ALYSA LIU:
00:01:26
In my spin, right before I hit my ending pose, I saw everybody already standing up. Oh, my god. I was like, this is wild. [CHEERING] That was the most hype I've ever felt in my entire life. It's a crazy sensation.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:01:43
Alysa Liu had seized the night. She was the world champion. You did it!
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:01:50
Her coaches, Philip Di Guglielmo and Massimo Scali, were overjoyed. Wow!
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:01:56
Did you guys see this coming? No.
MASSIMO SCALI:
00:01:59
No. No. A year after she stepped back on the ice, she was at the top. It's unheard of. In our sport, it is. It is.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:02:10
Unheard of in women's figure skating, because Liu has come back now as a grown woman. That wasn't bad for how I feel.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:02:20
A little edgier, bleached hair, and more piercings, but also a full 7 inches taller than when she first broke through-- [MUSIC PLAYING] --by winning the 2019 US Championship at 13. She was still a child. [CHEERING] The 4' 7" dynamo needed a lift to ascend to the top of the podium. Liu won another national title at age 14 and was hailed as the great American hope in figure skating.
ALYSA LIU:
00:02:52
Then I skated every day when I was, like, 13, 14, so it was a very abnormal childhood.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:02:58
She says coaches told her when to practice, what to wear, which music to skate to, even how much to eat. Was it a job? Yes, yeah. Especially as a kid, you don't really know what you want. Skating feels more like a responsibility-- or a burden, even. Like this is what I have to do. Yeah.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:03:17
It was Alysa's father who was the engine of ambition. He was really in your business when you were younger. Oh, yeah. I mean, it was basically his business. It wasn't even really mine.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:03:28
Arthur Liu had no skating background. In his native China, he had organized demonstrations during the time of the Tiananmen Square protests and was forced to flee. He came to America with nothing. Arthur built a law practice and a family in the Bay Area. A single dad, he had five kids with the help of surrogates. Alysa was his oldest child, and her figure skating career became his second full-time job. I took her everywhere. I took her to Japan to learn from the top coaches there. I took her to Canada. How much do you think you spent to help her become the figure skater that she is? I would say half a million to $1 million. [LAUGHS] Arthur! I spared-- I spared no money, no time. Just-- Why? I just saw the talent.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:04:27
With so much at stake, Arthur began cycling and recycling through coaches. How many times did he fire you? Me, once. I think three times. Three times. Once in person, two via text, I think. Yeah. "Your services are no longer needed."
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:04:44
Some coaches tried to keep Arthur away from the rink, but one afternoon, he just couldn't help himself. Just one time, I sneaked into the ice rink. Why? Big jacket, sunglasses, head covered, entered the ice rink from the back, not from the front. So I was sitting there, up in the bleachers, watching. And I didn't like what I saw. Standing around for 20 minutes, skated around the rink a few times. That's where my money was going? And how did that go down? We stopped working with that coach. These stories make it sound like you were like this tiger dad who was all over her career and pushing her. Is that fair? Mm, not quite. Not quite. I was laissez faire. A laissez-faire dad doesn't bring a radar gun to the skating rink. Well, I mean, you know, the radar gun is to measure her speed.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:05:48
Alysa says everything changed when the pandemic hit in 2020. Her rink in Oakland closed, allowing her to catch her breath. I was like, wow, this is what a break feels like. And then I was like, I really like not skating. The pandemic hits. Most people are like, oh, this is such a bummer. Honestly, I was hoping, like, the rinks wouldn't open. [CHUCKLES]
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:06:12
When rinks did open, Alyssa reluctantly returned to the ice. She made the 2022 US Olympic team, finishing sixth in Beijing. But she'd had it with figure skating. And then I was like, yeah, I'll call it quits right now.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:06:27
She did it on Instagram, catching the sport by surprise. So tell me about the decision to retire. It was a crucial time in my life. I was 16, and college was coming up. Like, I wanted to do so much. I went to Nepal, and I trekked to Everest base camp. Me and my friends would do tons of road trips. Yeah, I mean, I was really just living it up. I would say it was my best life. At any point, were you like, gosh, I kind of miss skating? No. Not at all. You're not thinking about it at all. No, not a thought. I deleted my Instagram so I wouldn't see any skating. No one ever brought it up. So I never even had the chance to think about it.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:07:05
But nearly two years into her self-imposed exile, she secretly laced up her skates. And did you tell your family you were putting your skates back on? I mean, I wasn't planning to return to competition at this point. I just wanted quick hits of dopamine, basically.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:07:21
Soon, she wanted more. She pestered one of her many former coaches, Philip Di Guglielmo. And so I call up Philip, and I tell him, hey, I think I want to go back to skating. And I said, oh. That's fun. Oh, see. And I thought, oh, you want to do collegiate competitions? And she goes, no, I want to compete again. And I said, let me call you back. [LAUGHTER] I go, and I grab a bottle of red wine, and I open that bottle, and I pour myself a really big glass. And are you thinking, this is a terrible idea? This is a terrible idea. Terrible idea. 2.5 hours later of conversation, with me trying to talk her out of it, and everything I said-- oh, I said, other people have tried this, and it was hard because they're older. She goes, I'm only 18. [CHUCKLES]
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:08:17
Alysa made it clear on the FaceTime call, if she came back, she would be in charge going forward. I get to pick my own program music. I get to help with the creative process of the program. If I feel like I'm skating too much, I'll back down. If I feel like I'm not skating enough, I'll ramp it up. No one's gonna starve me or tell me what I can and can't eat. I love the arm--
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:08:41
Philip Di Guglielmo agreed with Alysa's conditions-- It's really the stretch.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:08:45
--and brought back choreographer Massimo Scali. It's like, bam. I got my team. I told US Figure Skating, and then I told my dad. And how did dad react when you told him that? I mean, he was really happy. He's a great father, you know. I just didn't want him to be as invested in it as he was before.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:09:05
When she said she didn't want you on the team anymore, were you hurt? A little bit. [LAUGHS] A little bit. It's like, I brought you up to US-- two US national titles. Do you think Alysa's a little bit of a rebel? Yes. Like her father? I think so. I really think so. She's a very free spirit, like me in many ways. God has a sense of humor, right? Yes, absolutely.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:09:35
In June 2024, Alysa started training again full time at her home rink, the Oakland Ice Center. The idea was to take it slowly to see where her comeback might lead, if anywhere. At first, she was out of shape. When you got back on the ice, how long did you think it would take you to be a contender for a world championship? Oh, never. I never considered that, no. Guys, high five. Yeah.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:10:02
But her coaches saw the old magic reappear. Oh, beautiful. That was really pretty. I don't even know what to say. That was--
PHILIP DI GUGLIELMO:
00:10:13
The jump's came back, like that. How amazing is that. Ugh. Incredible. And there was something different about the way she moved her body, that was no longer a child.
MASSIMO SCALI:
00:10:27
Yeah. I kind of don't like that the leg and arm both move together.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:10:31
With her in charge, is she a better skater? Oh, yeah. 100%. What do you see? For many years, she was dropped off at the rink. She was told what to do. Now, she comes in, and it is all collaborative.
MASSIMO SCALI:
00:10:43
Mm-hmm. I could hold.
PHILIP DI GUGLIELMO:
00:10:45
Yes, yes, yes.
MASSIMO SCALI:
00:10:47
I like that.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:10:49
Her attachment to her coaches can be literal. This harness and what looks like a fishing pole help reel her in before she falls. But eventually, they have to let her go. No. Nuh. Ugh.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:11:07
This is what it takes to become a champion. Constant pounding-- I'm so tired.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:11:15
--in pursuit of perfection. One more.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:11:17
I saw that when you were training and they're like, OK, that's good, and you're like, one more, one more. Yeah, yeah. You don't need somebody pushing you. No, I have my own determination. My determination is, like, up there. You're pretty scrappy. I love struggling, actually. You do. It makes me feel alive.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:11:35
Skating isn't Alysa Liu's entire life anymore. [LAUGHS]
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:11:39
She's traded her ice princess tiara for a little freedom-- When you pulled your skirt out like that, that was cute.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:11:45
--and room for expression. Oh, yeah. This is it. OK.
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:11:49
What's unique about Alysa skating is her blend of jumping ability and alluring movement. Do you view yourself as an athlete or an artist? An artist, actually. But I love being an athlete, too. I think it's really cool. I view competitions more as a stage for performing. [MUSIC PLAYING]
SHARYN ALFONSI:
00:12:13
There will be no bigger stage than next month's Winter Olympics in Italy, where Alysa will be a gold medal favorite. No American woman has won an Olympic figure skating singles title in 24 years. Do you feel any kind of pressure that, now, I've got to do the Olympics, and I need to win gold?
ALYSA LIU:
00:12:33
No. Actually, I'm really excited, because my goal, honestly, is just to hype people up, give them an experience, whether it's negative or positive. As long as people are feeling some strong emotions and anticipation, I'm fine with that. [MUSIC PLAYING] [CLOCK TICKING]
