The Triple Threat: Stephanie Roth Earns Her Spot in Skating History

On the final day of the 2019 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships in Salt Lake City, 36-year-old Stephanie Roth showed up with a job to do, and she did it. The crowd roared as Roth fully rotated and landed a triple toe loop during her Bohemian Rhapsody free skate program. This moment signifies the first time that a female skater has ever performed a triple jump at the event, and it also marked Roth's crowning moment as the reigning rock star in adult figure skating.
The road to this historic achievement comes from a lifetime of hard work on and off the ice. Highlights of Roth's amateur career include winning the 2006 U.S. Collegiate Figure Skating Championships, qualifying for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on several occasions and representing the United States at the 2007 Winter Universiade (World University Games). After her competitive successes and a stint as a show skater for Royal Caribbean Cruises, Roth went on to pursue her current career as a skating coach and personal trainer.
 
"My skaters come first, and sometimes that means I give up my chosen practice time. A good off ice regimen keeps me feeling strong and responsive for when I do get to skate," she said.

After back surgery and a hiatus from performing, she returned to the competitive scene as an adult skater for the 2016-17 competitive season.
 
"I decided to compete again because I missed doing shows. I never stopped skating, but I like my skating to have a purpose and a goal," Roth said.

Standing tall at 5'8" and skating with intense speed, Roth exudes a powerful, memorable presence on the ice. In a sport where many female skaters opt for a delicate, prima ballerina style, Roth has always been one to stand out. During her last few years of standard-track competing, she was adorned with an eyebrow ring and seven tattoos, which have since evolved into several more.
 
"Let's just say it's never been easy being me in the skating world," she said. "Even when I was trying to not necessarily fit in, but adhere to the norm a little more, I still stood out like a sore thumb."

As an adult skater, Roth's unique style has become her signature. For the past two seasons, she has skated to vocal rock music which perfectly complements her colorful hair dye. Mesh panels on Roth's costumes reveal her tattoos, rather than concealing them. But being her true self can still feel frustrating.
 
"As our sport has modernized, many still want to see the same classic look. I've always liked standing out, but I know it doesn't always go over well," Roth said. But she is who she is, and that's her advice to others: "Dye your hair, get tattoos, skate to music that speaks to your soul and never stop if you still love it."

With an impressive resume, it's easy to ask, "what next?" Currently, Roth is preparing for the ISU International Adult Figure Skating Competition in Lake Placid, New York, this October, where she will debut a new program with the hopes of landing another triple toe loop in competition. While she notes that she hasn't maintained all of the skills she did in her youth, she enjoys practicing her triple Salchow and says that "every once in a while, I get gutsy and try [triple] flips."

Though Roth has certainly raised the bar for technical achievement in adult skating, she explains that she isn't alone.
 
"This year, there were more double axels than I've seen in the past!" she said.
 
But it isn't all about the doubles and triples.
 
"I don't want to see skaters feel discouraged. There is more to skating than big jumps. Level 3 and Level 4 spins really bring the points as well. Actually, I stopped doing the triple toe for about four years, then one day, I just felt really good about myself. I felt strong and confident. I could feel it in my bones. I just went out there and did it!"