Alysa Liu changes coaches and moves to Colorado Springs

[el henry]

confirmed from Phil Hersh

 

[norwegianfairytale]

Wow, a bold move shortly before Nationals and OG. I hope she achieves whatever she wants with this change!

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

I hope she achieves whatever she wants with this change!

Unless this is a disagreement about financial matters, I can't imagine any good reason to make a change at this point in the Olympic season.

 

[macy]

i just hope her progress in the PCS department doesn't stagnate with the change. she made some real leaps and bounds the last few months.

 

[alexocfp]

Unless this is a disagreement about financial matters, I can't imagine any good reason to make a change at this point in the Olympic season.

As per her dad:

Asked why change, Arthur Liu wrote: "Alysa greatly appreciates both Massimo and Jeremy and I also thank both of them for taking care of her. I felt Alysa needed more intensity in her training and the coaches and I were not on the same page as to how the training should be."

So, any credit or blame later on should go to dad. Haha

 

[norwegianfairytale]

Unless this is a disagreement about financial matters, I can't imagine any good reason to make a change at this point in the Olympic season.

If you click on the Twitter-link there is more information about the change. It seems she/her father isn´t satisfied with the time the current coaching team spend on her. All though I can understand the problems, it seems like a big risk taking now with the time it takes to adjust to new coaches.

 

[Amei]

If you click on the Twitter-link there is more information about the change. It seems she/her father isn´t satisfied with the time the current coaching team spend on her. All though I can understand the problems, it seems like a big risk taking now with the time it takes to adjust to new coaches.

I hope it is Alysa and not her Dad, as the thread indicates HE was unhappy with her training

 

[norwegianfairytale]

I hope it is Alysa and not her Dad, as the thread indicates HE was unhappy with her training

Indeed. But on the other side, would her father make such a move if Alysa didn´t want it herself? If he wants Alysa to succeed in OG, changing her coaching team right before Nationals and OG seems like a very bad strategy if she doesn´t want it herself. Because this new adjustment would take a lot of extra work and motivation in such short time. So I read in the other thread that Young You will train in the same rink and that they have gotten friends and that they can motivate each other.

 

[figureskatingandrainbows]

At least she's not with Tammy, whose skaters have bad UR problems. I think being in a high-level competitive environment with skaters she's friends with could be a good strategy. I'm hopeful Drew will continue to stress good PCS as well, since Vincent has really worked to improve in that area under his tutelage. I really hope that this doesn't mean we'll get different programs or complete technique reworking in the middle of the seas9n, and also means Alysa will continue skating after the Olympics. Ideally this will pay off in the long run, but it's very risky.

 

[beepboop]

I hope it is Alysa and not her Dad, as the thread indicates HE was unhappy with her training

I'm as skeptical as anyone about this change but, to give her dad the benefit of the doubt, Alysa may not have wanted to strain her relationship with Massimo and Jeremy by publicly (or even privately) saying that she was the one who wanted the change. She has said before that she wishes she had more elite-level skaters to train with, so it's not completely out of the question that this was something she wanted or at least agreed to.

 

[alexocfp]

Obviously, you can’t predict the future, but having ambition, wanting to be challenged, and getting out of your comfort zone aren’t bad attributes for a sportswoman.

And yes, you kind of bury (ok, you actually bury) the people that coached you before, but this isn’t a charity.

And I respect them for being honest and saying that we don’t think who we gave now can take us to the next level.

Now if they go back to the old coaches at a later date….haha

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Well there goes her improved skating skills.

 

[breadstal]

Her dad gives me bad vibes.

 

[Amei]

Indeed. But on the other side, would her father make such a move if Alysia didn´t want it herself? If he wants Alysia to succeed in OG, changing her coaching team right before Nationals and OG seems like a very bad strategy if she doesn´t want it herself. Because this new adjustment would take a lot of extra work and motivation in such short time. So I read in the other thread that Young You will train in the same rink and that they have gotten friends and that they can motivate each other.

I hope so but I remember reading an article awhile ago where he refered to himself as 'coach'

 

[alexocfp]

Her dad gives me bad vibes.

What have you seen that gives you “bad vibes?”

I’m asking that for informational purposes since obviously I don’t know him or his background.

 

[YuBluByMe]

Oh boy oh boy. Considering the timing, I think she’s shooting herself in the foot.

Or maybe her dad’s doing the shooting: “I felt Alysa needed more intensity in her training and the coaches and I were not on the same page as to how the training should be."

Either way, this is a terrible decision and looks like a knee-jerk reaction to her results in the Grand Prix. The dangers of reading your own press is that when reality hits, it hits hard . I think Liu did well in the Grand Prix – she scored 200+ every time and has cemented her position as the top US lady - but if the expectation was for her to be competitive with the top skaters, well, that was never going to be a thing to anyone not reading the hype.

Additionally, why Colorado Springs? Broadmoor is full of skaters with jump issues that struggle majorly to reach their potential in competition. Would her training be more intense there? I think any change at this point will be bad, but there were better options. Not many, true, but better. This whole decision just reeks of impatience.

 

[skatingiscool]

confirmed from Phil Hersh

I think it's a good move overall.
(1) Better training environment. You want to train with elite skaters and learn from them (Vincent, Karen, Young You....)
(2) Jeremy will be on tour. He won't have time to train Alysa in Dec.
(3) Massimo is not specialized in fixing Alysa's under rotation. If Alysa can fully rotate just "one" jump in NHK, she could win Silver. I understand why her dad is pissed off.
(4) USFSA headquarter is in Colorado and they can provide all support that Alysa needs.

 

[Tahuu]

Why would any coach take and invest in such coach-hopping skater is beyond me.

 

[Decoder]

If Alysa herself wants more intense training (she probably needs it), I am with her.

 

[el henry]

There is a lot of unsourced gossip about Alysa’s dad from places that are normally decried here.

I would certainly hope that a parent would be involved enough in skating to know what their child wants and to know what’s going on with her coaches. The days of “Let’s just give my child over entirely to other people so they can chase shiny gold“ have been discredited for obvious reasons.

Alysa is a minor, and her father should make decisions, taking her well being into account.

I have no idea if this is good or bad, I haven’t watched Alysa skate since Cranberry. I respect Drew, Viktor, Christy, Jeremy and Massimo.

I wish all of them the best.