Skating now a happy place for Alysa Liu

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Skating now a happy place for Alysa Liu

Alysa Liu was walking down a hallway to a press conference at last season’s U.S Championships, and she was chattering, and chattering, about everything and nothing, a smile on her face throughout the five-minute walk.

And she hasn’t stopped since, rambling on through stream-of-consciousness answers to questions, smiling at every opportunity in her performances.

It is so wonderfully far from the often-morose demeanor Liu took on before what had seemed to be the end of her career.

The rink has become her happy place.

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Madison Chock and Evan Bates find appreciation in swan song Olympic season

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Madison Chock and Evan Bates find appreciation in swan song Olympic season

They have been around the competitive ice dance world so long it would be easy for Madison Chock and Evan Bates to develop a sense of ennui, a sense of been there, done that, of thinking how can their 1,000th practice or seventh appearance at the U.S. stop on the Grand Prix circuit be anything more that a forgettable way station on the trip to their ultimate goal.

It's just such an attitude that the winners of the last three world titles have been consciously rejecting as they prepare to skate together in a fourth Olympics this February in Milan, Italy, where they would seek the one thing missing from their sparkling résumé: an ice dance Olympic medal (preferably a gold one.)

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Ilia Malinin dominant again in nationals short program

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Ilia Malinin dominant again in nationals short program

WICHITA, Kansas -- Figure skaters often say they are competing only against themselves.

That certainly has become the case for Ilia Malinin at the Prevagen U.S. Championships.

The reigning world champion is simply in a league by himself on the national level.

He showed that again in Saturday’s short program, winning by 19.14 points, with Andrew Torgashev second and Jimmy Ma third, 3.03 points behind Torgashev.  It is a record margin for the men’s short program winner at nationals.

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Nathan Chen credits Massimo Scali for finishing touches on gold medal routine

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Nathan Chen credits Massimo Scali for finishing touches on gold medal routine

Funny how things work out sometimes.

Massimo Scali had hoped to go to the 2022 Winter Olympics as Alysa Liu’s coach.

That did not happen, so Scali is watching the Olympics from his home in Oakland, California.

But he still was present at the Games through Nathan Chen.

Chen had sought input from Scali soon after learning the three-time Italian Olympic ice dancer suddenly and surprisingly was free of coaching commitments to Liu.

"He has been incredibly helpful, so I just feel a need to mention that," Chen said at a press conference the day after winning the gold medal.

"I am so happy for being able to collaborate with Nathan recently," Scali said Friday by telephone. "To have seen him skate the way he did in this Olympics was quite a show. I’m so proud."

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