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 at the National and International levels.
Josephine began her skating career at the age of four when her father took her to an ice skating rink near his office. In an exclusive interview with Lee, she states, “My parents encouraged me to try as many sports as possible to find the one I truly enjoyed.” 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.” After the COVID-19 pandemic, she made a coaching change and saw great improvement in her skill set. This was when she started to receive international assignments and take off her career.
Yet, what is a typical day in the life of a 17-year-old world-renowned figure skater? Lee starts her day at 6 am, around the same time as most high school students; instead of going straight to school, she goes to the rink. She has a flexible schedule due to her homeschooling program, so she can focus on both academics and skating. “I warm up for about 30 minutes and then skate three one-hour sessions between 8 am to 12 pm with breaks,” Lee shares. “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’s dedication to and ambition for her sport is incomparable.
Her drive for perfection is one of her greatest attributes, yet may also 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.”
Many athletes face the same problem of over-correction and self-doubt. Josephine expresses, “Over time, I’ve realized that mistakes are okay and thinking ahead won’t help change the future.”
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.”
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, and more, all for a 4-minute performance.
Many people are in awe of the young figure skater, and YLHS student Shreya Shah (12) states, “It is truly inspiring to see how much dedication an athlete like Josephine puts into her sport, and I am sure we will see great things from her in the future!”
One of Josephine Lee’s main takeaways from figure skating is “discipline and resilience, which are lessons that can apply to all areas of life. Skating requires immense focus and consistency, traits I have carried over from the rink into my personal life.”
Josephine Lee is not just a rising star—she’s a force, a trailblazer, and an inspiration to young skaters everywhere. Needless to say, if figure skating had royalty, she’d already have a crown.