Queen of the Ice - Spotlight: Team USA figure skater Josephine Lee

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As her blades glide across the rink, the Queen of the Ice takes the stage with another flawless performance. Although she is only 17, this superstar has competed in numerous figure skating competitions, both at the National and International level.

Josephine began her skating career at the age of 4, when her father took her to an ice skating rink near his office. In an exclusive interview with Lee, she states that “my parents encouraged me to try as many sports as possible to find the one I truly enjoyed” (Lee). Yet it did not come easy to her, “skating proved to be the most challenging sport I had encountered - I initially failed the first level of skating school. However, I found the challenge invigorating and decided to continue” (Lee). After the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to make a coachingchange and began to see great improvement in her skillset. This is when she started to receive international assignments and her career started to take off!

What is a typical day in the life of a 17 year old world renowned figure skater? Well, Josephine Lee starts her day at 6am, around the same time most high school students; but instead of going straight to school, she goes to the rink. Lee has a flexible schedule due to her homeschooling program, so she can focus on both her academics and her skating. “I warm up for about 30 minutes and then skate three one-hour sessions with breaks in between from 8 am to 12 pm. After that, I have an hour of strength training, and once I'm done, I head home to complete my schoolwork from 3 pm until 10 or 11 pm” (Lee). Lee’s dedication and ambition to her sport is incomparable.

Her drive for perfection is one of her greatest attributes, yet also could be one of her greatest obstacles. “One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in my skating career is the mental aspect of the sport. It’s easy to doubt myself and strive for perfection even though it’s simply not attainable” (Lee).

Many athletes face the same problem of over correction and self doubt. Josephine shares that “Over time, I’ve realized that mistakes are okay and thinking ahead won’t help change the future” (Lee).

Without a doubt competitions are the most stressful part of competitive figure skating, and as a Team USA figure skater and silver medalist at the 2024 US National championships, Josephine has learned how to handle that stress and push past it. “I visualize and focus on my breathing,” she explains, “if it’s a big audience, I like to step into the arena about 30 minutes before I skate. I take a moment to scan the crowd so I can get acclimated to the size and atmosphere. That way, when it’s actually time to perform, I’m not caught off guard and I feel more comfortable and focused” (Lee).

Figure skating is a relatively small sport. Not many people know a lot about it. “I think many people don’t know how much work goes into it,” Lee remarks. Skating is extremely precise to the point where even the slightest difference in body alignment can mess up an element. It requires endless hours of conditioning, meal planning, mental training, etc., all for a 4 minute performance.

YLHS student Shreya Shah (12) states that “It is truly inspiring to see how much dedication an athlete like Josephine puts into her sport, I am sure we will see great things from her in the future!” (Shah 12).

One of the main takeaways that Josephine Lee has from figure skating would be “-discipline and resilience, which are lessons that can apply to all areas of life. Skating requires an immense amount of focus and consistency, traits I have carried over from the rink into my personal life” (Lee).

Josephine Lee is not just a rising star—she’s a force, a trailblazer, and an inspiration to young skaters everywhere. Needless to say that if figure skating had royalty, she’d already have her crown.