Alysa Liu withdraws from Nationals, due to Covid

[norwegianfairytale]

Correct, it’s incredibly variable. An athlete recalled testing positive in November from leftover shedding from her earlier August infection. Some people test negative with a PCR test in 14 days, others it can take up to 90 days. Symptomatic vs. asymptomatic aside.

China is requiring two negative PCR tests before entering, a measure that could be overly cautious, but makes sense given the contagious nature of this variant. Ultimately, none of this matters. I hope Alysa doesn’t contract symptoms and stays in good spirits. She should be off the ice for at least 2 weeks, and I hope USFS doesn’t push her too hard. Recovery takes time.

Indeed I hope so too. I actually hadn´t factored in the time she misses training on the ice, which is not very lucky. But is isolation time really 2 weeks if you are fully vaccinated? In Norway you only need to be isolated for 7 days if you are without symptoms and 24 hours without a fever as fully vaxed. 2 weeks of the ice is a lot!

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

She seems pretty cheerful about her withdrawal. Kinda like she's relieved.

It's not surprising she caught COVID considering the ill-fitting mask she appeared to be wearing with huge gaps around her nose. Petite skaters -- including child skaters -- should be wearing appropriately-sized masks. These tiny teenagers are wearing adult-sized masks when they actually require child-sized masks. They are children, after all! Otherwise wearing those N95s does nothing. So when the skaters are confused how they caught COVID with an N95, someone needs to explain to them that the masks need to be worn properly in order to work.

This isn't Alysa's fault, which is what you seem to be suggesting. She's just a child. And it's interesting that you deduce that she seems 'pretty cheerful' and 'Kinda like she's relieved' just from her Insta post. She's said nothing different than most others who've had to withdraw for one reason or another.

 

[bytheriver]

I bel

Indeed I hope so too. I actually hadn´t factored in the time she misses training on the ice, which is not very lucky. But is isolation time really 2 weeks if you are fully vaccinated? In Norway you only need to be isolated for 7 days if you are without symptoms and 24 hours without a fever as fully vaxed. 2 weeks of the ice is a lot!

I believe it’s 10 days here in the states at the moment? I rounded up, apologies. Still just bad timing all round. Somebody give that girl a hot cup of cider and a weighted blanket, she deserves a break.

 

[gold12345]

Extremely sad to now have the frontrunners out in 2 disciplines, especially since it's due to something so out of their control. I wish we could just push back all events for a few months so that we can have normal competitions that aren't so heavily affected by luck. This is spreading like wildfire and it was inevitable that it was going to affect our sport just like any other. But at least Alysa is feeling well and seems to be in good spirits.

It's practically an advantage at this point to test positive now and hopefully have it out of the way a month from now for the Olympics since it really feels like EVERYONE is going to test positive sooner or later. There should be plenty of time to recover. With USFS's selection procedures being heavily based on international scores and scoring potential, the team can basically already be named. We already knew Alysa is one of our best choices before this event. I'm wondering what date Team Event selections need to be made? I figure not until much later. Due to the unusual circumstances, there's no reason to rush into those decisions.

Before anyone claims that Alysa was somehow showing symptoms last night, they said on their Instagram that they feel fine mentally and physically. So it wasn’t like they were symptomatic and knowingly competing.

Yes she has no symptoms fortunately. And even if, say, her nose was running or her head was hurting while in the middle of competing last night, expecting her to walk out of the arena while she's about to take the ice to go get tested is just completely unrealistic. Many harmless things can be the cause of any symptom. Sometimes your get random scratchiness in your throat, sometimes your head hurts when you're stressed, oftentimes your nose runs when it's cold. These skaters are doing the best they can to deal with a situation that is difficult and inevitable. They are only being given a test 4 days after arrival, they do not have access to continuous tests every time they sneeze.

I believe it’s 10 days here in the states at the moment?

I thought it's been reduced to 5 days due to this strain not being as bad as the others.

 

[sailormoon]

That is really unfortunate for Alyssa, who secured the third Olympic spot for U.S. women. But it is interesting to see if Gold can make it to Beijing by beating Levito. Gold said making it back to the Olympics has been one of her goals.

 

[decafjava]

This is becoming insane. My thoughts with Alysa.

 

[bigsisjiejie]

My understanding is that Alysa had two negative tests before leaving for Nashville. Daily tests weren't being conducted in the bubble, however I think they were testing everyone going into the rink today. It's possible that the positive was recorded there. It's also possible Alysa had symptoms and then got tested. If there were any symptoms, they sound like they are mild. I am very glad to hear Alysa is feeling OK mentally and physically.

We have a month until the Olympics, more than enough time to get a negative test. I'm guessing you need to test negative up to two weeks before entering China, which in this situation would be entirely possible.

This is my understanding of the current rules:
A. Athletes recovering from COVID within 30 days of departing for China: Must have at least two negative PCR tests, taken 24 hours apart and at least 8 days before departure.

B. All athletes, including those in (A.) above: Two negative PCR tests, taken on two separate days, but within 96 hours of boarding the flight to China. Also, another PCR test upon arrival at the airport in China.

 

[mayiko]

Yes she has no symptoms fortunately. And even if, say, her nose was running or her head was hurting while in the middle of competing last night, expecting her to walk out of the arena while she's about to take the ice to go get tested is just completely unrealistic. Many harmless things can be the cause of any symptom. Sometimes your get random scratchiness in your throat, sometimes your head hurts when you're stressed, oftentimes your nose runs when it's cold. These skaters are doing the best they can to deal with a situation that is difficult and inevitable. They are only being given a test 4 days after arrival, they do not have access to continuous tests every time they sneeze.

Yes even staying at a four star hotel I get dry throat, and runny nose ete. It's just the nature of staying in a high raise with the a/c or heat running. That's why I always bring a portable humidifier.

 

[bigsisjiejie]

That is really unfortunate for Alyssa, who secured the third Olympic spot for U.S. women. But it is interesting to see if Gold can make it to Beijing by beating Levito.

For the umpteenth time, Gold CANNOT go to the Olympics. She does not have the technical minimums from international competition. Levito CANNOT go to the Olympics because she is too young. These are ISU requirements, not USFS. So regardless of where they place at Nationals, neither will be heading to Beijing.

 

[noskates]

It always amazes me that people start pointing fingers when anything like this happens. To think that an elite skater would practice all year, blood, sweat and tears, pay bills for coaching, training, costumes, etc. etc. and then withdraw for any reason other than she HAS to!!! Of course she's going to try to be upbeat about it. Gnashing her teeth and pulling her hair out and screaming wouldn't accomplish anything. I choose to believe that Alysa is heartbroken over having to withdraw and is trying to be positive about her future....hopefully that will include a trip to the Olympics. I'm sure her team is working overtime to figure out what, when and how! Best of luck Alysa and I hope you continue to feel well.

 

[lariko]

That is really unfortunate for Alyssa, who secured the third Olympic spot for U.S. women. But it is interesting to see if Gold can make it to Beijing by beating Levito.

I hope Thorngren, Wang and Levito skate the lights out tonight, for it to be impossible to shuffle the cards. But, I guess, if Russians did it, Americans would follow the suit.

 

[ice_tulip]

So you're pretty much blaming Alysa for catching COVID and not the adults planning the event.

Nope. Not at all. She has enough to worry about training for US Nationals and trying to make the Olympic team. But someone in her team should have ensured she was fitted with an appropriate mask.

 

[Blades of Passion]

Alysa should still get the 3rd spot, but with that fall in the SP it's doubtful she will be selected for the Team event now. Her big draw was having an underrotated 3Axel that gets more points than a 2Axel. This is two competitions in a row she fell on it, which doesn't show the success rate needed to bet on her for the Team event.

 

[ice_tulip]

This isn't Alysa's fault, which is what you seem to be suggesting. She's just a child. And it's interesting that you deduce that she seems 'pretty cheerful' and 'Kinda like she's relieved' just from her Insta post. She's said nothing different than most others who've had to withdraw for one reason or another.

Nope, not suggesting that at all. Most skaters are walking around with poorly fitted masks. It is a widespread issue. Of course if you aren't wearing a well-fitted mask with a tight seal, you're going to be at a much higher risk for catching coronavirus, especially omicron. It's just a fact. The skaters have a lot on their plates already and to have to deal with the stresses of the pandemic too is a LOT. They need guidance on things like masks and precautionary procedures. The fact that Alysa says she's thankful for USFS to take the "extra precaution" of testing when testing is actually the absolute bare minimum goes to show she doesn't even realize she wasn't adequately protected by the powers that be.

And yeah, in my opinion she did seem cheerful. I knew that comment wouldn't be a popular opinion but so be it. She said she's "feeling good mentally" and had happy smiley emojis in her post. Contrast that with Brandon Frazier's crushing video. Anyway, wouldn't you rather her be cheerful than heartbroken? I think she's going to be just fine whether or not she goes to the Olympics.

 

[elliana]

How does this work now....her selection to Beijing was also contingent on a top 5 finish at Nats which none of us really know if it would've panned out that way. Fans will say yes. But now the selection commitee is supposed to ascertain what might've been?

 

[snowflake]

I think somehow the USFS reserves spots at Bavarian in case they need them.

It is kinda their last chance one. They used it for Tyler Pierce to get her Junior Worlds minimum a few years back. I think they may have sent Vincent as well to get a needed TES once too.

This is not the first time they have needed to use that competition. And the organizers likely know it.

Really? Like you can enter substitutes with no names? If this is possible wouldn't we see it more on the competitions' participations lists? Or are they not on the lists??? Sounds a bit suspicious to me. And troubling for the organizers.

I don´t want to sound negative, but I have read that you can test positive long after you are done with Covid and that the PCR test are very sensitive in that case. And that China is very strict and only will let athletes in who has a negative PCR. I guess that is what we fear. Obviously she will be done with covid before Olympics, but she might not have a negative test.

I hope this will not be the case for Alysa. But USFS needs a back up plan for this scenario.

US has a lot of skaters who have the minimum tech for the Olympics. Not least Gabby Izzo who was 4th at Golden Spin and is 0.1 behind Gracie in the short.

Has the Committee made a decision on whether or not they'll give her a spot on the team? After seeing what happened in pairs, I doubt Alexa and Brandon will get a spot on the team since the pairs that competed did so well.

Pairs and women haven't skated their free programs yet. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Exciting indeed

Indeed I hope so too. I actually hadn´t factored in the time she misses training on the ice, which is not very lucky. But is isolation time really 2 weeks if you are fully vaccinated? In Norway you only need to be isolated for 7 days if you are without symptoms and 24 hours without a fever as fully vaxed. 2 weeks of the ice is a lot!

I'm really sad for Alysa. But she's young and she will probably keep her form. I don't know the isolation rules here and there. But as for Shiffrin who tested positive during christmas it seemed like she was back in a heartbeat... winning slalom silver in Zagreb at the beginning of January. (8 days after her positive test if I'm right)

 

[ice_tulip]

Alysa should still get the 3rd spot, but with that fall in the SP it's doubtful she will be selected for the Team event now. Her big draw was having an underrotated 3Axel that gets more points than a 2Axel. This is two competitions in a row she fell on it, which doesn't show the success rate needed to bet on her for the Team event.

Honestly the US doesn't need three spots for the ladies at the Olympics, but I think the third spot shouldn't be determined until after we see the free programs and see how things shake up. The ladies are by far the weakest of the four disciplines. It's a real shame one of those ladies' spots can't go to a third pairs team.

 

[norwegianfairytale]

Really? Like you can enter substitutes with no names? If this is possible wouldn't we see it more of this on the competitions' participations lists? Or are they not on the lists??? Sounds a bit suspicious to me. And troubling for the organizers.

US has a lot of skaters who have the minimum tech for the Olympics. Not least Gabby Izzo who was 4th at Golden Spin and is 0.1 behind Gracie in the short.

Pairs and women haven't skated their free programs yet. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Exciting indeed

I'm really sad for Alysa. But she's young and she will probably keep her form. I don't know the isolation rules here and there. But as for Shiffrin who tested positive during christmas it seemed like she was back in a heartbeat... winning slalom silver in Zagreb at the beginning of January. (8 days after her positive test if I'm right)

They have, but it´s my understanding that they will have different teams for 4CC and Olympic. If Izzo is sub. for OG I guess she won´t go to 4CC.

Most likely Thorngren will be the first substitute for OG now. If so, she will not be sent to 4CC. So then there is Izzo, Starr and Glenn for 4CC?

 

[mayiko]

And yeah, in my opinion she did seem cheerful. I knew that comment wouldn't be a popular opinion but so be it. She said she's "feeling good mentally" and had happy smiley emojis in her post. Contrast that with Brandon Frazier's crushing video. Anyway, wouldn't you rather her be cheerful than heartbroken? I think she's going to be just fine whether or not she goes to the Olympics.

Brandon was symptomatic and he did not look well. Alysa might be asymptomatic and feeling. Also she might feel confident that she did enough during the season to get an Olympic bye. That would account for her cheerfulness. Plus is hard to gauge a person's feeling through an instagram message.

 

[noskates]

I think comparing Brandon's video to Alysa's statement is really kind of ridiculous. She's 16 years old and it's not uncommon for a teenager to have emojis in their posts. Brandon is 28 or 29 and probably a lot more mature and is also nearing the end of his competitive years possibly- and it appeared he was sick! She's not feeling sick. And as for mask fittings, a very large proportion of Americans, children and adults, are walking around with cutesy masks with animal prints and silly sayings and recently Santa Clauses instead of the well fitting masks suggested by the CDC. I, for one, hope that she tests negative in the very near future, and that this is just a bump in the road of her career. She's young, she'll only be 20 at the next Olympics. She's had a rough year with her body changing, new coaches, etc. I'm not going to try to figure out why it happened and only trust the USFS to be doing everything they can to keep the skaters, coaches and spectators safe.