Alysa Liu swept up in a glittering figure skating whirlwind

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Alysa Liu swept up in a glittering figure skating whirlwind

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- Alysa Liu’s Olympic season began three months ago in Norwood, Massachusetts for a U.S. Figure Skating pre-season training camp.

Then came Bergamo, Italy for a Challenger Series competition. And Chongqing, China, 1,200 miles southwest of Beijing, for the Cup of China Grand Prix competition, followed by a (purposely) sleepless night and a flight the next day to New York City for the U.S. Olympic committee’s media days previewing the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Next was a little more than two weeks at her home in the San Francisco Bay area. And, in the latest episode of 'Where’s Alysa,' she wound up in the you-can’t-get-there-from-here north woods of New York state, specifically Lake Placid, for the Saatva Skate America Grand Prix event.

Ms. Liu heads back to the Bay Area with the Skate America gold medal, her first win at a Grand Prix event, and another long trip added to her Olympic season itinerary. This one is to Nagoya, Japan for the Grand Prix Final in two and one-half weeks.

Combined with a second place at Cup of China, her victory Sunday earned the reigning world champion one of the six singles spots in the Grand Prix Final women’s field.

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By the numbers, Russia's Petrosian looks golden at 2026 Olympics. Will pressure and her coach's past factor in?

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By the numbers, Russia's Petrosian looks golden at 2026 Olympics. Will pressure and her coach's past factor in?

Figure skating has become more and more of a math exercise since the sport began using its new scoring and judging system in the 2004-05 season.

If it were only a numbers game, you could securely place a bet on 17-year-old Russian Adeliia Petrosian becoming Olympic women’s singles champion next February because she has mastered high-scoring jumps none of the other contenders are likely to try.

But human behavior factors into the final score, so placing that bet involves more of a gamble than it might seem.

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A season of tragedy and triumph for U.S. figure skaters

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A season of tragedy and triumph for U.S. figure skaters

The figure skating season that ended nine days ago at the World Team Trophy in Japan was one of overwhelming tragedy and historic triumph for Team USA.

The tragedy happened Jan. 27, when 28 members of the U.S. figure skating family were among the 67 people who died in a crash between their plane and a military helicopter near Washington, D.C.

Among the 28 with ties to the skating community were 11 young skaters, plus some of their parents and coaches, all returning from a development camp following the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

At that point, with a pall hanging over them and hearts heavy with pain, the top U.S. skaters still had nearly three months left in the season, with three championship events left:  Four Continents, World Championships and World Team Trophy.

For nearly all of them, going back to practice was both incredibly difficult and necessary, as the U.S. elite sought ways to honor the memories of those who had died by honoring the sport they all loved with their best efforts.

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Ilia Malinin won a second straight world title, but he wanted more

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Ilia Malinin won a second straight world title, but he wanted more

BOSTON — Ilia Malinin won a second straight world title Saturday night, this one by a larger margin than the first.

But, despite his utter dominance of men’s singles skating, Malinin felt upset that he had left something undone.

That’s why he whacked the ice in frustration after finishing a free skate that left him happy because it brought another gold medal but disappointed because he fell short of his goal.

This season, Malinin wanted to further enhance his reputation as the Quadg0d by doing an unprecedented free skate in which all seven jumping passes began with a successful quad, and they were to include all six different types of the jump.

The skating gods apparently still think that is hubris.

He now has tried it unsuccessfully three times.

“It’s a pretty decent challenge that I’ve given myself,” he said.

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A special feeling in watching Alysa Liu triumph, both live and in the mind's eye

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A special feeling in watching Alysa Liu triumph, both live and in the mind's eye

As a journalist, you are trained to cover a story with neutrality and dispassion.

As a human being, you have emotions, and mine were provoked by watching a bogglingly brilliant performance by a person whom I have covered for many years, whose struggles and triumphs I have related.

In my 45 years of reporting on figure skating, I cannot recall being more emotionally moved by what I was experiencing than I was by watching Alysa Liu win the World Championships.

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