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But there stood Alysa Liu — the greatest skater in the world — about to throw a ceremonial first pitch from just in front of the mound. The California kid isn’t just the national champion figure skater, but she’s also the world champion, earning the gold in March. Wearing a Cardinals jersey, sneakers and baggy pants only a teen could pull off, Liu started spinning in place — and then .

“Double Axel,� she confirmed after.

And upon landing on the grass, she composed herself and threw the ball to the catcher.

“I was like: I’ll do something (leading) into the throw,� the 19-year-old Liu said. “And I don’t really get dizzy, you know? I’m really used to it, so I just decided to do some spins in the air.�

Liu was in The Lou to help promote next winter’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Enterprise Center — from Jan. 4-11, 2026. And while it would be cool to have this event any year in our sports town, 2026 is particularly cool, considering the winners go to the Olympics.

Yep, this event will serve as qualification for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan Cortina, Italy. Now, at just 16, Liu competed in the 2022 Olympics, finishing sixth in the women’s singles event (highest finish of the Americans). So yeah, it makes sense that she’ll likely be in the 2026 Olympics. Except there was one minor wrinkle — later in 2022, she quit skating.

I’d never heard of Alysa Liu. Perhaps you, too? But I’ve been moved by her story. It really is impressive. And improbable. And complicated. Yet, also, so simple.

Liu was a skating prodigy — the U.S. champion at only 13 years old — but she was, in effect, chasing other people’s dreams. By 16, she was burned out by the sport. It was all too much. It was eating up her childhood. Unhappy, she stopped skating.

And now, she has discovered a way to be happy and to skate. So she’s on the ice again.

It all took a simple journey from the mountaintop to the mountaintop.

During her retirement, she decided to go skiing.

“It was the first time I’d felt that feeling of — your legs are burning, you’re cold and you’re going fast,� she said. “I felt that for the first time (in a while), and I enjoyed it. ... I was like — I want to ski more, but it’s a big thing, day trips all the way to the mountains. And I was like: Well, if skating (can provide adrenaline), then I could do it every day, and so I basically just have fun every day.�

Liu missed critical years in development as a figure skater — but by missing them, she became rejuvenated and, really, almost rewired.

See, she has this almost impossible state of mind.

“Yeah, actually, like, I don’t feel the pressure,� she said. “I mean, it’s probably there, but it just doesn’t get to me because I think my goals are very different from the people on the outside. My goals are just to be the best I can be in skating. So I care so deeply about my skating, but I don’t care about medals. It’s fully about the sport for me, and I think that’s also why I don’t feel the pressure of it. Because competitions — they give me an excuse to train every day. That’s basically what I want to do. I just want to skate every day.�

But when you win, say, the world championship, it’s still pretty rewarding, right?

“It is so cool, so unexpected, especially worlds? Insane.� she said. “... I don’t know, it’s so weird to me, but I still don’t care about whether I make it to the next competition because of this one. The results just don’t matter to me. There’s just so much more in skating that I want to explore.�

No pressure? Just enjoying the journey? Unfazed by results? It sounds like something an athlete wishes they could say — wishes they could truly feel — but they know it’s not true because pressure and results weigh so heavily. Yet this is Liu’s mindset now. Perhaps because she lived through hell, already accomplished so much and then had the time off, she now has this unique perspective on it all?

She does speak with such joy about the choreography and the music choices and spending time with her U.S. teammates. I’m happy she’s happy.

And I’m happy St. Louis will get to see her perform in January. This time, the Axels will likely come in threes.

“St. Louis,� she said, “should expect some spectacular performances — the U.S. team right now is the best it’s ever been. We have the world’s champion in men and in ice dance, and then me in women’s. And when you’re in that arena watching, it’s incredible — and it’s so different from just (watching on a) screen. You really feel the atmosphere.�