Announcer [00:00:30] It is like she’s just playing on the ice, not even performing anymore. The joy, the passion, and she’s figured out how to compete without carrying the weight of it. She stays so loose and completely herself out there. That’s a secret every athlete wants to solve.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:00:52] Her iconic blonde and brown haloed hair, that smiley piercing she did herself, and the Bay Area confidence and charm that she brings to interviews and the Olympic rink, all this has made Alysa Liu a hometown hero for the old and young, like eight-year-old Joyce Ilangovan, who skates at the Oakland Ice Center where Alysa trains.
Joyce Ilangovan [00:01:20] Skaters aren’t as like positive as her on the ice and she’s always so fun and happy and she is never hiding herself and it feels really fun to watch.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:01:33] On Thursday, thousands gathered outside Oakland City Hall to celebrate Alysa Liu’s homecoming. So today, we’re gonna take you to that homecoming party in Oakland.
Juan Carlos Lara [00:01:55] I’m here outside of Oakland City Hall where thousands of people have gathered to welcome Olympic gold medalist figure skater Alysa Liu back to her hometown. Liu gave a press conference inside earlier this morning where she talked about how proud she is to be representing Oakland and the broader Bay Area and how grateful she is for the outpouring of support that she’s received. This event is really lively. According to city officials they put out about 5,000 tickets and they sold out. The sun is shining, it’s warm, the energy is and it’s really become a showcasing of Oakland talent and culture. Sway Calloway, a radio personality who’s from Oakland, is emceeing the event. There have also been performances from the Fremont High School drum line and from the Oakland School for the Arts, where Liu attended. And in the words of Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, the plaza is full, the energy is real, and the love for Oakland is loud. For KQED News in Oakland, I’m Juan Carlos Lara.
D Sharp [00:02:49] I want y’all to get loud for my big brother, Sway Calloway!
Sway Calloway [00:02:55] Make some noise! Come on, come on, Come on! Come on Bay Area! Bay Area, Bay Area Bay Area When I say Oakland, you say pride, Oakland! Oakland! When I said Oakland, You say pride Oakland! Oakland! When I say town, you say business, town! Town, town, man give it up for Oakland, California, the best city on the planet. Come on man, roll up D-Sharp man. Now just to be clear, I’ma take my time up here today. I know it’s hot, but we got a lot of, we got lot of important people here today to celebrate Alysa Liu. She told me how to say her name correctly, Alysa Liu. Okay, so I wanted to make sure I said it correctly.
Lateefah Simon [00:04:00] Welcome to the stage, Barbara Lee, the mayor of Oakland.
Barbara Lee [00:04:05] Oakland, California. Let me ask you something. Are we proud today or what? Just look around you. The plaza is full, the energy is real, and the love for Oakland is loud, because when Oakland celebrates one of our own, we show up. So now, it’s my honor to celebrate and to bring forward Alysa in a special way, and I’m presenting her today with a key to the city of Oakland. Key to the City of Oakland, all right? Champions come from Oakland welcome our gold medal champion our Olympic gold medal Champion Alysa.
Alysa Liu [00:04:55] Oh, what’s up, Oakland! Hello! Oh my god, thank you. This is for y’all, all right? Yeah, I don’t have a speech prepared, but I don t need one. I want to thank you all so much for showing up and showing out. This is crazy! Um, I see so many people, hi! I love Oakland. I’ve been here all my life. I literally walk through here every day to get to the city center for lunch from the rink over there. And I could not be more proud to represent Oakland out on the big stage at Olympics. And I wanna thank y’all for the support and the love. I feel it. So thank you guys.
Alysa Liu [00:06:10] That’s the key. The key to Oakland!
Sway Calloway [00:06:13] Hold that key up. She owns the key to the city now. We’re about to party.
Alysa Liu [00:06:20] Thank you.
Jennifer Lee [00:06:31] Jennifer Lee, J-E-N-N I-F-E R. There’s my daughters, my mom, my cousin, my husband, my friends, his friends, his daughter, so it’s a whole big group.
Juan Carlos Lara [00:06:42] Whose idea was it to get a big group of y’all together out here?
Jennifer Lee [00:06:45] Well, for my family, once we saw it posted, you know, I mean, the kids should probably technically be in school, but I thought it was just really, it’s a really powerful story for them of just not giving up and also pursuing what you love for the sake of what you love. So.
Juan Carlos Lara [00:07:02] And you said your mom was here. Do you mind if I ask mom a question? Mom, can I ask you a question. Can I ask you a question?
Cynthia Lee [00:07:07] I’m so glad to be here. Yeah, because Alysa not just inspire her age, the young persons. She also inspire the parents age like me. Yeah, I hope I can be like her, have her overflow smiling, her confidence, her joy. Yeah, I really love them I was so inspired by her, yeah, so happy to be here.
Sway Calloway [00:07:45] One of these women that are coming to the stage today. I’ve known her for years, but I’ve know her record for decades. She represents California’s 12th congressional district, including Oakland, California. Please give it up for Congresswoman Lateefah Simon.
Lateefah Simon [00:08:06] Look at Oakland, California! It was an honor for me just one week ago to stand on the floor of the United States Congress to give love to Alysa Liu. And what I said there, I’ll say again, she is the hope of all that is good in a time. Where governments are dropping bombs on babies, in a time where young people are not being listened to, in a times where immigrants are being taken from their homes, we have a young sister who has showed us what it means to live life with excellence and beauty on her own terms. To all of us here in Oakland, we know that she is our hero, but what I will tell you, brothers and sisters and siblings, she is an American hero.
Simon O’Brien [00:09:21] My name is Simon O’Brien.
Gus Johansen [00:09:23] My name is Gus Johansen.
Oliver Hajduk [00:09:25] My name is Oliver Hayduk.
Simon O’Brien [00:09:26] Well, we’re here for the Alysa Liu thing. She went to OSA, she was an OSA alumni, and all three of us go to OASA currently. And so it’s really exciting because, you know, one of our alumni, I mean, literally is the world champion in figure skating. So that’s really cool. That’s what brings us out today.
Juan Carlos Lara [00:09:44] Are you not supposed to be in school right now?
Simon O’Brien [00:09:46] Oh the whole school came. The whole school? Everybody.
Oliver Hajduk [00:09:49] Yeah, so it was kind of a special day for OSA, you know, cause she, she, like, she had educational, like she got education from OSA. The ice Center, which is right next door, which you go to for PE sometimes, it’s just kind of like a special moment for OSA.
Gus Johansen [00:10:02] She really inspires all, we have a lot of skaters at our school, almost everybody ice skates. We ice skate every Tuesday and Thursday and it’s just really awesome that we get to be here.
Oliver Hajduk [00:10:14] You know, it’s just cool to see all of Oakland come out with everything that’s been happening, filming, and then just all getting together, just like everyone.
Sway Calloway [00:10:24] Now, there were some people who couldn’t make it, but there were people who changed their schedule to be here today. She’s the first Asian-American to win the Winter Olympic gold, two-time world champion, 1992 Olympic gold medalist. I remember watching her and being so extremely proud. Give it up for Kristi Yamaguchi!
Kristi Yamaguchi [00:10:48] So we want to celebrate and welcome our gold medal sister, someone who’s made us and the entire country so so so proud, Alysa Liu. She started skating right here in Oakland, just a block away, Oakland Ice, that way, that way. I know that rink well. And that was the foundation that carried her all the way to the Olympic stage. And as a fellow East Bay girl, all I can say is yes, represent!
Alysa Liu [00:11:25] Thank you!
Randy Kuan [00:11:36] My name is Randy Kwan
Alexis Kuan [00:11:38] Alexis A-L-E-X-I-S
Juan Carlos Lara [00:11:43] What brings you out here today what made you want to come out to this?
Alexis Kuan [00:11:46] I mean, it’s Alysa Liu. How could we not? She’s so cool. She’s a Bay Area baddie. My dad’s from Oakland. I grew up in Oakland.
Randy Kuan [00:11:51] I grew up in Oakland. I’ve been here for a long time.
Alexis Kuan [00:11:54] Yeah, but I mean between her, Zendaya, Kehlani, we got to support the Bay. It’s so cool to see everybody from the Bay on like a larger stage. And also her doing it at such a high level and having such a great mindset is absolutely amazing.
Juan Carlos Lara [00:12:08] You know, I guess like, is there any lesson in that for you? Like, is that something you’ve thought about with yourself in terms of like, you know, how hard to push in a specific thing, how hard it’s too hard, and when to take a break and things like that?
Alexis Kuan [00:12:21] Yeah, of course. I mean, I think that her story, as you said, is really inspiring and then just to like have that mindset of not overworking yourself and knowing when to take a break is just I feel like really groundbreaking, especially in sports.
Sway Calloway [00:12:38] All right, all right. Alysa, you want to say anything in closing? One final word.
Alysa Liu [00:12:45] It’s Oakland.
