Congratulations are in order for fifteen-year-old Isabeau Levito, whose promising career as a professional ice skater is only just beginning. After nabbing two major medals at the U.S. Championships as a pre-teen, Levito quickly caught the attention of people around the world. She took home gold in 2018 for the juvenile level, silver in 2019 for the intermediate division, and only narrowly missed taking silver again at the Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championship in 2020. These awards just span the very beginning of her bright and promising career! Levito was featured in an article in US Figure Skating Fan Zone about her skating career thus far shortly after competing in 2020. How does a young ice skater balance both school and the time commitment required to become a professional? Online school, for professional athletes like Isabeau, is often the answer. With big dreams for the future, the flexibility of an online curriculum can help professional athletes like Isabeau get one step closer to achieving her goals.
Discovering Her Talent
As a parent, investing in early childhood passions can be both incredibly rewarding and at times, stressful! Finding the balance of encouragement and support is key to helping a child excel in their chosen path. At the age of three, Isabeau watched ice skaters perform on television and immediately began imitating them. It took this one moment, a passing glimpse of a skater on ice, that captivated her. Her mother enrolled her in lessons the same year, and it wasn’t long before she began entering national competitions.
Competition on the Rink
Isabeau has competed in numerous national competitions at the juvenile, junior, and senior levels. It is clear that Levito does not plan to slow down. By her own account, Levito says she wanted to push herself and feels confident the work she has done has prepared her for what’s ahead. She received the junior national title in 2021 at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The following year, she made her junior international debut at the 2021 JGP France II and won both segments of the competition. Following that win, she took home the silver medal at the 2021 JGP Austria. At the World Junior Championships, Isabeu won the short program with a score of 72.50 and introduced a Lutz-loop combination into competition. Levito finished second in the free skate, but remained in first overall by 0.54 points and took the gold medal. She was the first American woman to win the World Junior Championships since Rachael Flatt in 2008. Isabeau just opened her debut senior season at the Philadelphia Summer International, placing first in both segments and winning the competition!
By her own account, Levito says she wanted to push herself and feels confident the work she has done has prepared her for what’s ahead.
Olympic Dreams
For many skaters on the ice, the choice of music is vital to their performance. The rhythm and energy of the song can help push the skater to go harder in their routines. Levito leans on strong and “sassy” tunes to help push her forward, and it’s working. At the Cranberry Open she stunned the judges when she successfully performed a triple-axel, a move that’s famously difficult to land, let alone for a twelve-year-old. Levito hopes she can continue to hit the landing during competitions “when it really counts”. Every success, every competition, puts her one step closer to her ultimate goal – the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Levito has a few more years to train and prepare to make her dreams come true. She’s off to an incredibly promising start.
A Balancing Act Between School & Work: Online School for Professional Athletes
Having a rigorous training and traveling schedule for competitions does not leave Levito with a lot of free time. When she’s not skating, she is busy keeping up with her schoolwork. Levito is among many turning to online schools for professional athletes of a wide range of sports because it allows for the flexibility to study from anywhere. Although she tends to save most of her homework for the weekend, it’s not uncommon to find Levito cracking open a book in between training sessions at the ice rink. Despite not being with her friends at a traditional school, she is grateful for distance learning which allows her to travel to various competitions without falling behind in her education. In her own words, Levito says “I do this for skating, and for the sport. I know what I'm working towards."
