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View video of some of the popular steakhouses in South Jersey.
On a chilly December afternoon in downtown Philadelphia, figure skater Isabeau Levito is signing autographs in the University of Pennsylvania’s tennis center. Fans have trudged over from the Penn Ice Rink, where Levito performed in American Gold Live, one of the final chances to see America’s top skaters perform before U.S. Nationals in early January, when the 2026 Olympic team will be announced.
A line of fans snakes around the lounge above the tennis courts, and everyone is still bundled from their afternoon in the notoriously chilly rink. By now, the 18-year-old from Mount Holly is used to signing t-shirts and posters. As the 2023 National champion and 2024 World silver medalist, Levito is invited to perform far beyond her South Jersey home. Last summer, she toured with Stars on Ice across the United States, Canada, and Japan. But fan meet-and-greets still bring some surprises.
A woman hands Levito a pencil drawing and nods to her teenage daughter, who stands shyly at her side. Levito sits in a line of Olympic hopefuls. She’s next to World Champion Alysa Liu and ice dancers Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik. At the other end of the tables sits Ilia Malinin, the reigning U.S. and World champion.
“Look what she did for her art class,” the woman says.
“Oh my gosh,” Levito exclaims, grinning at her likeness. In the sketch, Levito wears mini hoop earrings, has her hair pulled back, and is wearing her Team USA jacket. It’s how the world will meet Levito as she heads into the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics as a likely member of Team USA.
In February, U.S. Figure Skating will send three women to Milan, and Levito is a heavy favorite for a spot given her international record. In March, Levito finished fourth at the World Championships in Boston, an impressive comeback after sitting out half the season for a foot injury. This fall, Levito finished second and fourth at her two International Skating Union Grand Prix events, solidly placing her in the top three American women.
From South Jersey’s Igloo to the Milano Olympics?
At the Penn tennis center, a woman approaches the skaters with two gift bags, one for Levito and one for Alysa Liu. Liu retired from figure skating at the age of 16, just as Levito burst onto the senior scene as a 14-year-old in 2022 (Liu has since returned to competition). That year, at U.S. Nationals, Levito placed third, but she was too young to be considered for the Beijing Olympics. Instead, she was sent to the World Junior Championships, which she won. A year later, Levito captured the national title.
“There are two passions in my life, figure skating and perfume collecting,” the woman said, handing Levito a bag, explaining that it’s a discovery set from northern Italy. “I told the brand owner her family is from Milan.”
Levito’s mother, Chiara Gaberi-Levito, was born in Milan. Her grandmother still lives there, in fact, “13 minutes from the Olympic arena,” Levito told NBC’s “Today Show.” An Olympic berth would be a homecoming for the Levito family.
This week, the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis will serve as the final piece of the equation in determining which skaters are sent to Milan, so Levito is hard at work at the Igloo Ice Rink in Mount Laurel, where she trains with coach Yulia Kuznetsova.
“That place is my playground,” Levito said between signing posters. “I know it like the back of my hand.”
The Igloo has been her playground since she set foot on its ice as a 3-year-old, when Levito’s mom started her in skating lessons with Kuznetsova. The two have worked together ever since, with Kuznetsova remaining Levito’s primary coach as she climbed the ranks, a rarity in a sport where up-and-coming athletes will hopscotch the country seeking new coaching environments. At 9, Levito transitioned to online school to accommodate her long days of on and off ice training at the Igloo.
This longstanding partnership with Kuznetskova has allowed Levito to transform her playground into something of a stage.
“She knows me so well,” Levito says. “She knows my skating and my personality and what (music) I would connect to. But she also knows that I really love to perform and to embody a character, whether it’s my own or completely 180.”
Levito, in and out of character on the ice
This season, with Milan on the horizon, Kuznetsova helped Levito craft her love of character work into a tribute to Italian cinema. At American Gold Live, Levito skated her short program, set to a Sophia Loren medley, featuring the playful “Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo.” Her long program is set to music from the Italian coming-of-age film “Cinema Paradiso.”
Last season, Levito wowed audiences with her portrayal of Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly, skating to “Moon River” from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
“I really enjoy good acting,” Levito says. “I wouldn’t put myself on the level of a real actor, but I enjoy playing a part.”
Off the ice, Levito enjoys inhabiting others’ perspectives by reading fiction. International travel to skating competitions gives Levito long stretches to read, so she fills her bags with books. “To go into someone else’s perspective, someone else’s world, it’s so good for you,” she says. “(Reading) is such a good hobby.” Levito put together a list of her eight favorite books for U.S. Figure Skating.
Levito takes a sip from a Red Bull. There’s a second American Gold Live Show this evening, and Levito has been on the road. Earlier this month, she’d been in New York, skating on the “Today Show” at Rockefeller Center with Ilia Malian, the reigning U.S. and World champion.
Red Bull and Olympic dreams
Recently, Levito became a Red Bull Athlete, serving as an ambassador for the energy drink and starring in video content for the beverage company. Just before Christmas, Red Bull released a TikTok pitting Levito against hockey player Laila Edwards in a skating skills contest. The video of the figure skater trying hockey drills (and vice versa) went viral. It’s a preview of what’s to come should Levito make the Olympic team.
As Levito travels to St. Louis to embark upon the final step in her journey to Milan, she reflected on a shift in her mindset.
“This year, I’ve been very much less focused on competition result, you know, podium and what not, and more internally on my profession, consistency-wise, reliability on myself, confidence in myself because that’s the best mindset for me to be in right now leading into the Olympics,” she said.
In the autograph line, a young girl shows Levito a picture of her own skating dress and says that it’s based on one of Levito’s.
Another skater asks if Levito ever skates at Ice Land Skating Center, a rink in Hamilton.
“Yeah! Two years ago, I would go every other weekend because my rink had no ice,” Levito said.
Later this week, skaters and fans from across New Jersey will cheer Levito on as she competes on Thursday and Saturday at the Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships (TV schedule available here).
“We’re proud of our Jersey girl!” a woman hollers as she walks past Levito.
Patrice Hutton is a freelance reporter for the Courier-Post. She can be reached by email at [email protected]
