Lights dim. Blades screech. A spotlight casts upon the girls on the ice. The crowd of girls features senior Amanda Lee, Team USA Synchronized Skater, who is about to compete in one of the most important skating competitions in her career. While Lee will be doing the thing she loves the most, one thing will be different-instead of representing South, she is representing the country as a whole.

Lee’s process of getting selected to represent Team USA began in 2020, when Lee’s Team Elite junior level team qualified for the Team USA title. But, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the team was not able to travel internationally. Fortunately, as the 2021-2022 season rolled around, Lee was able to take her talents abroad where she competed against national teams across the country. The ability to travel abroad and meet new talented skaters had its perks, Lee explained.

“It is truly an honor to represent my country at an international level alongside my amazing teammates who share my passion for the sport,” Lee said. “Competing internationally has also significantly broadened my global experience by allowing me to meet skaters from all over the world.”

Lee has visited various countries while representing Team USA. She will always remember the 2022 World Junior Synchronized Skating championships in Innsbruck, Austria, where the team qualified for worlds.

“This competition was very special for me because Junior Worlds is the highest qualifying competition for my level in synchronized skating,” Lee said. “Only two teams from the U.S. were selected to represent the country at Worlds, and my team was one of them. On top of this, my team earned second place in the short program and third place in the free program, winning a bronze medal overall for Team USA.”

Winning at such a high level is a test to Lee’s work ethic and willingness to never settle for anything, senior Erica Werblow, Varsity Figure Skater, said.

“What I have learned from Amanda is that practicing consistently is key to success,” Werblow said. “Amanda is able to do it all [and] I have never seen her not be able to do a skill.”

While dedication is vital to success, learning how to balance her skating life with her school life became important when taking the next jump to compete on Team USA, Lee explained.

“As a student athlete competing at this level, I have learned to prioritize and stay on top of my academics in order to minimize stress. I have also learned that communication with my teachers is vital, especially when I am missing weeks of school at a time for international competitions.”

As Lee enters the home stretch of her senior year, she is thankful for the opportunity to be able to compete on Team USA for the past four years.

“Competing on behalf of Team USA has been a remarkable experience to say the least,” Lee said. “ While I don’t plan on continuing competitive synchronized skating in college, I will definitely continue skating at some level. Many of the colleges I applied to have nearby rinks that I can practice at and skating clubs that I hope to join.”