OAKLAND, Calif. – Laura Lipetsky and Alysa Liu stood on an empty sheet of ice. They would have room to move, to do anything they wanted in the next 60 minutes, including the more technically demanding free skate they plan for the Junior Grand Prix Final.
There would be no having to deal with cones dividing the ice surface to accommodate newbie recreational skaters from a nearby school, some of them wobbling across the entire sheet during Liu’s usual afternoon training session. No working around 10 skaters of all levels and three other coaches, as in Liu’s usual morning session on the rink where banners celebrating her three national titles hang next to each other.