February 19th, 2026 - Alysa Liu Returns to the Ice On Her Own Terms

It’s hard to miss Alysa Liu on Olympic ice. While most skaters lock into intense focus during warm-ups, Liu looks like she’s at a celebration. At the Milan-Cortina Games, she waved to friends, joked with teammates and applauded other competitors. At one point, she spotted her family in the stands including her father, Arthur, and pointed toward them with a wide grin as she glided past.

Days later, the 20-year-old delivered a flawless performance to win gold in women’s figure skating, becoming the first American in more than two decades to claim the Olympic title in the event. Yet before the Games began, she had insisted that even a last-place finish would not define her. What mattered most, she said, was that she was in control of her own story.

For Liu, that sense of authorship was everything. After years of being directed how to train, what to eat and what to wear, she stepped away from the sport for two years. Her decision to return came with one condition: she would run her own career. When she told her father in 2024 that she planned to skate again, she also made clear that he would no longer manage her path. The conversation was painful, but necessary.

Arthur Liu had devoted years to nurturing his daughter’s talent. A former political refugee from China, he invested heavily in her development, hiring top coaches and holding her to exacting standards. By 13, Alysa had become the youngest U.S. national champion in history, landing jumps that set records. But the intensity came at a cost.

By the time she competed at the Beijing Olympics as a teenager, she felt drained and disconnected. Shortly afterward, she announced her retirement on social media at just 16. She enrolled at U.C.L.A., traveled, climbed to Everest Base Camp and experienced a version of life beyond the rink. For the first time, she felt free.

The spark returned unexpectedly on a family ski trip in early 2024. Feeling the rush of speed again, she realized she missed competition. This time, however, she built her own team, choosing coaches who respected her voice in choreography, music and presentation. They embraced her individuality, trusting her unconventional calm and carefree approach.

That authenticity has become her trademark. With streaked hair, a subtle smiley piercing and a relaxed demeanor under pressure, Liu projects a joy rarely seen at the highest levels of the sport. In Milan, she skated not from obligation, but from freedom, performing for her family and herself. For her father, watching her succeed on her own terms made the moment even more meaningful. This time, he said, it truly felt like a happy Olympic experience.

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster) - Syllogism (noun, SIL-uh-jiz-um) - Syllogism refers to a formal argument in logic that is formed by two statements and a conclusion which must be true if the two statements are true.

Example: An example of a syllogism is “All men are mortal; no gods are mortal; therefore no men are gods.”

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