Olympic Gold Skater Trains at Rink Built by Community Funds

When Alysa Liu stepped onto the ice at the 2026 Winter Olympics and skated her way to a gold medal, she carried Oakland with her in every spin and jump.

The 20-year-old figure skater has trained her entire life at the Oakland Ice Center, a facility that exists today only because of a community investment program willing to take a chance on a struggling downtown neighborhood. Back in 1995, Oakland's city leaders saw an opportunity where others saw just a vacant lot.

The Bay Area was buzzing with ice sports fever. Local heroes Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi had brought home Olympic gold. The San Jose Sharks had just launched their first NHL season. Oakland wanted in on the excitement, and city planners believed an ice center could transform their downtown.

So Oakland's Redevelopment Agency bought the vacant parcel for $1.8 million and partnered with private developers to build a world-class ice facility. They financed it with $11 million in public bonds, betting that 500,000 annual visitors would revitalize nearby shops and restaurants.

The bet nearly failed spectacularly. The original developer went bankrupt just three months after opening. It took three different operators over a decade to stabilize the center financially. But the community-owned facility survived because it wasn't subject to market pressures demanding immediate profits.

In 2007, when Alysa Liu was just two years old, the San Jose Sharks' parent company took over management and turned things around. Today, the center thrives as a training ground for Olympic champions and a gathering place for youth hockey leagues and figure skaters of all ages.

The Ripple Effect

Liu's gold medal shows what happens when communities invest in spaces that serve people, not just profits. The Oakland Ice Center survived its rocky start because public ownership gave it time to find its footing and serve generations of young athletes.

But the program that made it possible no longer exists. California eliminated its 400-plus local redevelopment agencies in 2012 to close a state budget deficit. While budget watchdogs cheered the savings, planners say nothing has replaced these agencies' unique ability to assemble land, broker deals, and fund community infrastructure with patient public capital.

The redevelopment agencies weren't perfect and made their share of mistakes. But they could shield community assets from market forces long enough for those investments to pay off for neighborhoods, not just developers.

Without them, would today's Oakland get an ice rink or another luxury condo tower? Liu's golden performance gives us a glimpse of what communities lose when they lose the tools to invest in their own futures.

Every triple axel she landed in Milan was launched from ice that her community built, protected, and believed in long before she laced up her first pair of skates.