|
(13 February 2019) In January, the skating world and the
American public was stunned by Alysa Liu, the tiny 13 year-old
California jumping jack who clinched the 2019 U.S. Senior Ladies
title with her
remarkable array of jumps (which included three triple Axels
combined in the short and long programs),
making 2019 a memorable Nationals on many fronts.
Liu’s triumphant
feat put her in the history books for two reasons: first, she is the only female to have ever
executed three triple Axels in this event thus far; and secondly,
because she is the youngest skater to have ever won a U.S. ladies
title.
Liu’s resounding victory inspired everyone present at the Little Caesars Arena in Downtown
Detroit on that memorable Friday afternoon when the U.S. ladies event was held.
At the conclusion to her compelling free skate to
the ‘Witches of Eastwick’ film score (an ideal fit for her
personality and style), spectators in the packed arena gave Liu a
standing ovation, while members of the media could be seen smiling
and nodding over this young girl’s huge accomplishment.
In the days following her win, the internet,
newspapers and other social and media news outlets were flooded with
information on Liu’s historic feat, instantly turning her into a
major media sensation and also candidate to help affect the growth
and popularity of this sport among the biggest and most influential
demographic of all, the general public.
The only drawback of this situation, however,
was the fact that Liu, who just turned 13 last August, is ineligible
to compete at the 2019 World Championships (or the 2020 and 2021
Worlds, for that matter) due to her age as the International Skating
Union rule states that all contenders must have turned 15 by the
competition’s entry deadline. She is even too young to compete
at the World Junior Championships this year.
Still, Liu’s accomplishment stands as a
benchmark moment for the sport both on a domestic and world scale,
with Tara Lipinsky, the NBC figure skating commentator and 1998 U.S.
Olympic Champion saying she is ‘the future of U.S. skating’ on her
Twitter feed.
A Clovis, California native, Liu, the oldest of
five children, seems to have all the right stuff to make it to the
top of the world ladder, especially in noting her determination,
attitude and spirit in just wanting to be her best. Once Nationals
wrapped up, Liu went home and started working on her quads,
attesting she is all about building her own standard.
Liu works with Laura Lipetsky, a former U.S.
ladies competitor who was trained by the iconic U.S. Olympic coach
Frank Carroll (who is now retired).
Lipetsky, who has been coaching Liu since age
five, the year she first started skating at the Oakland Ice Center,
has guided her to the 2016 U.S. Intermediate and 2018 U.S. junior
titles, and now the 2019 U.S. Championship title.
In addition to this incredibly effective
partnership, Liu is also close with her dad, Arthur, an attorney who
is always very amiable and kind with everyone he runs into at
competitions, as well as her siblings (a younger sister and
triplets-a sister and two brothers).
At the Nationals press conferences, Liu said
she enjoys biking, hanging out and playing with her sisters and
brothers during her free time, which is paramount in regard to
maintaining the right balance with an intensive competitive
lifestyle.
Last July, Liu blew away the crowd when she
performed at a summer show at Westchester Skating Academy in
Elmsford, New York.
That event, titled the ‘Ice Dreams Skating
Spectacular,’ also featured Mirai Nagasu, the seven-time U.S.
medalist known also for landing triple Axels; Jeremy Abbott, the
four-time U.S. champion; Karen Chen, the 2017 U.S. titlist; Starr
Andrews, the 2017 U.S. junior silver medalist; and Rohene Ward,
former national competitor and now coach and choreographer.
There, Liu performed her short program to
Maxime’s ‘Lo Siento’ and opened up with a triple Axel then did a
triple flip as well as fast, well-formed spins that drew loud cheers
from the packed arena.
During that week prior to the show, Liu, along
with the other performers, participated in helping campers with
their jumps, spins and other skating elements in clinics, something
she said she very much enjoyed.
“It’s been fun to skate with everyone here,”
said Liu, at the conclusion of that show. “It was great to be here.”
Liu also mentioned, after performing in the
show, that she had been working on consistency with all of her
jumps, including the triple Axel, a goal that she proved to have
resolutely checked off at the 2019mU.S. Championships in Detroit.
“I just want to get really consistent (on the
triple Axel) and want to get some quads,” said Liu then, who landed
her first (clean) Axel at age six, in regard to her goals.
Based upon this interaction and the results
produced by this firecracker athlete thus far, it seems she
certainly possesses the ability to accomplish practically any task
she sets her mind to, making her an inspiration as well as vital
role model for many, particularly the all-important pool of aspiring
up-and-coming skaters here in the U.S.
| 
