MILAN — The trio of U.S. women targeting Olympic figure skating gold Tuesday night are not the dainty ice princesses of yesteryear. There’s Amber Glenn, a 26-year-old powerhouse and LGBTQ+ rights activist whose career took off just when most figure skaters are contemplating retirement. The three-time and reigning U.S. champion’s unvarnished opinion on everything from politics to the trading card game “Magic: The Gathering” have made her a polarizing figure at the Milan Cortina Games.Then there’s Alysa Liu, the one-time phenom who retired at 16 only to launch a comeback that resulted in the first world title for an American woman in nearly two decades. Liu’s blond-and-brunette striped hair, prominent frenulum piercing and nonconformist aura have made the 20-year-old a hero of the alt, punk and emo crowd.And there’s Isabeau Levito, perhaps the closest thing to the innocent image of teen predecessors like Tara Lipinski and Sarah Hughes, right up until you get the 18-year-old away from the cameras, and her searing wit and biting sarcasm shine through.They’ve dubbed themselves the “Blade Angels,” an homage to “Charlie’s Angels,” after rejecting such suggestions as “Powerpuff Girls” and “Babes of Glory,” which they worried might lead to some trademark issues. (As if they needed more of those in Milan.)They are a new kind of role model for a new generation of American girls.They also are the last chance to salvage a disappointing Olympics for American figure skaters.“I really like that we’re all different,” Levito said, “and we all have our own strengths and personalities, and our own ways we want to look and appear. I think it’s really great, because while we all have the same passion for the sport, and we have very aligned goals.”Glenn grew up in Plano, Texas. Her father, Richard, is a police sergeant and her mom, Cathlene, a fitness instructor. She’s represented the U.S. internationally for nearly 15 years, which happens to be how old Lipinski was when she won Olympic gold.It’s hard to get more unabashedly American. Yet some critics nevertheless questioned her allegiances on the eve of the Milan Cortina Games, when Glenn answered a question about the political climate for the LGBTQ+ community under President Donald Trump. “I hope I can use my platform and voice throughout these Games to help people stay strong during these hard times,” she said. “A lot of people will say, ‘You’re just an athlete. Stick to your job. Shut up about politics.’ But politics af …
