Isabeau Levito exclusive: The 16-year-old eyes a maiden Grand Prix figure skating title – and her driver’s license
The reigning American champion is coming of age on the ice, and features two new programs – one with the help of world champion ice dancer and mentor Madison Chock.
Figure Skating
Still just 16, reigning American champion Isabeau Levito has big goals for the coming figure skating season, her second on the international circuit.
She’s also eying another milestone – her driver’s license – in March, the same month as the 2024 World Championships.
“I have my learner’s permit, but once I turn 17, I can take the road test,” Levito said, breaking into a wide smile during a recent exclusive interview with Olympics.com. “I have the test scheduled for March 4th, the day after my birthday. And I have to pass that [to] get to drive by myself. I’m... so excited.”
What’s also driving Levito’s excitement this year comes with the skating version of a learner’s permit: She has one senior season under her belt.
“Last season [was about] learning new things,” she said before heading to Skate America, the first Grand Prix of the year (20-22 October in the Dallas area).
“But now I know what's up. I know how this goes and I'm excited to fight for things and really set definitive goals for myself.”
Those goals?
“I intend on making the Grand Prix Final again and I hope to get a gold medal from the Grand Prix circuit,” she said plainly, having won a trio of GP silvers in 2022.
Levito finished fourth at Worlds earlier this year, but had an off-season of growth, including her first exhibition tour (and solo trip sans parent or coach), and is bringing a “curious” appetite to two new programs – and styles – for the year to come.
“I always love trying new things, new styles,” she shared. “I’m a very curious person.”
Isabeau Levito: Madison Chock as a mentor
This season, Levito’s short program is “Yearning” by Raul Ferrando, which was choreographed by her longtime coach Yulia Kuznetsova. She calls it “intense:” “It’s like a gaze; it’s hard but it’s fun.”
Levito turned to American teammate Madison Chock, the veteran ice dancer for advice on the program, in which Levito plays the role – and is costumed – as a snake. Chock, the reigning world champion with partner Evan Bates, is a three-time Olympian.
Chock also helped birth her and Bates’ “Egyptian Snack Dance” free dance (2019-21; which featured a portion of “Yearning”), a program that is a recent cult favourite among skating fans.
“Madison worked on choreography ideas with me for this,” Levito said, the two having toured together earlier in the summer and then re-connecting at the U.S. high performance camp in August.
It’s a relationship that has morphed into a mentorship for Levito.
“She was my big sister on tour,” Isabeau explained.
“I was actually calling her ‘mom,’” she added, laughing. “Madison is always so helpful. She's just amazing: She's so experienced, has so much to tell me and to give advice on. I am just so grateful that I have her in my life.”
Avid reader Levito's own 'coming of age' story
Pending driver’s license included, Levito's life is still very much that of a teenager: Based in New Jersey, she takes classes online but maintains a close-knit group of friends at her rink, where she first took up the sport at age four.
These days, she is journaling out her frustrations (“I just rant,” she laughed) and keeping a zest for reading that has been well-documented. She plans to pack five books for her four-day trip to Dallas – and that’s not including the homework she needs to do.
“I’m thinking about starting a YouTube channel where I talk about books,” she said with a smile before diving into each of the five titles, including Summer Sisters by well-known author Judy Blume.
“It’s a coming-of-age story,” Levito offered.
Levito herself continues to come of age, though she said this season will see no great technical changes to her on-ice layouts. Her choreography is more evolved (and involved), she said, and her free skate (music from The White Crow) is “about having a genius-ness.”
“Being a genius in something can be very difficult,” Levito said, pointing out the composer Mozart died in his mid-30s.
“My ‘genius-ness’ was my “Swan” program (from 2021-22), which was one of my favourite things,” she said. “So that was my way of including that this season.”