How much interest can Alysa Liu revive in figure skating in the US?

[R.D.]

Once again, to specifically answer the thread topic, it is purely anyone's guess re whether or not the huge interest in Alysa will translate into sustained and broader interest in figure skating. From my perspective and years of observation, I say: No. The phenomenal interest in Alysa Liu is mostly about Alysa and her personality, not about the sport.

It's the sport and its 'handlers' who will need to position and effectively promote the sport and the skaters in honest and significant ways before huge, sustained interest in figure skating beyond the Olympics can occur.

Agreed. Also, I don’t think it should be her job to fulfill (unless she willingly takes an interest in doing so). She’s got her personal brand to manage, of course - but whether / how much skating benefits will ultimately be driven by those who govern and/or market skating directly.

FWIW - very recently, I’ve been noticing a general uptick in Alysa Liu related content being pushed on social media despite having never searched for her, so the algorithms are definitely at work here too…frankly I think they play a much bigger hand in driving modern trends than many realize.

 

[el henry]

I am of a different era I actually measure popularity by dead tree or used to be dead tree coverage and by real live people doing real live things unrelated to skating, who know and are interested in Alysa. I have seen way more of that after these Olympics than in the past 30 years.

I do scroll social media, however, and what appeared to be a real person posted elsewhere (paraphrasing)"I went to Stars on Ice because of Alysa Liu and wow they are all so good and all so fast and how do I watch more skating." And no they weren't looking for canes and hats and group numbers. That reaction is what I'm f****** talking about, to coin a phrase.

Is Alysa herself *responsible* for any of this? Heck no, that's part of her charm.

 

[CoyoteChris]

I agree with this but wanted to post coaches should be scared of her. Kidding of course.

Her coaches said on 60 min that her father fired them multiple times.! LOL! They tried to talk Alysa out of making a come back. They have learned to do what Alysa says. "That's what I am frigging talking about"

 

[CoyoteChris]

I am of a different era I actually measure popularity by dead tree or used to be dead tree coverage and by real live people doing real live things unrelated to skating, who know and are interested in Alysa. I have seen way more of that after these Olympics than in the past 30 years.

I do scroll social media, however, and what appeared to be a real person posted elsewhere (paraphrasing)"I went to Stars on Ice because of Alysa Liu and wow they are all so good and all so fast and how do I watch more skating." And no they weren't looking for canes and hats and group numbers. That reaction is what I'm f****** talking about, to coin a phrase.

Is Alysa herself *responsible* for any of this? Heck no, that's part of her charm.

Dead tree???

 

[el henry]

Dead tree???

Paper. I both subscribe to the NY Times *and* buy the dead tree version, because I like reading on paper.

From what I understand, only us old folks still actually buy periodicals.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Paper. I both subscribe to the NY Times *and* buy the dead tree version, because I like reading on paper.

From what I understand, only us old folks still actually buy periodicals.

Good term! I have this discussion with people on cruise ships. Many of us like dead tree books. Many like tablets. I am sold on dead tree books.
I read lots of history books....I like to go forward, back, bend page corners, even underline....used books are cheep. And you can pack dead tree books in your checked bags.

 

[susanf]

Well, all I know is that I got a ticket to Stars on Ice for this Friday at the Newark Arena.....for $8 on Stub Hub. There were a lot of cheap tickets like that available.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I went to Stars on Ice because of Alysa Liu and wow they are all so good and all so fast and how do I watch more skating."

Great! Let us please also give the SOI organizers and choreographers some credit, too. The bonus and greater proof of wider appeal might be expansion of the tour in the U.S. to many more cities. Didn't come near enough to my neck of the woods this year. I'm awaiting a future NBC tv broadcast heads-up, which I'm sadly likely to miss. There are no Peacock streaming plans.

Since something I said earlier about Alysa has disappeared due to in part being a response to an off-topic post, I will reiterate the additional Alysa analogy I made in that post. LOL!
'Figure skating is like the lady-in-waiting to Alysa Liu's Queen Bee coming out party.' ⛸

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Good term! I have this discussion with people on cruise ships. Many of us like dead tree books. Many like tablets. I am sold on dead tree books.
I read lots of history books....I like to go forward, back, bend page corners, even underline....used books are cheep. And you can pack dead tree books in your checked bags.

Exactly. I comprendre with you and @el henry. Letter writing is also a thing of the past. When I randomly heard the other day that making a 90s movie in New York City is challenging in terms of accuracy of the background setting, for example, newstands being a thing of the past, I was non-plussed. I so fondly remember '90s NYC, '80s too re the cornucopia dance scene. Seems like yesterday. Would absolutely be foreign to the current Alysa Lui & Co youth in this vastly unrecognizable world.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Well, all I know is that I got a ticket to Stars on Ice for this Friday at the Newark Arena.....for $8 on Stub Hub. There were a lot of cheap tickets like that available.

What row????????????????????

 

[CoyoteChris]

Do I need to apologize to Alysa for comparing her to Taylor Swift? TF is trying to trademark her voice and appearance. Hey, I hate AI as much as the next environmentalist as it takes huge amounts of power..and increases power costs for poor people....but are TF's Heirs going to be able to sue someone who happens to look like her or sound like her in the future? And for how long? And in what country?
And more important, can figure skaters trademark likenesses, even moves?

This is a true story I heard long ago.

Bing Crosby enterprises vs jack harris

BCE VS. JACK HARRIS​

I have never heard of Jack Harris before reading the article, but it is interesting: THE FORGOTTEN JACK HARRIS by Associated Press "Even in the late 1950s and early 1960s it was unusual for a radio station to have it's own studio orchestra and "radio singer". WJR in Detroit was one of the exception. A young vocalist named Jack Harris had a daily radio show. He also cut a few singles. Here is one of them.

From the Broadway musical "Ankles Aweigh", here is Jack and the Dick Jacobs orchestra and chorus singing "His and Hers". Jack eventually left Detroit and moved to Los Angeles where he did some commercial work. He was sued by Bing Crosby Enterprises and ordered to cease and desist imitating Bing. It wasn't an imitation, it was his own voice. He countersued for depriving him of his right to a livlihood. Jack Harris faded away, and it is unsure where he is now."
I am not allowed to post youtubes but you can hear Jack sing by going to Youtube and putting in Jack Harris "His and Hers"

 

[Mathman]

... Letter writing is also a thing of the past..

Although, note-passing (once a childhood/school staple of communication) has made a comeback in the form of text messaging.

 

[Mathman]

@CoyoteChris Here's WJR radio singer Jack Harris and his radio partner Nikki Lane from the 1960s.

Vocalist Jack Harris and singer Nikki Lane sing with a live orchestra, at radio station WJR, in Detroit, Michigan, in 1966 Stock Video Footage - Alamy

Buy this stock video clip: Vocalist Jack Harris and singer Nikki Lane sing with a live orchestra, at radio station WJR, in Detroit, Michigan, in 1966. - 2XBB5EA now from Alamy's library of high-quality 4K and HD stock footage and videos.

www.alamy.com

 

[CoyoteChris]

Although, note-passing (once a childhood/school staple of communication) has made a comeback in the form of text messaging.

I got a note once from a beautiful girl in the 8th grade. She said she loved me....Sadly, I wasnt ready for girls yet...wish I kept the note It was the only note I ever got.

 

[CoyoteChris]

@CoyoteChris Hre's WJR radio singer Jack Harris and his radio partner Nikki Lane from the 1960s.

Vocalist Jack Harris and singer Nikki Lane sing with a live orchestra, at radio station WJR, in Detroit, Michigan, in 1966 Stock Video Footage - Alamy

Buy this stock video clip: Vocalist Jack Harris and singer Nikki Lane sing with a live orchestra, at radio station WJR, in Detroit, Michigan, in 1966. - 2XBB5EA now from Alamy's library of high-quality 4K and HD stock footage and videos.

www.alamy.com

He doesnt sound in any way like Bing to me. Wonder how the countersuit went?

 

[RobinA]

That's what I think Alysa has done/is doing for figure skating. There's a paradigm shift in figure skating. Doing it for the love, the joy, the connection. There have always been skaters whose primary motivation isn't medals. Skaters who care more about supporting their competitors than beating them. But Alysa has brought it all to a whole new level. It's a new mindset.

Now, whether it brings about a positive answer to the question of this thread, remains to be seen. I think anything's possible.

I think the whole "doing it for love and joy" is a crock. You don't win Olympic medals in figure skating with a love and joy mindset. It's damn hard work for a very long time and prohibitively expensive. People like a cute narrative and this fits the bill. Nothing against Alysa, I think she's riding a wave she found herself on, but joy and love are not what got her there.

 

[el henry]

I think the whole "doing it for love and joy" is a crock. You don't win Olympic medals in figure skating with a love and joy mindset. It's damn hard work for a very long time and prohibitively expensive. People like a cute narrative and this fits the bill. Nothing against Alysa, I think she's riding a wave she found herself on, but joy and love are not what got her there.

Have you listened or read any of the interviews from Alysa?

She came back to skating for the love of the sport. She came back to skating because she wanted to compete on her terms, she wanted to put her skates out there on her terms, if she medaled, fine, and if she didn’t, fine too, as long as she had a good skate.

Does that mean that she does not work hard? Does that mean that she does not practice? Does that mean that she does not try to put her very best on the ice every time she goes out there? Of course not.

But what she has specifically rejected is what she has already experienced as a young skater. No having others push you to the point of exhaustion during practices. No practicing seven days a week. No ridiculous diet or water restrictions. Been there, done that, says Alysa.

I am old and cynical. Since I became interested in reading about Alysa, not once has my PR or BS detector then been activated. She has been through too much to lie and I believe her. I think this is part of why her story has captured so much interest.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

"You don't win Olympic medals with a love and joy mindset." Except, that is exactly what Alysa has done. She keeps answering questions about her mindset because people keep asking, and I believe her answers.

Love/joy vs. hard work is not an either/or in all cases, and it's certainly a false dichotomy in Alysa's case. She works very hard; no one who skates at this level can get away with not working hard. You can't skate as clean as she does as often as she does without putting in the runthroughs and such. It's more that she works with a healthy perspective and inner motivation. She knows herself in such a way that she works as hard as she can within her self-imposed limits. In fact, I'd argue it takes more work to discern and speak up about your own limits; it takes hard work to be self-aware, which is on top of the skating-related work. But because she works in a healthy way, what comes across to outsiders is her love and her joy and her relaxed demeanor. A duck looks calm on top of the water but is paddling furiously under the water; the work is unseen. Just because she doesn't say, "Oh, I worked so hard" doesn't mean she didn't work hard.

It's also worth noting that Alysa doesn't give herself her own scores or control how her competitors perform and are scored. Kaori could have won Worlds last year and she could have won the Olympics. If she had, Alysa probably wouldn't have had so many people asking about her winning mindset, just because non-gold medalists don't get as much press as gold medalists. The only thing Alysa had control over was her own training, her own mindset, and her own performances, which went very well. The gold medal happened because she scored the most points, all factors considered, of any of the women. Alysa didn't have her mindset because it would help her get a medal. She had her mindset and she got enough points for a medal. There's a difference, and that's the beauty of it. Alysa was okay with any outcome, skated the best she could, and got a better outcome than she expected.

 

[Anna K.]

Fortnite has added the official Stateside emote:

https://www.fortnite.com/item-shop/emotes/stateside-330b5a5f

In case you wonder: in video games, "emotes" are player-activated, non-gameplay actions such as dancing, waving, laughing, or taunting that allow for character customization and social interaction. A character obtains the ability to do this action in exchange for game points or after the player buys it in the in-game shop.

 

[Skating91]

I wonder if Alysa will be able to break the run of women's gold medalists not appearing at the next Olympics?