Online School for Professional Ice Skaters - Isabeau Levito's Take

Congratulations are in order for twelve-year old Isabeau Levito, whose promising career as a professional ice skater is only just beginning. After nabbing two major medals at the US Championships, Levito is quickly catching people’s attention. She took gold in 2018 for the juvenile level and silver in the 2019 for the intermediate division and only narrowly missed taking silver again at the Toyota US Figure Skating Championship last month. Levito was even just featured in an article in US Figure Skating Fan Zone about her skating career thus far. But how does a young ice skater balance both school and the time commitment required to become a professional? Online school, for professional ice skaters, 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 incredibly stressful! How do you find the balance of encouragement and support that should be given to a child to excel in their chosen path? Will this path be a temporary hobby or a burgeoning passion? For Levito, ice skating captivated her and did not let go. At the age of three, she watched ice skaters perform on television and immediately began imitating them. It took this one moment, a passing glimpse of a skater on ice, for Levito’s career to begin. Her mother quickly enrolled her in lessons and it wasn’t long before she began entering national competitions.

 Competition on the Rink

Levito has competed in numerous national competitions at the juvenile level and at the novice level internationally. She took bronze at the Asian Trophy Competition and gold at the US Challenge Skate against a panel of international judges. It is clear that Levito does not plan to slow down. This year, she skipped an entire division (novice) and went straight into the junior level. 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 12-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 Olympics. Levito has six years to train and prepare to make her dreams come true, and thus far, she’s off to a very good start.

 A Balancing Act Between School & Work: Online School for Professional Ice Skaters 

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 skaters because it allows 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 education which allows her to travel to various competitions without falling behind or risking her education. In her own words, Levito says “I do this for skating, and for the sport... I know what I'm working towards."