam has that Amber doesn't have? A Worlds medal and a couple of ISU Continental Championship titles. Heck, Kao has more ISU hardware than Amber, come to think of it. And both Adam & Kao are younger than Amber (and Kao is younger than Ilia too) with already greater successes internationally.

Adam won his silver medal at Worlds when he came in nineteenth in the short program, messing up every jumping pass. He is wildly inconsistent. So is Kao, who didn't even qualify for the free program this week and has never finished as high as Amber's sixth place at Worlds or won the GP Final.

It is very common for skaters to make mistakes in competition, including really good skaters. Heck, even Kaori often makes mistakes. So does Yuma. I think this was the first time all season that he skated his long program cleanly.

 

[PRlady]

Kao and Adam are up and down skaters with a lot of talent. But the truth is they are far more typical than someone like Sato, who might not have a lot of individual flair but is pretty consistent in competition.

The thing is that when you get a skater like Alysa or Med who rarely make mistakes in the clutch, they’re the unicorns. One think I’ll never forget about Z/K this season as that as time went on and they got more and more attention, they still didn’t make a major mistake in competition. It’s unusual!

So Amber is more open about her mental game than most skaters are, but it doesn’t mean she should retire IF she is still getting some joy from the roller coaster.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Sorry, dealing with some personal drama and have had very little sleep the last 9 days. Honestly I only remembered her past two appearances. Sorry!

Sorry, hon, I’ll reach out privately.

 

[Icetalavista]

great to hear about Alyssa's no-more-than-3-hours on ice schedule. (or total of ice and off ice?). granted, she is a generational talent, but there is a lot to be said for focused attention for a shorter time and less stress on the body. Would be interesting to have a detailed breakdown of how she and her coaches run her practices, and what if anything she does off-ice. Then again, some people are just blessed. and then again, again, she is not attempting 3 axels or quads.

and her being all of 20 years old and having a roll-with-it personality helps.

 

[Allskate]

great to hear about Alyssa's no-more-than-3-hours on ice schedule. (or total of ice and off ice?). granted, she is a generational talent, but there is a lot to be said for focused attention for a shorter time and less stress on the body. Would be interesting to have a detailed breakdown of how she and her coaches run her practices, and what if anything she does off-ice. Then again, some people are just blessed. and then again, again, she is not attempting 3 axels or quads.

I think she said three hours on ice. She also has mentioned weight and bike training. She says lots of skaters train more than seh does.

She did at one point say that she had been practicing triple axels every day, but she stopped at some point before Nationals.

 

[skateboy]

She did at one point say that she had been practicing triple axels every day, but she stopped at some point before Nationals.

When she appeared on Jimmy Fallon before the Olympics there was a video of her landing a triple Axel in recent practice.

 

[Jammers]

If Alysa does come back i'd like she see her push herself and try to get the triple axel back in her programs. I also hope she starts working on her programs earlier then last season since i think it was July and she still didn't have any idea what she wanted to do for her LP which i think is partly why her Lady Gaga program was never ready.

 

[peibeck]

With post Olympic tours, I'd suspect many skaters doing those will not start training their new programs right away.

 

[Allskate]

I also hope she starts working on her programs earlier then last season since i think it was July and she still didn't have any idea what she wanted to do for her LP which i think is partly why her Lady Gaga program was never ready.

She said she has a list of songs she wants to skate to.

But, she's skating with SOI until the end of May, and I'll bet she has a lot of opportunites for after that which she'll want to take advantage of. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't compete until the GP starts.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

If Alysa does come back i'd like she see her push herself and try to get the triple axel back in her programs. I also hope she starts working on her programs earlier then last season since i think it was July and she still didn't have any idea what she wanted to do for her LP which i think is partly why her Lady Gaga program was never ready.

I think that by July Alysa's boot problems had begun, and continued for what seemed a large chunk of the season. That also hampered her optimum on ice training. And unfortunately, she also had the further tragedy-based distraction of having to drop her new SP just as the season was beginning. All of that worked against her it seemed, in trying to bring her Lady Gaga program up to speed.

And as to her Gaga program, I agree with Jean-Luc Baker. Even by Nationals there was still something missing from that program (much as I personally loved the costume and concept). It's still missing a certain oomph, something to really punch it up. I was SO glad that Alysa went back to MacArthur Park Suite for the Olympics! That FS was clearly much more Olympian! And I love that she incorporated her knee spin from the Gaga program into it!

All of that being said, I would love for Alysa to bring back her triple Axel better than ever, AND I would love to see her try to backload her 3L-3R in her FS, just as she does in her SP!

 

[Allskate]

I think that by July Alysa's boot problems had begun, and continued for what seemed a large chunk of the season. That also hampered her optimum on ice training. And unfortunately she also had the further tragedy-based distraction of having to drop her new SP just as the season was beginning. All of that worked against her it seemed, in trying to bring her Lady Gaga program up to speed.

And as to her Gaga program, I agree with Jean-Luc Baker. Even by Nationals there was still something missing from that program (much as I personally loved the costume and concept). It's still missing a certain oomph, something to really punch it up. I was SO glad that Alysa went back to MacArthur Park Suite for the Olympics! That FS was clearly much more Olympian! And I love that she incorporated her knee spin from the Gaga program into it!

I've read and heard nothing showing that Alysa's boot problems were for such an extended period or that they were so severe that she could not have worked on the choreography for her long program. It was very soon after she mentioned the boot problems (at a competition) that she said that they were taken care of. She did manage to add the triple lutz/triple loop. And she was working on the triple axel. If she could do that, then I don't think the boot problems prevented her from working on the choreography. In fact, she pretty clearly did work on the choreography as it changed later in the season.

I think the real problem was that they never really were satisfied that the Lady Gaga program was better than MacArthur Park. I think that they probably were trying to come up with something very similar. IMO, the Gaga program suffered from some of the same problems as MacArthur Park. Unless she was in top form and really amped up, like at Worlds last year or the Olympics, I generally didn't care that much for the MacArthur Park program.

I hope that she can regain her triple axel, but I still much prefer her skating now than before her break when she was doing one.

I'm sure we'll see different programs from her next season.

 

[mtnskater]

If you didn’t see Alysa’s coach Philip Degugliamo’s speech after winning the ISU coach of the year award, go check it out. I’m paraphrasing, but he said that coaching Alysa also included managing her chaos. The speech was quite lovely and the award was well deserved!

 

[Allskate]

If you didn’t see Alysa’s coach Philip Degugliamo’s speech after winning the ISU coach of the year award, go check it out.

Do you have a link?

 

[mtnskater]

I watched the replay of the ISU awards on YouTube.

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[Allskate]

Isabeau posted a photo of her, Amber, and Alysa at SOI rehearsals in Japan. It must be exhausting to finish Worlds in Europe, fly to Japan the next day, and then start three days of rehearsals before doing a show.

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Isabeau also posted some pics/clips from Worlds, including a clip of a lovely lutz/loop. I'm sure she wishes she had done some of her practice combos in the competition:

Isabeau Levito on Instagram: "2026 worlds!🌟"

35K likes, 228 comments - isabeau.levito on March 31, 2026: "2026 worlds!🌟".

www.instagram.com

 

[skatfan]

If you didn’t see Alysa’s coach Philip Degugliamo’s speech after winning the ISU coach of the year award, go check it out. I’m paraphrasing, but he said that coaching Alysa also included managing her chaos. The speech was quite lovely and the award was well deserved!

And he said that because of the chaos he wouldn’t coach her alone - which is why Massimo is basically the co-coach.

 

[Vagabond]

And he said that because of the chaos he wouldn’t coach her alone - which is why Massimo is basically the co-coach.

So that's why he was so hesitant when she first broached the subject of coming back.

 

[Wyliefan]

I think I remember a story about him breaking out a bottle of wine ...

 

[skatfan]

I think I remember a story about him breaking out a bottle of wine ...

Phil said he did in the 60 minutes piece.

 

[Allskate]

So that's why he was so hesitant when she first broached the subject of coming back.

I don't think that's it. From what he has said before, his arguments were about whether she should come back to competitive skating, not whether he should be the one to coach her. Also, he has said that she was a very obedient skater when he coached her before. But, when you don't have other people running and structuring everything, it can be challenging, especially for a young adult who has ADHD and is often late, like Alysa says she is.

And he said that because of the chaos he wouldn’t coach her alone - which is why Massimo is basically the co-coach.

Not quite. He did say he wouldn't coach her alone and that Massimo needed to join him. But, he didn't actually link it to the chaos. However, he did say he had some stories he wouldn't tell publicly.

Philip's comments start at around the 35 minute mark:

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I think it was really cool what he said about Alysa teaching them.

 

[skatfan]

Not quite. He did say he wouldn't coach her alone and that Massimo needed to join him. But, he didn't actually link it to the chaos. However, he did say he had some stories he wouldn't tell publicly.

He didn’t say it explicitly, but the implication was obvious to me.