S3NSE Blog: Go In Another Direction

“We are not retreating- we are advancing in another direction.”

~Douglas McArthur

At age 16, Alysa Liu was in crisis.  A few years ago, Alysa was the youngest American figure skater to win consecutive senior national titles.  Skating, however, had become a prison.  Every facet of her life was regimented:  training, recovery, diet, bed and wake up times.  She had no say in her music or costumes.  The pressure was non-stop and her health was suffering.  Something had to change.  Does she try to push through to achieve her Olympic dream?  Or does she go in another direction?

Liu stunned the skating world by walking away from the sport.  Who retires when an Olympic medal is within their reach?  Alysa found a huge world outside skating.  She learned that people could love her for who she is, not just what she did.  Liu took control of her life and made her own decisions.  She even took vacations for the first time in her life.

It was during one vacation that she changed direction again and returned to competitive ice skating.  While skiing with friends, Alysa rediscovered her love for sports.  She always enjoyed the thrill and physical accomplishments of skating.  Rather than making skating her life, could she make skating just one part of it?  Her old coach tried to talk Liu out of a comeback.  But with her newfound maturity and confidence, Alysa knew she could do it.

This story has a happy ending.   Women's figure skating is the premier Winter Olympic sport.  It gets the most attention and ratings.  You could see the pressure and stress take their toll on almost all of the skaters.  Except for Alysa Liu, she skated with a freedom and ease that captivated not only the crowd but also the judges.  By going in another direction, Alysa was advancing as a person.  When she returned to competition, her newfound confidence took her skating to another level and Olympic gold.

Do you feel stuck?  Do not retreat, but go in another direction with S3NSE.  Your first month of Group classes is free!  Go to www.s3nse.org for more information.