Massimo Scali: “Now Alysa is a world champion, and things have changed a bit. Suddenly, everyone was interested in us: interviews, filming, events. Everyone wanted to give us advice on how to train and live.”
Alysa Liu’s Coach on How the World Championship Win Affected Her Preparation
original source: Sports by Maya Bagriantseva
In an interview with Sports journalist Maya Bagryantseva, coach Massimo Scali discussed how Alysa Liu’s 2025 World Championship victory changed her preparation, emphasizing the importance of maintaining team values and focus amid increased attention. Here’s a translation of his comments.
“Q Skaters often say that medals aren’t the most important thing to them. But when Alysa says it, people believe her. How true is that?
Massimo Scali: Absolutely true. I was an athlete myself and often said I didn’t think about medals, but I was being disingenuous. For Alysa, though, it’s really the case.
But you know, this season is different from the last. Back then, everything was new, and everyone was talking not about Alysa Liu’s results, but about her comeback. There was no talk of gold, titles, or the Olympic podium.
Now she’s a world champion, and things have changed a bit. For us, it became a separate challenge to keep the team atmosphere the same as before. We wanted Alysa to know that our values remain unchanged – that for us, the most important thing isn’t medals, but enjoying working together.
Q: After winning gold at the home World Championships, did you have to bring her back down to earth?
Massimo Scali: It wasn’t easy – not just for Alysa, but for all of us. Suddenly, everyone was interested in us: interviews, filming, events. Everyone wanted to give us advice on how to train and live.
So we had to remind ourselves that our team is just the three of us, with our own relationships and vision. Of course, many people help us – the federation, various specialists from doctors to sports psychologists. We all had to learn to work under these new conditions, with so much increased attention.
It took time and effort. It also affected our preparation—you probably noticed this at Alysa’s first competition in Italy, at the Lombardia Trophy (where she placed 4th). Our work only got back on track, thankfully, about a month before that event.
But by the first Grand Prix stage, everything was back to normal, and now everything is working as it should.”
Related topics: Alysa Liu, Massimo Scali
Leave a Reply