South Jersey figure skater Isabeau Levito is in the running to become the next U.S. champion next week

On paper — and to many on social media — South Jersey figure skater Isabeau Levito has an excellent chance of winning the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which are Jan. 23-29 in San Jose, Calif.

At 15, she is the 2022 World Junior Champion, silver medalist at last month’s Grand Prix Final, and the most consistent American woman competing this season.

In 2022, she won the bronze medal at the U.S. Championships. The skaters who placed above her, champion Mariah Bell and silver medalist Karen Chen, are not competing.

So is she the 2023 champion in waiting? Levito’s coach, Yulia Kuznetsova, is not going there.

“We are doing great,“ Kuznetsova said, adding: “We don’t think about placing.”

They can’t. The judging is beyond their control, and it is dangerous to let minds go to medals before taking the ice.

“What we are working on right now and what we’re going to focus on at nationals: all confidence and self-control during the both programs, during the whole competition,” Kuznetsova said. “It doesn’t matter how [many points] she thinks she will get. It doesn’t matter how much distractions maybe she will get from other people, from media or wherever. Just be focused to stay on and do your job.

“She knows what has to be done by end of the day. And I know what we have to do by end of day, and we’re going to try to complete the plan every single day” that they’re at nationals.

That plan starts Tuesday, when Levito first skates on competition ice in San Jose. She will practice for two days before competing her short program (to “Una Noche Más” by Yasmin Levy) on Thursday and her free skate, or long program, (to “Dulcea Si Tandra Mea Fiara” by Catalina Caraus & Eugen Doga) on Friday.

» READ MORE: South Jersey skater Isabeau Levito opens her season with a win in Aston

Despite placing second at the Grand Prix Final, the second-biggest competition of the year after the World Championships in a non-Olympic year, Kuznetsova notes that there are things they want to improve at nationals. Everyone made mistakes at the Grand Prix Final, but Levito, who is from Mount Holly and trains in Mount Laurel, had help from other skaters whose mistakes were more costly.

A skater and coach can’t count on her competitors making errors, though — that is another thing they can’t control. It is also more satisfying if everyone skates their best.

Including Levito.

“On the practice, [her elements are] all perfect all the time,” Kuznetsova said. “I look at her on the practice [ice], and it’s amazing. So far this year, I don’t see yet, this quality in competitions. I still see a little bit everywhere we need to work on something. Something everywhere has to be more polished.”

But there’s little doubt Levito has what it takes.

Her spins, footwork, and artistry are sublime, among the best in the business.

“She is very strong,” Kuznetsova said of her student. “She is very bright, and she’s an extremely smart kid. She is very strong mentally. She understands every little detail. What has to be done, how it has to be done. So that’s why she is where she is right now.”

If she delivers, her coach said, “she will make people stand up, and she will make people cry after her performance from happiness.”

But she’s not the only one capable of doing this.

“Bradie Tennell, Audrey Shin, Amber Glenn, they’re all superstars,” Kuznetsova said.

Tennell, for example, is a two-time national champion and has a bronze team medal from the 2018 Winter Olympics.

“I know what they are capable of. As a coach, I know what they have on the best days,” she said. “But we don’t focus about what they do. We need to focus on ourselves.”

That is easier said than done. For all her success, Levito is still prone to being starstruck.

“I help her to ... reach her goals,” the coach said, “but she understand exactly what she needs. And I’m just a helper. Basically she has everything.

“She needs to learn to be next as her idols. And that’s a trick because you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your idols in that six-minute warmup.

“For her, it’s not a big deal. It’s a huge deal. She needs to believe in herself. She is as good as they are.”

And after nationals? A good placement could earn her a spot in the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships on Feb. 7-13 in Colorado Springs, Colo. A great one would likely earn her a spot at the World Championships on March 22-26 in Saitama, Japan.

“I don’t want to look that far,” Kuznetsova said about future competitions. “I want to look a little bit closer, because I don’t want to make big plans. Let’s complete one date. And [then] let’s complete next day. So one step at a time.”

On ice, Kuznetsova said, “we have a very slippery business. And you never know what tomorrow can bring us.”

Another skater to watch at the U.S. Championships is Ilia Malinin in the men’s competition. The self-proclaimed Quadg0d, Malinin this year became the first skater to land the quadruple axel. He will be joined in that event by two-time Olympian and fan-favorite Jason Brown.

In pairs, Olympians and world champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier also have returned for another year.

And in ice dance, best shot for gold are Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who are three-time national champions and three- and four-time Olympians, respectively.

Levito competes in the senior women’s short program on Thursday. It will be telecast from 9 p.m. to midnight on Peacock and 10 p.m. to midnight on USA Network. There is a draw ahead of the event to determine the skate order.

Her free skate will be on Friday. It will be telecast from 7:45-11 p.m. on Peacock and 8-11 p.m. on NBC. The skate order is reverse placement, so whoever wins the short program will skate last in the free.