The Teen Journal: Gift on Ice

There is a girl on the ice whose halo hair follows her as she glides around the rink. Her sparkling gold dress highlights every jump as she flies into the air. Just like her iconic dress, Alysa Liu holds up her gold medal.

Liu, now 20, is a skating prodigy who went on to become one of the shining lights of the 2026 Olympics.

She first laced up her skates when she was five years of age. Her father was inspired by legendary figure skaters, like Michelle Kwan.

Liu was different from a lot of the kids she grew up with. She was a fast learner and had a lot of talent. Her coaches would tell her that she had a gift for figure skating. When others were still learning how to walk on the ice, Alysa Liu was already winning championships. At just 13, she won a US women’s national championship—the youngest ever to do so.

Her accomplishments don’t end there. Liu became the first American woman to land a quadruple Lutz in 2019 and also placed 6th in the Beijing Olympics at 16. However, skating did not only come with the joy of soaring through the rinks. Just as everyone thought the skating world had found its gift, Alysa announced that she was stepping off the rink. She later stated that it wasn’t fun anymore for her. She felt pressured to win.

Liu wanted a life just like the normal teens around her—like pursuing education, hanging out with friends on weekends, going on trips and so much more.

Though many fans understood the reason for her retirement, there were still many questions circling in their heads. Will she ever come back? Was this her last performance? Will the skating world ever be the same? 

Through all the worries and questions, Liu made a surprise comeback at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Liu won two gold medals. Not only did her skating go viral, the songs she performed to went viral, as well—especially, “Stateside” by PinkPanthress, featuring Zara Larson. People all over the internet were copying her Gala routine, where the song was used as the accompanying music.

Alysa Liu isn’t just a gifted skater, she’s an inspiration to many. 

While most students aren’t spending their days thinking about whether or not they’ll be able to compete at nationals, students do face a lot of pressure around extracurricular activities.

Whether it is music or athletics, there is always a part of ourselves that pushes us to think we need to win first place. Liu is causing us to rethink this mentality.

It wasn’t just the techniques. It was also her smile. Liu did not look stressed or nervous at all.

She is ready to continue her passion on ice—and inspire others too. It wasn’t easy for her to bring back her own spark either. She went through many mixed feelings on whether or not she should keep going or say, “Bye,” to skating forever.

To help many other teens keep their spark and let them know that we should feel joy doing the things we do, Liu says, “If it’s really such a struggle, I would definitely take that break. Don’t be scared to do that. Don’t be scared of failure.”

Even if it was just a sentence or two, what she has said will help so many people to not be afraid of failure. She inspires you to keep doing what you love for the joy, and not due to the pressure of winning.

*Anna Kim is part of The Teen Journal program, an online writing community based in Los Gatos that helps kids get published by providing editing assistance, live workshops and a real audience of young writers.