Liu imbibes the true meaning of skating for her

When Liu receives a photo of herself from 2019 American Championships – where she became the youngest national champion in history at 13 – she says Alysa would have a hard time understanding the path the current version of herself has taken.

“I was in my own little world, that’s for sure,” Liu said while looking at the photo. “Well, first of all, I wouldn’t recognize myself. I was like, ‘Who is that?’…I don’t know what I would say to myself. I don’t even think I would really like my style ( now), I’ll be like, “You quit and came back? I’d be really confused about that.”

But today’s Liu has an aura of confidence: “I feel like I’m doing everything for myself and that makes me better as a skater,” she said at the start of our interview.

“So I hope it goes that way.”

She continues to be grateful for her two years away from competitive skating and says she enjoys overseeing her own schedule, including trips to the rink where “I play music” in the car , she admitted.

“Honestly, experiencing something outside of skating helped me get back into it,” she said. “I really had to find myself. And it brought me a lot of peace and it really benefited my mentality. I just have a lot more life experience.”

Liu said she remembers being afraid growing up; now she seems to soak it up – all of it.

“Being an adult was really scary for me because I just wanted to be a kid forever, you know?” she said. “But I really like making my own decisions. … It’s so different. I think that’s also why coming back, I feel lighter and less stressed.

“I feel like a completely new person.”