"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate." — J.S
Wanderlust Ice & Ink — Life On Board Edito: My Office Job, Being A Professional Figure Skater Performing Onboard a Cruise Ship. (c) Sarah B
For many athletes, the end of a competitive career does not necessarily mean the end of skating. While figure skating is often associated with championships, medals, and Olympic dreams, there exists another side of the sport that remains largely unknown to the general public: professional skating. Rather than performing for judges and scores, professional skaters perform for audiences, transforming years of technical training into live entertainment. Whether in touring productions, theme parks, television shows, gala events, or cruise ships, they continue to skate at a high level while pursuing a different objective: bringing stories, characters, and emotions to life on the ice.
Hidden several decks below swimming pools, restaurants, and sun-soaked promenades, ice rinks continue to operate every day at sea. While passengers discover new destinations, professional skaters rehearse, perform, and maintain the same level of athletic discipline required in any professional production. The setting may be unusual, but the demands remain very real. For the past several years, I have been fortunate enough to work as a professional pair figure skater aboard cruise ships sailing throughout the Caribbean and beyond. It is a career that combines two worlds often perceived as opposites: the artistic and athletic precision of figure skating and the constantly changing environment of life at sea. Behind the polished performances seen by guests lies a reality that is rarely discussed. Rehearsals take place on a moving vessel. Technical equipment must be adapted to maritime conditions. Performers live and work alongside thousands of passengers and crew members from all over the world, while maintaining the physical condition necessary to safely execute lifts, throws, and complex pair elements multiple times each week. Life onboard is often described as a dream, and in many ways it is. It offers the opportunity to travel, discover new cultures, and perform for audiences from every corner of the globe. Yet it is also a profession built on discipline, adaptability, resilience, and consistency. Unlike a traditional touring production, the workplace itself is constantly moving, and no two weeks are ever exactly the same.
In this edition of Wanderlust Ice & Ink, I invite you behind the scenes of this unique profession to discover what life is really like as a professional pair figure skater onboard a cruise ship, beyond the spotlight, beyond the ports of call, and beyond the postcard-perfect image often associated with life at sea.
Hidden several decks below swimming pools, restaurants, and sun-soaked promenades, ice rinks continue to operate every day at sea. While passengers discover new destinations, professional skaters rehearse, perform, and maintain the same level of athletic discipline required in any professional production. The setting may be unusual, but the demands remain very real. For the past several years, I have been fortunate enough to work as a professional pair figure skater aboard cruise ships sailing throughout the Caribbean and beyond. It is a career that combines two worlds often perceived as opposites: the artistic and athletic precision of figure skating and the constantly changing environment of life at sea. Behind the polished performances seen by guests lies a reality that is rarely discussed. Rehearsals take place on a moving vessel. Technical equipment must be adapted to maritime conditions. Performers live and work alongside thousands of passengers and crew members from all over the world, while maintaining the physical condition necessary to safely execute lifts, throws, and complex pair elements multiple times each week. Life onboard is often described as a dream, and in many ways it is. It offers the opportunity to travel, discover new cultures, and perform for audiences from every corner of the globe. Yet it is also a profession built on discipline, adaptability, resilience, and consistency. Unlike a traditional touring production, the workplace itself is constantly moving, and no two weeks are ever exactly the same.
In this edition of Wanderlust Ice & Ink, I invite you behind the scenes of this unique profession to discover what life is really like as a professional pair figure skater onboard a cruise ship, beyond the spotlight, beyond the ports of call, and beyond the postcard-perfect image often associated with life at sea.
Fact 1: Professional Figure Skating Is Not Competitive Figure Skating
Before exploring life onboard, it is important to understand what professional figure skating actually means, as it is often confused with competitive skating. In competitive figure skating, an athlete's primary objective is performance measured through results. Skaters train and compete within a structured system governed by national federations and the International Skating Union (ISU), with rankings, qualifications, championships, and, for a select few, Olympic ambitions serving as the ultimate goals. Success is evaluated through scores, placements, and competitive achievements. Professional skating follows a different path. While the technical foundations remain the same, the objective shifts from earning points to entertaining an audience. Professional skaters perform in ice shows, theatrical productions, touring companies, theme parks, cruise ships, television productions, gala events, and special performances around the world. The focus extends beyond technical difficulty to include artistry, character work, storytelling, consistency, audience engagement, and the ability to perform safely and reliably hundreds of times per year.
For many athletes, becoming a professional skater represents the natural next chapter after competition. Competitive careers are often relatively short, and very few athletes remain at the highest international level for decades. As a result, many skaters eventually face a transition that is both exciting and challenging: transforming years of competitive training into a sustainable profession. This transition requires more than simply continuing to skate. Professional productions often demand additional skills that are not always emphasized in competition. Skaters may learn acting, dance, aerial arts, partner work, stage performance, or specialized disciplines depending on the production. They must also adapt to working as part of a cast, performing multiple shows per week, and maintaining a consistent level of performance regardless of travel schedules, weather conditions, or physical fatigue.
Although it is possible for a professional skater to return to competition, such cases remain relatively uncommon. The training demands, eligibility requirements, and physical preparation necessary for elite competition often differ significantly from those of professional productions. While some athletes have successfully returned to the competitive arena after years of performing professionally, these examples remain the exception rather than the rule. For most skaters, professional skating is not the end of a sporting career but rather its evolution. It is an opportunity to continue using the skills developed through years of training while sharing the sport with audiences in a completely different way. Instead of performing for judges, professional skaters perform for spectators, transforming athletic achievement into live entertainment and keeping the magic of skating alive long after their competitive years have ended.
For many athletes, becoming a professional skater represents the natural next chapter after competition. Competitive careers are often relatively short, and very few athletes remain at the highest international level for decades. As a result, many skaters eventually face a transition that is both exciting and challenging: transforming years of competitive training into a sustainable profession. This transition requires more than simply continuing to skate. Professional productions often demand additional skills that are not always emphasized in competition. Skaters may learn acting, dance, aerial arts, partner work, stage performance, or specialized disciplines depending on the production. They must also adapt to working as part of a cast, performing multiple shows per week, and maintaining a consistent level of performance regardless of travel schedules, weather conditions, or physical fatigue.
Although it is possible for a professional skater to return to competition, such cases remain relatively uncommon. The training demands, eligibility requirements, and physical preparation necessary for elite competition often differ significantly from those of professional productions. While some athletes have successfully returned to the competitive arena after years of performing professionally, these examples remain the exception rather than the rule. For most skaters, professional skating is not the end of a sporting career but rather its evolution. It is an opportunity to continue using the skills developed through years of training while sharing the sport with audiences in a completely different way. Instead of performing for judges, professional skaters perform for spectators, transforming athletic achievement into live entertainment and keeping the magic of skating alive long after their competitive years have ended.
Cruise Ships In Nassau Bahamas. (c) Sarah Lepage.
Fact 2: The Casting Process for Professional Figure Skaters
Scouting, Show Demo Reel And Casting. (c) Sarah Lepage
Before joining a professional production, every skater must first navigate a recruitment process that often begins with uncertainty. Like many athletes reaching the end of a competitive career, I found myself questioning whether I should continue skating at all. At the time, I had little knowledge of the professional industry until fellow skaters shared the contact details of casting directors and encouraged me to submit my profile. In many ways, the professional skating world is built on both preparation and connections. Recommendations from current performers, professional networks, Facebook recruitment groups, and even Instagram announcements have become valuable ways of discovering new opportunities.
The first step is usually the submission of a professional show demo reel. Unlike a competition program, a demo reel is designed to present the skater as a performer. Casting directors look beyond technical elements, evaluating skating quality, artistry, versatility, character interpretation, partner work, physical presence, and previous performance experience. If a profile matches the needs of a production, candidates may then be invited to continue through additional stages of the casting process, including interviews, live auditions, or on-ice evaluations.
Although opportunities occasionally arise through independent productions, most professional figure skaters begin their careers with one of the industry's major entertainment companies, whose productions recruit internationally and offer contracts in touring ice shows, theme parks, or cruise ships. Competition for these positions is significant, with casting directors selecting athletes not only for their technical ability but also for their reliability, adaptability, and capacity to perform consistently over the course of long contracts. Receiving an offer therefore represents far more than finding a job; it marks the beginning of a new chapter, where years of competitive training evolve into a professional career dedicated to live performance.
The first step is usually the submission of a professional show demo reel. Unlike a competition program, a demo reel is designed to present the skater as a performer. Casting directors look beyond technical elements, evaluating skating quality, artistry, versatility, character interpretation, partner work, physical presence, and previous performance experience. If a profile matches the needs of a production, candidates may then be invited to continue through additional stages of the casting process, including interviews, live auditions, or on-ice evaluations.
Although opportunities occasionally arise through independent productions, most professional figure skaters begin their careers with one of the industry's major entertainment companies, whose productions recruit internationally and offer contracts in touring ice shows, theme parks, or cruise ships. Competition for these positions is significant, with casting directors selecting athletes not only for their technical ability but also for their reliability, adaptability, and capacity to perform consistently over the course of long contracts. Receiving an offer therefore represents far more than finding a job; it marks the beginning of a new chapter, where years of competitive training evolve into a professional career dedicated to live performance.
My Daily Office. (c) Sarah Lepage.
Fact 3: Preparing to Join a Cruise Ship
Preparing For Life At Sea. (c) Sarah Lepage.
Receiving a contract is only the beginning. In the weeks leading up to embarkation, preparation extends far beyond the ice rink. Training intensifies to ensure that every lift, throw, twist, and transition can be performed safely and consistently from the very first show. Costumes are checked, skates are sharpened, choreography is reviewed, and physical conditioning becomes a daily priority. At the same time, another kind of preparation takes place behind the scenes. Medical examinations, visa applications, contracts, travel arrangements, vaccinations when required, insurance documents, and months of personal logistics must all be completed before departure. Every administrative detail must be in place long before the first step onto the ship.
Packing for a cruise ship contract is unlike packing for an ordinary trip. Everything that will be needed for the next six or seven months must fit into a limited number of suitcases. Performance costumes, training clothes, skating equipment, everyday essentials, electronics, medications, personal mementos, books, and the small objects that make an unfamiliar cabin feel like home all become carefully considered choices. Once the ship sails, replacing forgotten items is rarely simple. Preparation therefore becomes an exercise in anticipating not just the next week, but the next half-year.
Packing for a cruise ship contract is unlike packing for an ordinary trip. Everything that will be needed for the next six or seven months must fit into a limited number of suitcases. Performance costumes, training clothes, skating equipment, everyday essentials, electronics, medications, personal mementos, books, and the small objects that make an unfamiliar cabin feel like home all become carefully considered choices. Once the ship sails, replacing forgotten items is rarely simple. Preparation therefore becomes an exercise in anticipating not just the next week, but the next half-year.
Fact 4: Preparing for Life at Sea
Life On The Ship - Miami Port (c) Sarah Lepage
Perhaps the greatest preparation, however, is neither physical nor logistical. It is mental. Accepting a cruise ship contract means making the conscious decision to step away from life ashore for months at a time. Family celebrations, birthdays, weddings, holidays, and countless ordinary moments continue without you. Communication with loved ones depends on internet connections and time zones. The familiar rhythm of everyday life is replaced by a completely different one, measured not by weekends or public holidays, but by rehearsal schedules, show days, sea days, and ports of call. At the same time, life onboard offers something equally rare. For several months, thousands of people from dozens of nationalities share the same floating city. Colleagues become neighbours, training partners become friends, and the people you work with each day gradually become the people with whom you celebrate milestones, discover new countries, solve unexpected challenges, and build routines. The ship becomes more than a workplace; it becomes a small community, with its own traditions, rhythms, and way of life.
Preparing for life at sea therefore means accepting uncertainty as much as opportunity. No contract unfolds exactly as expected. There will be demanding rehearsal periods, technical challenges, rough seas, moments of homesickness, and days of physical exhaustion. There will also be standing ovations, spectacular sunsets viewed from the open deck after a performance, conversations with people whose paths would never have crossed yours on land, and destinations that become part of your personal story rather than simply places on a map. Every contract asks the same question before it even begins: are you ready to leave behind the familiar in exchange for something unknown? For those who choose to step aboard, the answer is rarely found in words. It is found in the decision to embrace the experience completely, understanding that beyond the performances lies a chapter of life that will shape not only a career, but the person you become. Long after the costumes are packed away and the final curtain has fallen, it is often these moments—the friendships, the challenges overcome, the shared laughter, and the memories collected across oceans, that remain the greatest souvenirs of life at sea.
Preparing for life at sea therefore means accepting uncertainty as much as opportunity. No contract unfolds exactly as expected. There will be demanding rehearsal periods, technical challenges, rough seas, moments of homesickness, and days of physical exhaustion. There will also be standing ovations, spectacular sunsets viewed from the open deck after a performance, conversations with people whose paths would never have crossed yours on land, and destinations that become part of your personal story rather than simply places on a map. Every contract asks the same question before it even begins: are you ready to leave behind the familiar in exchange for something unknown? For those who choose to step aboard, the answer is rarely found in words. It is found in the decision to embrace the experience completely, understanding that beyond the performances lies a chapter of life that will shape not only a career, but the person you become. Long after the costumes are packed away and the final curtain has fallen, it is often these moments—the friendships, the challenges overcome, the shared laughter, and the memories collected across oceans, that remain the greatest souvenirs of life at sea.
Fact 5: A Cruise Ship Contract Is More Than Performing
Life On Board. (c) Sarah Lepage.
Life onboard does not begin with the first performance. It begins long before the theatre lights come on, in every decision that leads an athlete to pursue a professional career, every audition, every hour of training, every contract signed, every medical examination completed, every suitcase packed, and every goodbye exchanged before stepping onto the gangway. By the time the audience takes their seats, months, and often years, of preparation have already shaped what they are about to witness. For guests, the journey begins when the theatre doors open and the music starts. They see the costumes, the choreography, the applause, and the illusion of effortless performance. What remains invisible is everything that came before: the uncertainty of leaving competitive skating behind, the search for opportunities, the casting process, the physical preparation, the emotional commitment of spending months away from home, and the countless small decisions that transform a dream into a profession.
Once the ship leaves the harbour, another chapter quietly begins. It is a life lived behind the scenes of a floating city, where rehearsal schedules replace ordinary routines, colleagues become neighbours, and the ocean becomes the backdrop to everyday life. It is a world filled with extraordinary moments and ordinary ones, with challenges that test resilience and experiences that leave lasting memories. It is a profession unlike any other, built not only on technical excellence but also on adaptability, discipline, curiosity, and the willingness to embrace the unknown. This is the world I hope to share through ''Life On Board''. Not simply the performances that guests remember, but everything that exists around them: the preparation, the people, the routines, the unexpected moments, the ports, the friendships, the challenges, and the quiet realities of living and working at sea. Beyond the spotlight lies an entire way of life that few people ever have the opportunity to discover.
In the next edition of ''Life On Board'', the journey truly begins. We step aboard together on embarkation day and follow the first twenty-four hours of life on a cruise ship, from walking up the gangway for the very first time to discovering the routines, responsibilities, and emotions that mark the beginning of every new contract.
Once the ship leaves the harbour, another chapter quietly begins. It is a life lived behind the scenes of a floating city, where rehearsal schedules replace ordinary routines, colleagues become neighbours, and the ocean becomes the backdrop to everyday life. It is a world filled with extraordinary moments and ordinary ones, with challenges that test resilience and experiences that leave lasting memories. It is a profession unlike any other, built not only on technical excellence but also on adaptability, discipline, curiosity, and the willingness to embrace the unknown. This is the world I hope to share through ''Life On Board''. Not simply the performances that guests remember, but everything that exists around them: the preparation, the people, the routines, the unexpected moments, the ports, the friendships, the challenges, and the quiet realities of living and working at sea. Beyond the spotlight lies an entire way of life that few people ever have the opportunity to discover.
In the next edition of ''Life On Board'', the journey truly begins. We step aboard together on embarkation day and follow the first twenty-four hours of life on a cruise ship, from walking up the gangway for the very first time to discovering the routines, responsibilities, and emotions that mark the beginning of every new contract.
Down The Ships Dock. (c) Sarah Lepage
Caribbean Sea From A Cruise Ship. (c0