Stop Skating for the Judges: What Alysa Liu Teaches Us About Higher Ed Marketing

When Alysa Liu delivered her Olympic gold–medal–winning long program, the performance felt electric. There was something almost magical about the way she floated across the ice with a sincere smile on her face. Watching her brought tears to my eyes. What set it apart from the rest of the line up: she didn’t look like she was skating against anyone. She looked like she was skating for something.

There’s a difference.

Competing is about judges, scores, rivals and pressure. Performing is about presence, craft, connection and expression. That subtle shift in mentality from “How do I beat them?” to “How do I tell a story?” is something that higher ed marketers can learn from.

The Trap of Competing

Higher ed marketing is saturated with competitive anxiety. Rankings shift. Competitors launch bold campaigns. The flagship down the road announces they plan to grow the first-year class by 500 students, which sends chills down the spines of every regional campus across the state.

The instinct is to react. To watch peers closely. To benchmark obsessively. To chase features and metrics.

That’s competition mode.

In competition mode, messaging often sounds like this:

“We’re ranked #X.”

“We offer more majors than anyone else.”

“Our facilities are state-of-the-art.”

“Our outcomes exceed national averages.”

None of those statements are inherently wrong. But when they dominate the narrative, the institution becomes indistinguishable from every other campus making similar claims. The work grows cautious. Defensive. Comparative. Like an athlete skating not to fall.

What Performance Mode Looks Like

Performance mode starts somewhere else. It begins with identity. What do we believe? What transformation do we create? Who do we serve best? What does it feel like to be here?

Instead of asking, “How do we beat the competitor down the road?” performance-oriented institutions ask, “How do we express who we are with clarity and conviction?”

When Alysa Liu skated, she wasn’t ignoring the judges. She simply wasn’t fixated on them. Her focus was on delivering the best version of her craft in that moment. For higher ed marketers, that translates to anchoring the work in mission and empathy, not comparison.

Anxiety vs. Presence

Competition mode is reactive. Applications dipped: pivot now. A peer launched a new campaign: match it. Social engagement is down: amplify spend.

Performance mode is anchored. We know our audience deeply. We understand their anxieties. We are clear about our voice. We trust our strategic direction.

When teams are constantly looking sideways, they tighten up. Messaging becomes safer. Creative risks disappear. Everything is filtered through “Will this help us win this cycle?”

But when teams focus on craft the work gains confidence. It becomes more distinctive. More human.

Tension shows in marketing. So does freedom.

From Transaction to Experience

Competing focuses on transactions. Get the click. Secure the inquiry. Drive the deposit.

Performing focuses on experience. What is this student feeling right now? What question are they wrestling with? What would actually help them move forward?

In the college search, students are asking deeply personal questions:

·      Will I belong?

·      Can I afford this?

·      Will this prepare me for what’s next?

·      What will my life feel like here?

When marketing leans too heavily on institutional features, it risks sounding promotional rather than supportive. But when it translates “We offer 150 majors” into “You’ll have the freedom to explore before you commit,” the work shifts from selling to serving.

Creativity Without Fear

Athletes skating to avoid mistakes look rigid. Athletes skating to express something look alive. Marketing teams operating under fear — of backlash, of leadership critique of looking different — produce predictable work. It may be safe. It may even be technically strong. But it rarely resonates.

When teams are invited to bring insight, empathy and craft, creativity expands. Bold institutional voices emerge. Messaging becomes grounded in values rather than trends.

Institutions that consistently stand out aren’t necessarily those with the biggest budgets. They are those with the clearest identity. They are performing.

The Paradox: Performance Wins

When athletes focus on performing at their highest level, they often win more consistently. Not because they ignored the competition, but because they refused to let it define their mindset. The same is true in higher ed marketing.

Institutions that articulate a strong brand platform, communicate with empathy and design experiences around student needs build long-term emotional equity. They create trust. They cultivate affinity.

And in a market defined by skepticism and scrutiny, trust is the ultimate competitive advantage.

For CMOs and enrollment leaders, the real question isn’t whether competition exists. It does. The question is what drives your team’s posture.

Are you operating from competitive anxiety: scanning peers, reacting to pressure, chasing metrics? Or are you operating from mission-anchored performance: grounded in purpose, guided by empathy and confident in your institutional voice?

Alysa Liu didn’t pretend the judges weren’t there. She simply chose to perform as if the art mattered more than the score.

Higher ed marketers can do the same.

Focus on the craft. Anchor in mission. Design for the student experience.

And paradoxically, you may find that when you perform at your best, the results follow.