In figure skating, an “angle” or “edge” is the critical point of contact between the skate blade and the ice. It is how power is generated, how speed is maintained, and how artistry is defined. The difference between success and failure is often measured in degrees of lean. These three women represent three fundamental, yet varying, angles that have galvanized the sport.
Alysa Liu: The Verticality of Triumph
If figure skating can be visualized as geometry, Alysa Liu represents the powerful vertical angle. Her era began as a revelation of pure technical force. She was the wunderkind who defined her early career by defying gravity, launching quad Lutzes and triple Axels when they were all but unheard of in the American landscape. Her angles were the steep, sharp entry points of rotational velocity—a vertical climb followed by a rapid, precise descent.
When Liu retired as a teenager only to return two years later, her angle shifted, but the core of her verticality remained. She returned with a fresh perspective, finding joy in the performance rather than the podium, yet she still retains the ability to explode upward. Her second gold medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games wasn’t just a win; it was a testament to the fact that her unique angle of attack, balanced now by maturity, remains unassailable.
Amber Glenn: The Lean of Resilience
Amber Glenn represents the angle of deepest lean—the acute line that risks everything on the edge of a blade. Hers is the story of power and tenacity. When she enters a triple Axel, she pushes the boundaries of physical possibility, leaning into the curve with a force that requires absolute belief in her technique and her body. It is an angle of attack that is thrilling to watch, but equally unforgiving when it fails.
Glenn’s legacy, however, is not just defined by her technical difficulty. As the three-time reigning U.S. champion making her Olympic debut at 26, she is the emotional anchor of this generation. Her angle represents resilience. It is the lean of someone who has navigated the lowest depths of pressure and anxiety and still finds the strength to find a deep, powerful edge, guiding herself and others through the storm.
Isabeau Levito: The Plane of Grace
Isabeau Levito represents the soft, precise angle of the horizontal plane. While others fight the ice to launch upward, Levito seems to partner with it, moving across the surface with an elegance that recalls a different era. Her technique is precise, her positions classical, and her focus is on the flawless execution of transitions and component scores. Her angle is a delicate negotiation of balance and artistry, focused on the plane of movement rather than pure power.
As the 2024 world silver medalist and a key member of the 2026 Olympic team, Levito offers a vital third dimension. While Glenn provides the powerhouse jumps and Liu the technical consistency, Levito’s presence ensures that artistry is never sacrificed for difficulty. She is the graceful horizon line that balances the trio’s vertical and acute efforts.
A Geometry of Friendship
The true power of “The Three Blade Angles” is not their individual achievement, but the way they intersect. Together, they form a supportive geometry that has fundamentally altered the competitive landscape. For decades, elite skating was defined by isolation and fierce rivalry. Liu, Glenn, and Levito have shattered that archetype, replacing it with a narrative of friendship and collective rise.
They are often seen rinkside, supporting one another even in direct competition. When Amber Glenn misses a focus and falls, her teammates are there, offering comfort and normalcy in a high-stakes environment. In this new era, victory is not seen as taking something away from a teammate, but as adding another victory to their shared legacy.
The Legacy of the Trio
The era of The Three Blade Angles will be remembered long after their competitive days are over. They have proven that there is no single path to victory in figure skating. To redefine the sport, it takes a combination of diverse approaches: the force of vertical ascent, the depth of resilience, and the elegance of horizontal grace.
Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabeau Levito are more than just skaters. They are the intersecting lines of a new American skating dynasty, who are, in their own words, simply happy to be in a generation where the sport is “safe with them.” Their legacy is a beautiful, new geometry written on the ice, reminding us that true power comes from the perfect intersection of strength, art, and support.