Isabeau Levito penned an emotional letter, denoting her love for figure skating
She is an established name at a senior level as a US champion & World Championship medallist
She was introduced to the sport by her mother
When I relive the story of how my love with figure skating began, I can’t help but smile.
Not that I can truly remember, but I’ve been told my first attempt at the sport didn’t involve any ice at all. The story goes that my mom and I were watching the 2010 Vancouver Games when three-year-old me started imitating the athletes.
My mom says I was hooked from the first second I set eyes on the sport, and it wasn’t long before she took me to the Igloo Ice Rink in New Jersey.
Since then, my love for skating has grown alongside me and my skills, and now, I can say that I skate because of how it makes me feel. The satisfaction of overcoming a mental block and pushing past yourself is unlike anything else. Figure skating, like all sports, is so physically demanding, but in my opinion, it’s incredibly mental, a mental competition with myself.
Every program is a balance of power and softness, confidence and control, risk and trust. It demands focus but also invites expression. One of the few places where I feel completely present.
Figure skating has taught me the obvious that falling isn’t the opposite of success but rather part of it. It’s shown me what I’m capable of. It’s always challenged me.
And it’s not just about what I do in competition.
When I look back on my journey, the moments I am most proud of are always the moments where I persevered in training.
In competition, you have to trust the training and perform no matter how you feel. But in training, it’s even harder - you have to believe in yourself through exhaustion, doubt, and pain, even when no one’s watching.
It’s the times when I’ve overly believed in myself that I’ve succeeded.
When I was a child, I worried I’d have to quit skating because the double axel was impossible, or so it seemed. I tried. I cried tears of frustration. I went again, and again. At age 10, I finally nailed it. “Oh, so I am going to make it!”
But I’ve not done this alone. I could have never understood or learned to believe in myself if it weren’t for my coaches reminding me every day, too. Even if it was by yelling at me for not fighting hard enough and messing up the second half of the program, and having me skate it again – all just to prove to me how I can be so much stronger than I believe.
Figure skating is a sport that feels so much like a community, and I see and feel support in so many ways and forms. That can come from your coach sharing with you the reason you fell on your triple lutz, or your mother giving you encouraging words after it happened, or a fan tossing a plush on the ice after a fall.
Figure skating is part of who I am today, from the nerves before competition to the precision needed before a jump, and then the satisfaction that follows a clean landing. I love learning what I’m capable of next. Every season feels like a new chapter, with endless possibilities in your hands.
Figure skating has taught me that progress isn’t always linear. Some days you skate perfect programs, and some days you wipe out. It has taught me to trust the process, to push myself, and to find joy in the work I put into it, no matter the outcome. Those lessons follow me off the ice too, reminding me that growth takes time and that passion is something you choose, again and again.
As I look ahead, I feel grateful and hopeful. There’s still so much I want to learn, try, and express. New programs, new elements, new versions of myself.
Thank you, figure skating, for everything you’ve given me: the discipline, the joy, the lessons, and the love.
See you on the ice.
Love,
Isabeau
Who is Isabeau Levito?
Isabeau Levito is an Italian-American figure skater and Red Bull athlete representing the United States, recognised for combining technical precision with refined artistry and composure under pressure. She began skating at the age of three, introduced to the sport by her mother, an Italian-born figure skating enthusiast.
Under the long-term guidance of coach Yulia Kuznetsova, Levito progressed through the U.S. development system, winning national titles at every junior level and claiming gold at the 2022 World Junior Championships.
She has since established herself at a senior level as a U.S. national champion and World Championship medallist, widely regarded for her musical interpretation, consistency, and thoughtful approach to long-term performance development.
