9797
NEW FACE OF
FIGURE SKATING
ALYSA LIU | 14
By Michelle Kwan
I first met Alysa Liu through
her coach Laura Lipetsky. I
was so excited to see Laura,
whom I skated with as a little
girl in Torrance, Calif. Alysa
was too shy to speak to me,
but we posed for a picture.
When I told my sister Karen
about seeing Laura, she said,
“She’s training Alysa Liu—the
future of figure skating.” Boy,
was she right! A few months
later, at age 13, Alysa became
the youngest U.S. ladies’ figure-
skating champion in history. It
made me think back to when I
was 13, competing in the 1994
U.S. Championships. I finished
second and was that bright-
eyed little girl on the podium,
not knowing I would be thrust
onto the world’s stage. That’s
where Alysa is now. Her quad
Lutz is pushing the technical
envelope, and there’s no
slowing down. Alysa has a
long and bright future. In a
way, I will be living vicariously
through her as I watch her life
and skating mature. As my
sister said, Alysa really is the
future of figure skating.
Kwan is a two-time Olympic
medalist and five-time world-
champion figure skater
PORTRAIT-ILLUSTRATION BY GLUEKIT FOR TIME; GETTY IMAGES (2)
