This is a draft of an article that appeared in the hard copy Australian magazine OzSkater
in the October 2009 edition. The final article may have been edited prior to publication.
Cheltzie Lee
by J. Barry Mittan
Australia's most seasoned international competitor is Cheltzie Lee, a 16-year-old from St. Andrews who won the junior ladies title in the 2007-08 season.
Lee has finished as high as 33rd at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, 23rd at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and 13th at the Four Continents Championships. This season, she placed 15th at the Nebelhorn Trophy in seniors, leaving her as third alternate for the Olympic Games.
“I thought I skated pretty well, but I had a rough time in training this week,” Lee said. “I had a couple of injuries after Nationals and that slowed me down.”
The following week, Lee placed seventh at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Dresden, Germany, her highest placement at an international event. She scored a personal best 45.87 in the short program to place fifth.
Kylie Fennell and Gloria Pracey coach Lee when she trains in Sydney and Kathy Casey trains her in Colorado Springs, Colorado when she trains in the United States. "I worked with Kathy for several years when she came to Sydney," Lee stated.
Lee spends 1-2 hours a day on ice in Sydney, six days a week. In Colorado, she trains for four hours a day. Lee also works with a fitness trainer off ice and runs and cycles for conditioning.
Catarina Lindgren choreographed Lee's 2009-10 programs. Lee's new short program is “Feeling Good”, a tribute to Michael Buble. For her free dance, Lee is using music from the soundtrack of “Elizabeth, the Golden Age” by A. R. Rahmen and Craig Armstrong.
"I like to skate to fun music because I like to smile," she said. "Usually I like to change both programs every year because I get sick of them very quickly."
Lee started skating when she was five, then started competing in gymnastics when she was six, competing nationally. She was the Australian gymnast of the year in 2002 but retired from the sport in 2004 to focus on skating. She landed her first double Axel when she was 11 and her first triple Salchow at 12.
Lee enjoys many physical activities, including soccer, softball, surfing, wakeboarding, water and snow skiing, touch football, running, swimming, and rock climbing. She competed in the high jump, long jump and cross-country races in school.
