Alysa Liu, two-time U.S. National champion, recently returned to competitive figure skating after a two-year break. We chat with Alysa about her life since the Beijing Olympics, her interests and passions, and how her skating is going this season.
Category: Ladies
Choreographing for Loena Hendrickx: Adam Solya
Last night, Loena Hendrickx won the women's short program at the 2024 ISU World Figure Skating Championships with a new personal-best score. It was a triumph for the Belgian skater--one of many this season, which has seen her winning a Grand Prix event at Skate America and her first European Championships title. And Hendrickx is …
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U.S. Classic: A Look Back at Lake Placid
A couple weeks ago, I had a chance to go to Lake Placid, NY, to cover the 2022 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. The competition turned out to be pretty exciting, with Ilia Malinin making skating history by landing the first quad Axel. It was my first time visiting Lake Placid–a small town that has …
In Honor of Tenley Albright’s Birthday
Today, July 18, marks the 84th birthday of Tenley Albright. Born in 1935, Tenley Albright was a trailblazer in U.S. figure skating, becoming the first American lady to win an Olympic title (1956), as well as the first to win a World championship (1953, 1955). Albright captured a total of six World and Olympic medals …
Cranberry Open 2018: Notes
Cranberry Open is a U.S. club competition that takes place every summer in the town of Hyannis, on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. I usually try to make it down there for one day each summer to see some early-season skating. The competitors at Cranberry are mostly local New England skaters. However, the event sometimes draws …
Colonial Open 2018: Report
This past weekend, I went to Colonial Open in Boxborough, MA. Colonial Open is one of the first club competitions of the season in New England, and it's only about an hour from my house, so it's fun to go and see some early-season skating. Colonial Open typically attracts a fairly strong field of skaters …
The Significance of Trusova
A week and a half ago, 13-year-old Alexandra Trusova won Junior Worlds in Sofia, Bulgaria, with a record-setting performance in the free skate. New world records in ladies' skating have become fairly common in recent years, due to the technical brilliance of Russian ladies. In senior ladies, Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova have taken turns …
U.S. Classic 2017: Highlights from Ladies, Men, Ice Dance & Pairs
I had a great time last weekend attending the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic in Salt Lake City! I covered the event for Figure Skaters Online. It was my first time going to U.S. Classic, and my first time attending any Challenger Series event. U.S. Classic takes place in a small 2-rink facility in Salt …
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Interview with Emmy Ma (June 2017)
16-year-old Emmy Ma made a splash at this year's U.S. Nationals, where she won the short program in the Junior ladies event with a lovely performance. Facing a field of mostly younger rivals, Emmy's skating stood out for her musicality, skating skills, and maturity. Although she faltered a bit in the long program, Emmy captured …
Skate America 2016: Highlights from Ice Dance, Mens, and Ladies
Since I attended Skate America in person, I thought I'd share some of my personal highlights/impressions from ladies, men, and ice dance. No scoring analysis here; just some opinions, based on seeing the competition live! Ladies The ladies event was particularly interesting because it featured three of my favorite skaters: Mao Asada, Gracie Gold, and …
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