Jeremy Abbott once revealed the financial burden behind figure skating, saying, “My parents had to refinance our house so that I could skate.” And this is the reality for every other skater. Even two-time Olympian Alysa Liu’s journey required a major investment, with her father Arthur Liu reportedly spending around $500,000 to $1 million on her career. Now, after years of hard work, Liu, Amber Glenn, and others have earned the highest level of financial support from U.S. Figure Skating.

On July 7, U.S. Figure Skating announced the selections for the 2026-27 National Team Envelope, which will provide financial support to the athletes through the U.S. Figure Skating Athlete Support Program (ASUPP). The program subsidizes training, coaching, travel, and competition expenses for the skaters.

Among the selected athletes, only two women qualified for the top A1 category: Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu. For men, only one skater was given A1 status – Ilia Malinin.

Basically, there are five levels of achievement: A, B, C, D, and Reserve in the National Team Envelope system. Team A1 athletes receive the strongest level of support. The selections are based on results from the previous season.

Alysa Liu’s A1 selection comes after her outstanding 2026 season. After stepping away from competition following the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Liu returned to the sport and quickly reached the highest level again. Her major accomplishment was when she competed in the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in Boston, where she claimed the women’s singles event with a 222.97-point score. She was also the first American woman to become world champion since 2006.

She was also a member of the 2026 Winter Olympics U.S. Olympic Team.

Amber Glenn’s journey was similar. During the 2025 season, Glenn remained one of the strongest women’s skaters in the world. At the 2025 Cup of China, she captured the title despite dealing with neck pain after a fall during practice.

Glenn also qualified for the 2025 ISU Grand Prix Final, where she finished fourth overall with 211.50 points. One of Glenn’s biggest strengths remains her triple Axel, one of the most difficult jumps in women’s figure skating. After becoming one of the top American contenders, Glenn also earned selection to the 2026 U.S. Olympic team.

Ilia Malinin’s 2025 season was another historic chapter in his career. He defended his title at the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in Boston, winning his second consecutive world championship. He scored 318.56 points and delivered a free skate featuring six quadruple jumps, including his signature quad Axel. He also became the first skater to land all six types of quadruple jumps in a single program.

Later in the season, Malinin won the 2025 ISU Grand Prix Final. But while some stars secured the highest level of support, not everyone from the U.S. figure skating elite landed in the A1 category.

The one “Blade Angel” left out of U.S. figure skating’s top tier

The group many fans see as the “Blade Angels,”  who were part of the 2026 Olympic cycle, almost had all of its members placed in A1. However, only 1 member was excluded from the list: Isabeau Levito.

Levito was named to Team A2, which is still a top support category. But her placement naturally raised the question: why was she not included alongside Alysa Liu and Amber Glenn? The answer comes down to an extremely competitive season.

Levito still had an amazing 2025 campaign! She placed 4th at the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships. She also picked up a silver medal at the Skate Canada International 2025 competition. Levito finished fourth at the 2025 Grand Prix de France.

But A1 spots went to Liu and Glenn, leaving limited room for others. Among other players in non-top categories is Sarah Everhardt, who had a stellar season but was placed in Team B1. She won bronze at the 2025 Four Continents Championships and 2025 U.S. Championships, and was the Olympic alternate when Liu, Glenn and Levito were chosen for the 2026 team.

Despite all these successes, the competition was still too tough to get into A1.