{"id":185496,"date":"2026-02-20T02:28:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T02:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/185496\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T02:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T02:28:10","slug":"at-her-home-rink-alysa-liu-a-hero-for-making-oakland-golden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/185496\/","title":{"rendered":"At her home rink, Alysa Liu a \u2018hero\u2019 for making Oakland golden"},"content":{"rendered":"

OAKLAND, Calif. \u2014 This is not an ice sports town.<\/p>\n

Rather, it hasn\u2019t been one this century. The area used to be a hub for amateurs and gold medal contenders alike.<\/p>\n

Alysa Liu, the first American woman to win women\u2019s figure skating gold in 24 years, was not yet 2 when a rink in neighboring city Berkeley, near where she grew up, was shuttered in 2007, even though it had once hosted national championships and trained Kristi Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic champion.<\/p>\n

So it feels particularly important to those at Liu\u2019s home rink now, the Oakland Ice Center, that she\u2019s representing the city on the sport\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just continues the legacy of the Bay Area,\u201d Candy Goodson, director of skating at the facility, said as fans and supporters gathered at a watch party for Liu\u2019s free skate at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday. \u201cAnd Alysa is just carrying that torch, hopefully to the top.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liu, 20, who had returned to the sport after retiring four years ago, indeed reached the very top. She claimed the gold with a four-minute routine that highlighted her signature loose style and bright energy<\/a>. And by winning, she became the first American woman to medal in her sport in 20 years, and the first to win gold since Sarah Hughes at the Salt Lake City Games in 2002.<\/p>\n

About 100 fans gathered at the rink to support Liu, watching hours of lead-up to her free skate as most of the field preceded her. They erupted in joy at every nailed jump and tried to muffle excitement when her closest competitors faltered.<\/p>\n

Oakland resident Doug Sykes, whose two young daughters skate at the Ice Center and try to watch all of Liu\u2019s competitions, said the local representation is \u201cone of the coolest things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just nice to be able to come to an event like this and support one of the local heroes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The rink teamed with Oakland business leaders to include various city dignitaries and to provide food and giveaways, including custom mittens.<\/p>\n

\"White<\/p>\n

\n Organizers gave away custom mittens at Thursday\u2019s Alysa Liu watch party in Oakland. (Torrey Hart \/ The Athletic)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got somebody on a worldwide stage that gets off the ice and shouts out Oakland, California<\/a>, and shouts out her love for the city,\u201d said Barbara Leslie, the chief executive of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. \u201cWe just couldn\u2019t be more proud, and we want to do everything to support her and to support Oakland. \u2026 She\u2019s very ingrained in this community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haya Hayes, 8, who also trains with Liu\u2019s coaches Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali, said she got to miss some school to come watch. She said she likes Liu\u2019s costumes and that \u201cshe lands, like, every jump.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hayes is just one of the many skaters Liu is influencing.<\/p>\n

\u201cFigure skaters coming up, they have this incredible role model here to look up to,\u201d Goodson said. She added, \u201cThe other day when they were interviewing her, she was not talking about herself. She was talking about things like, \u2018I read every letter.\u2019 All of those things are so important to her, which makes it more impactful for all these little skaters coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\n Haya Hayes, a young figure skater who shares coaches with Alysa Liu, got to miss some school for Thursday\u2019s watch party. (Torrey Hart \/ The Athletic)<\/p>\n

Liu\u2019s celebrity has made for busy times at the ice center, where Liu skates about four days a week. \u201cJust chaos,\u201d Oakland Ice Center general manager Glenn Martin said. \u201cYou just see it in the enthusiasm on the ice, with everybody here watching at the party today. It\u2019s just been crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see that every Olympic season, but of course it\u2019s heightened with having our own skater at the Olympics,\u201d Goodson added.<\/p>\n

In addition to the screens showing the competition in Milan, skaters in Oakland got to take the ice for free during the watch party. There were curling lessons, too.<\/p>\n

Carrie Maultsby-Lute, a former pro figure skater in attendance, said it\u2019s Liu\u2019s \u201cunbridled joy and enthusiasm\u201d that set her apart. That\u2019s been a common sentiment, including from Yamaguchi this week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Alysa<\/p>\n

\n Alysa Liu trains at the Oakland Ice Center about four days per week, the facility\u2019s GM said. (Toni L. Sandys \/ The Washington Post via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cShe actually represents Oakland on the ice. She\u2019s a rebel. She just doesn\u2019t fit into a box, and I love that about her. She\u2019s so freeing,\u201d said Maultsby-Lute. \u201cI feel like she could only have come out of Oakland \u2014 to have just such unapologetic power and joy. And even stepping back for a few years and then coming back also speaks to the resilience and grit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maultsby-Lute said Liu\u2019s success proves Oakland can produce Olympians and that \u201cwe need to invest even more in that pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so inspiring. Even if she doesn\u2019t medal, she\u2019s just, like, our hometown hero.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, again, this town isn\u2019t exactly known for ice sports, and lately it has become more known for its lack of sports altogether<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Martin and his son Brad Martin, a hockey manager at the rink, say they\u2019ve infused an East Coast ice sports mentality into their business to help make the programs competitive. \u201cIt\u2019s the culture,\u201d Brad Martin said. We have an \u2018us against the world\u2019 mentality here. Everyone just works hard and has fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just can\u2019t stop winning everything right now,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n