Schizas arrives at Skate Canada with unfinished business: ‘I can be so much better’

Canadian figure skater Madeline Schizas became an internet sensation at last February’s Olympics, going viral for requesting a homework extension while representing her country on the world stage.

Interviews, memes and profiles followed, but she left the Milan Cortina Games wanting more from herself on the ice.

The Oakville, Ont., figure skater is returning for another season, her eighth at the senior level, feeling she has a point to prove after ending a bumpy Olympic cycle on a low.

“I went back and forth on it, but I felt like I still had the motivation to continue and I felt like I had more to give,” Schizas said. “I definitely feel like there’s a piece of unfinished business in terms of my results and what I can give.

“I really am a technically strong skater. It doesn’t always come through, but my technique is good.”

After her request for extra time on a sociology assignment blew up on social media, Schizas, decked in orange and gold for her “Lion King” routine, stumbled to 25th in the women’s short program in Milan. A few weeks later at the world championships, she finished a disappointing 15th.

The four-time Canadian champion begins her road to redemption Saturday at Skate Canada International in Kelowna, B.C. Skate Canada is the second stop on the Grand Prix circuit, the top series in figure skating, and Schizas arrives at Prospera Place with a new, self-empowering approach to her career.

“I felt like I was at a point in my life and a point in my career where I really was hopefully gonna be able to take more ownership and put my foot down for what I thought was best,” she said of her choice to return.

“I thought that a season with that as the focus — it being more athlete-led, I would say — that was a motivator for me.”

Schizas didn’t dive into specifics, but said outside influences sometimes affected her decisions.

“There’s always a lot of voices coming in different directions, and I think that it’s all well-meaning, but there was a lot of push and pull,” said the five-foot skater, who placed 11th at a Challenger event in Budapest last week. “It led to me not always making the choices that I thought were going to serve me best because you’re trying to manage a lot of different moving parts.”

“I decided not to do a domestic event before my first international, decisions like that,” she continued. “I sat with my coaches (Nancy Lemaire and Alison Purkiss out of Milton, Ont.) and I said, let’s really think about every single decision that gets made and not just go where the wind blows.”

At 23, Schizas still feels young, even though many of her peers retire at this stage. She is taking her career year by year, with no firm plans beyond the current season.

Reflecting on last February’s internet fame, the candid Schizas, who often approaches her off-ice life with humour on social media, describes it as a moment in time she quickly moved on from.

“It was ridiculous in a lot of ways, but I mean, personal interest stories will do that, right? Everybody’s looking for something to write about that’s not just straight results,” she said. “But it was so crazy. I was just living my life, and there were a lot of people interested in it.”

This season, she hopes it’s her skating that grabs the attention.

“Last year was a lot. There was a lot going on, there were a lot of different narratives and moving pieces, and I’m hoping to just show better skating really for myself,” she said. “I can be so much better than I have shown, and I am hoping to show that this week and to show that in wherever my career takes me from here on out.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2026.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press