The feeling of gliding across the ice, soaring on a thin metal blade, nothing holding her back, these are the sensations synchronized skater Josie Powell ‘23 loves as she began skating at the age of 5. Being influenced by the older skaters in the rink, she knew one day she would want to skate as fast as them, as if it was the closest way humans could get to flying, she said.

“I feel really free when I skate,” Powell said. “The rink is like its own little world.”

Powell is on Teams Elite Synchronized Skating Team as well as competing in the junior division of Team USA, most recently skating in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, with her national team. Her team placed second with the best scores they’ve received all season. 

“It was really surreal to go to my first international competition and I am so proud of how we skated,” Powell said. “I loved having the opportunity to skate in a new environment and compete against new teams.”

Before Powell traveled internationally to skate, she was and still is coached by Christina Albreski. The intense level of competition Powell faces requires long, demanding practices that range from one hour up to four hours with focus on power, extension, and presentation, Albreski said. 

“[Powell] is truly one of the most hard working, dedicated, and kind skaters that I have ever worked with,” Albreski said. “I [feel] so proud to be a part of Josie’s skating journey.”

Powell is no stranger to hard work as she trains relentlessly in order to compete at a national level, she said. Alongside her teammates from Team USA, Powell won the 2022 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships for the Novice division, awarding Powell her first national gold medal.

“Winning was so rewarding because it felt like my whole skating career had been leading up to that point,” Powell said.

She is anticipating participating in the Spring Cup, located in Milan, on Feb. 16-17 with Nationals occurring in Peoria on March 3-4, Powell said. Looking to go one step further, her team is hoping to qualify for the World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships in Angers, France on March 10-11.

“It is super fun to travel with the team, but definitely very different from a vacation,” Powell said. “We usually don’t have a ton of free time, but I love getting to hang out with my teammates at the hotel.”