Ice Dancer · Choreographer · Olympic Coach
Ice Dancer. Choreographer. Olympic Coach.
Milano Cortina 2026 · Double Gold
"My first Olympic Games were in Salt Lake City in 2002. Twenty-four years later, six Olympic Games later, and twenty years after competing in Torino 2006, I'm back — in my country — as a coach, with an incredible team and a very special athlete. Nothing is impossible."
Alysa Liu retired in 2022, burned out at 16. A ski trip in early 2024 reignited something. She came back on her own terms — choosing Scali and Phillip DiGuglielmo as co-coaches. Budapest Trophy gold. Skate America gold. Grand Prix Final gold. World Championship gold. Then, in Milan: surging from 3rd after the short program to the top of the podium on a Donna Summer free skate that silenced the arena. Double gold. 24-year US drought ended.
"You are the captain of this boat."
"Complete freedom is essential for her to achieve results.
Not a single step is taken without her consent."
"Don't look for perfection because it doesn't exist.
You can always do a little better."
"What always drove me the most
was to create choreography."
Born in Monterotondo, outside Rome, Massimo Scali spent a decade as one of Italy's finest ice dancers — a discipline defined not by jumps and throws, but by rhythm, footwork, and unison — competing across three Olympic Games with partner Federica Faiella before building a second career as one of figure skating's most sought-after coaches and choreographers. That ice dancer's instinct for body and expression is what he brings to every skater he works with.
From Olympic champions to rising talent — Scali's programs have shaped some of figure skating's most iconic moments.
San Francisco, California · USA