- Joined
- Apr 23, 2018
There's been a lot of that (nail artists being inspired by costumes) for years, I think it's adorable.
How much interest can Alysa Liu revive in figure skating in the US?
- Thread starter el henry
- Start date
There's been a lot of that (nail artists being inspired by costumes) for years, I think it's adorable.
Yes and no.
Professional women hockey has never been big in the U.S. so every little bit already counts as achievement (this one was more than a little bit but still).
As for figure skating, there are generations that have preconceptions about how figure skating was when it was big. Want or not, the comparison will always be here.
Gen Zs make an exception though. This generation basically grew up without any significant "figure skating big" popular culture experience and they can build their impressions from zero. So their impression of "figure skating big" will start with Alysa at Oscars and PinkPantheress on top of the charts.
Oh, and Lucky Charms of course
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2025
Is gen Z paying much attention to Oscars tho?
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2014
As for figure skating, there are generations that have preconceptions about how figure skating was when it was big. Want or not, the comparison will always be here.
Gen Zs make an exception though. This generation basically grew up without any significant "figure skating big" popular culture experience and they can build their impressions from zero. So their impression of "figure skating big" will start with Alysa at Oscars and PinkPantheress on top of the charts.
Oh, and Lucky Charms of course
Preconceptions about how figure skating was when it was big? I'm not sure what those are. In fact, I would argue that what made figure skating "big" in my youth (and that is a very relative word) is exactly what Alysa brings to the table. A different and engaging personality, a great backstory, joy in skating, oh, and by the way, a decent result. Which then spills over into popular culture.
We didn't have viral. We did have Short and Sassy ads. All over the television
Now of course the popularity is tied to Alysa herself (get that bag
girl, ) we will see if some of it can spill over into figure skating itself. 
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2015
Well what made skating big in North America 30-40 years ago was the whole definition of pro versus amateur skating. The pros had their own events and tv series. I am not sure skating was huge at the worlds championships because there was only tv and traditional media coverage.. no instagrams, no internet... but the presence of figure skaters who had gained success as amateurs on this pro circuit was huge. As a child, pretty much every weekend in the winter, I would flip through the channels and find some skating related program. When it wasn't a show, a pro or a pro-am competition, there may be some amateur competition like nationals or worlds. There were no GP series yet... there were no 4CC and Euros on my TV coverage... (4CC didn't even exist and the GP came later too)
The pro competitions stopped. No idea why. the TV coverage too. This year, even Canadian nationals received a very limited broadcast and only in English. Sure, CBC shows everything online.
So for a fan like me : now is better because I can stream and watch archives as I want.
For the casual viewers, they don't know what's available and do not watch it because they don't know it even exists.
I brought a newbie to Montreal worlds. She loved it. She still won't watch it unless I tell her where to watch it. She doesn't know.
If the ISU or the USFED want to bring back interest to the casual viewer, they will need more than just Liu. They will need to promote the sport in one way or another. For instance, rehauling the GP series into something less niche with perhaps more events and more skaters. Maybe even a semi-finals before the GPF. They need to make it less obscure for qualification to GPF... They could create pool of skaters and brackets etc... Right now, even us, dedicated fans are scrambling numbers to figure out who will qualify. It's not conducive to create hype for all the events but the last couple ones...
Would they be able to recreate pro competitions or pro-am competitions... Japan Open used to be cool. Even that lost its ways.
So to me, it's not a skater, though Alysa would be a great candidate to bring back some of the interest in the USA. For me, it's the infrastructure.
ISU completely revamped the short track series of event a couple years ago. Does it bring more fans? It's short track.Even more niche of a sport... but actually, Canadian media covered it more. Each fed now has a team name and throughout the year, each skater can earn their crystal globe but can also contribute to the team's points... and in the end, a team is declared winner. They have fun names too... Canadians are the Ice Maples. Our media did cover it because we won... but in the past, we sometimes did just as well but there was no interest. People need to see achievements... so that's why when pro-am competitions got done... and when this ill conceived GP series arrived, it perplexed the casual viewers...
Just my two cents of course.
The pro competitions stopped. No idea why. the TV coverage too. This year, even Canadian nationals received a very limited broadcast and only in English. Sure, CBC shows everything online.
So for a fan like me : now is better because I can stream and watch archives as I want.
For the casual viewers, they don't know what's available and do not watch it because they don't know it even exists.
I brought a newbie to Montreal worlds. She loved it. She still won't watch it unless I tell her where to watch it. She doesn't know.
If the ISU or the USFED want to bring back interest to the casual viewer, they will need more than just Liu. They will need to promote the sport in one way or another. For instance, rehauling the GP series into something less niche with perhaps more events and more skaters. Maybe even a semi-finals before the GPF. They need to make it less obscure for qualification to GPF... They could create pool of skaters and brackets etc... Right now, even us, dedicated fans are scrambling numbers to figure out who will qualify. It's not conducive to create hype for all the events but the last couple ones...
Would they be able to recreate pro competitions or pro-am competitions... Japan Open used to be cool. Even that lost its ways.
So to me, it's not a skater, though Alysa would be a great candidate to bring back some of the interest in the USA. For me, it's the infrastructure.
ISU completely revamped the short track series of event a couple years ago. Does it bring more fans? It's short track
.Even more niche of a sport... but actually, Canadian media covered it more. Each fed now has a team name and throughout the year, each skater can earn their crystal globe but can also contribute to the team's points... and in the end, a team is declared winner. They have fun names too... Canadians are the Ice Maples. Our media did cover it because we won... but in the past, we sometimes did just as well but there was no interest. People need to see achievements... so that's why when pro-am competitions got done... and when this ill conceived GP series arrived, it perplexed the casual viewers...Just my two cents of course.
If it's covered by Teen Vogue then I guess they do:Is gen Z paying much attention to Oscars tho?
Alysa Liu Proves Curly Halo Hair Also Works at Oscars 2026 Weekend
The look is more versatile than you'd think.
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2014
You make good points and I agree. The pro circuit was wonderful for keeping skating in front of the public and for keeping the skaters they cared about (Toller!
) in the public eye long past the time they were interested in "truly" competing.Skating availability today is amazing compared to then, even with all the YouTube and copyright problems. Being able to see an entire comp instead of six programs on Wide World of Sports? Being able to see the DistantCountrySkater Memorial comp, or even know it exists? Would I have even known Anthony Paradis existed back in the old days? No.
Absolutely it must be easier to find. If they can't find Alysa, or her comp, they can't watch the comp, and get interested in skating overall. Which is another issue with trying to leverage the popularity.
But at least the popularity is there.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
I think that the biggest reason was that these were the years when the Olympic Games were fully discarding the old class-based distinction between amateur (lords and ladies) and professional (people who work for a living). ISU President Ottavio Cinquata got greedy and tried to take over both, with, in my opinion, both suffering in the attempt.
Some observers also cite over-saturation of the pro skating market in the 1990s, but I personally don't think that this was a big factor. I for one would be quite willing to see Yuka Sato do Hatful of Stars another thousand times.
Anyway, there's a new sheriff in town -- Boss Lady Liu. We'll see.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
Teen Vogue has another Alysa piece, an op-ed
www.teenvogue.com
Alysa Liu Is the Unapologetic Alt Ice Skater I Always Wanted to See
In this op-ed, writer and comedian Lauren Servideo reflects on her love of ice skating and what 20-year-old Alysa Liu and her alt style mean to the sport.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
The author's take on the difference between Alysa and others in the game:Teen Vogue has another Alysa piece, an op-ed
Alysa Liu Is the Unapologetic Alt Ice Skater I Always Wanted to See
In this op-ed, writer and comedian Lauren Servideo reflects on her love of ice skating and what 20-year-old Alysa Liu and her alt style mean to the sport.
(Traditionally) "with a fixed palette of jumps, spins, steps & turns, and choreographic elements each graded on their precision, a skater’s goal isn’t to stand out with a unique aesthetic point of view, but to embody a wintry model-mannequin of snow globe-like perfection.
"Then there’s Liu, who glides, jumps, and spins with a cool consistency that makes the viewer wonder if she even knows she’s competing at all."
The interesting thing is that this piece was written in January, before the Olympics.
Who cares?
I mean it as a question. Which part of the Teen Vogue target audience is supposed to be bothered?
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
I think the author is up front about her preconceptions:
"I was never a serious figure skater. I skated because I liked it. I liked the cold, I liked the speed. In another, then-unconnected lane of life, I liked beauty. Clothes, hair, eyeliner, polish, perfume. They were different things: skating was a skill, fashion was an art."
One person's inexpert take. No biggie. An interesting read all the same.
I'd guess that the people who care about the sport being popular care?
Honestly, what is it that we're discussing here? How fashionable Alysa Liu supposedly is? Unlike all the other women who're skating alongside her, who aren't skilled enough to break the norm, and that's also why nobody cares about them?
It seems only @Blades of Passion and @4everchan have understood the assignment on this.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2013
While I'm not a reader, I'd bet that Teen Vogue is not well known as a publication featuring indepth research and expert analysis and commentary on any topic outside of fashion.
What I imagine they are good at is gauging, and to some degree shaping, the cultural interests of a specific demographic. It's not a terrible thing that they have an article about Alysa Liu.
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2024
What the closure of Teen Vogue means for journalism.
Condé Nast folded a beloved magazine that treated youth and feminism as political topics, not trends.
www.cjr.org
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
Here's what I think about all this.
I think we should never get too far away from the basic reality that figur skating, in common with all sports, falls into the category "Recreation and Entertainment." If you skate for yourself, for fun, exercise, social interaction, or to challenge yourself to acquire a skill -- that's recreation. If you skate for an audience, that's entertainment.
I for one don't really care whether Alysa dresses up like a leprechaun to promote Lucky Charms breakfast cereal (though I hope she makes a million bucks off it) or whether people paint Alysa Liu headshots on their toenails. But I am massively entertained by the whole shebang. Go Alysa!
As for what will the future will bring regarding the popularity of U.S. figure skating in general, I have to be honest. I don't know (the hardest three words in the English language for any forum participant, internet blogger, or commentator to utter.) I hope something good will come of it all -- well, hope doesn't cost us anything.
I think we should never get too far away from the basic reality that figur skating, in common with all sports, falls into the category "Recreation and Entertainment." If you skate for yourself, for fun, exercise, social interaction, or to challenge yourself to acquire a skill -- that's recreation. If you skate for an audience, that's entertainment.
I for one don't really care whether Alysa dresses up like a leprechaun to promote Lucky Charms breakfast cereal (though I hope she makes a million bucks off it) or whether people paint Alysa Liu headshots on their toenails. But I am massively entertained by the whole shebang. Go Alysa!
As for what will the future will bring regarding the popularity of U.S. figure skating in general, I have to be honest. I don't know (the hardest three words in the English language for any forum participant, internet blogger, or commentator to utter.) I hope something good will come of it all -- well, hope doesn't cost us anything.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
Does that mean that the issue with Alysa on the cover will be the last? An instant collector's item!What the closure of Teen Vogue means for journalism.
Condé Nast folded a beloved magazine that treated youth and feminism as political topics, not trends.
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2024
Oh, it was just a reply to the poster above mine. It just meant that Teen Vogue is no longer an independent publication but now operates as part of the main Vogue brand.Does that mean that the issue with Alysa on the cover will be the last? An instant collector's item!
Alysa's cover will not be the last, and I'm sure there will be more if she has a continued presence in the pop culture.
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2014
I think as the OP I understand the assignment, and I am grateful for everyone's contributions.
My own personal outlook is that gatekeeping at the outset does not help the popularity of skating. I don't care if the young folks (or otherwise) newly following Alysa know a flip from a flutz, I don't care if they recognize the greatness and genius of Toller, I don't care what they know or don't know.
If some, if even a tiny minority of them (Alysa fans in the US) get interested enough from one person to watch other comps and learn whatever they think they need to learn and draw their own conclusions about skaters, what more could I ask for?
Nothing more, and I would thank the skating gods
. Will it happen? Who knows.
My own personal outlook is that gatekeeping at the outset does not help the popularity of skating. I don't care if the young folks (or otherwise) newly following Alysa know a flip from a flutz, I don't care if they recognize the greatness and genius of Toller, I don't care what they know or don't know.
If some, if even a tiny minority of them (Alysa fans in the US) get interested enough from one person to watch other comps and learn whatever they think they need to learn and draw their own conclusions about skaters, what more could I ask for?
Nothing more, and I would thank the skating gods
. Will it happen? Who knows.Similar threads
