Spring 2026 Grad and Career Edition — The Lantern

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CAMPUS Advice for incoming Grad students: From academics to wellness

Audrey van Schagen Campus Senior Writer

Before attending graduate school, students may feel intimidated entering into a new stage of education.

Here are some tips on how to ensure a smooth transition and overall positive experience.

Students should have a reason for choosing graduate school before making a final decision, said Jackie von Spiegel, manager of the Dennis Learning Center at Ohio State. After students earn their undergraduate degree, von Spiegel said they should only pursue graduate school if students have a set plan, not if they are unsure of their goals or avoiding the workforce.

Graduate school is more intense than an undergraduate degree, and students should be aware before pursuing that path, von Spiegel said. Students should expect more readings and work beyond class, as graduate school follows more of a self-directed approach.

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“You [have] to be really self-directed and meet these goals that don’t necessarily have deadlines, and they don’t have grades associated with it, but you need to do it on your own.”

Additionally, the Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing has writing groups to help graduate students learn how to advance their writing to match the higher expectations.

Talking with current graduate students can help ease the transition for those about to begin their first year, von Spiegel said.

With a higher workload, students should become more strategic, von Spiegel said. The Dennis Learning Center at Ohio State offers workshops and programs for students to learn what is not explicitly taught in graduate school.

For example, the center has a work-

shop that teaches students reading skills for graduate school, because homework often includes articles and book chapters, and not the textbooks that are commonly used in undergraduate classes, von Spiegel said. Within the center, the productivity program aims to assist students with creating a schedule to avoid missing self-assigned deadlines, since a big challenge for graduate students is finding an effective way to tackle their

to-do list independently, von Spiegel said.

The six-week group-coaching program has students set accountability goals to help with time management, procrastination, perfectionism and managing multiple roles, von Spiegel said.

“Your time management, again, needs to be kind of amped up because that’s another reason why the motivation has to be there,” von Spiegel said.

“Really connect with your other graduate students and especially not just the ones in your same year, but the ones who are already ahead of you in the program, because they’re going to have so much advice on how to survive and what to do,” von Spiegel said.

Students should also connect with their professors and advisors, since these relationships are much closer than those in undergraduate school, von Spiegel said.

GRAD STUDENTS continues on page 4.

Grad school applications 101: A crash course in tips, tricks and advice

Audrey Coleman Managing Editor of Design

For those considering graduate school, the application process can seem overwhelming. What should be included in a statement of purpose? What programs should be explored? Who should write letters of recommendation?

While it’s stressful, preparation, a timeline and informational materials can create a smooth process. Here are some pointers and advice from an advisor, Nick Breckenridge, the graduate program director for mechanical, aerospace and nuclear engineering, and a graduate student, Olivia Lane, a first-year in the Master’s of City and Regional Planning Program.

Breckenridge has worked on both the admissions and advisor side of graduate school applications.

In comparison to undergraduate applications, which are reviewed by admissions staff, graduate applications are handled differently, Breckenridge said.

“Typically, applications at a graduate level are viewed by faculty members. We see a statement of purpose, we see resumes, so we see every student that comes through the pipeline,” Breckenridge said. “But ultimately, when it comes to the graduate level, faculty are making those decisions.”

Because faculty are evaluating the applications, Breckenridge said it’s important for students to capture each element needed to showcase their personality, while describing their interest for the chosen program in a statement of purpose.

“One of the funniest things a faculty member told me when I started in our department was when writing your statement of purpose, he said, ‘I don’t want to hear that a student thirsts to drink from the fountain of knowledge,’” Breckenridge said. “You don’t want this ambiguous, broad knowledge. You want to be focused and explain why you’re in that field.”

Lane said she included a personal experience to create a more authentic statement to her application.

“For me, it was seeing how my aunt’s quality of life changed after this infrastructure project occurred,” Lane said. “She was now able to transport herself places, because she’s in a wheelchair, and was in an area that wasn’t previously accessible, and all of a sudden, this woman that I have known all my life was talking about these friends she hung out with because she was able to go to community events.”

From the student perspective, a strong letter is helpful in collecting consistent materials, not just making the application look better, Lane said.

“You’re probably going to use the same letter of rec[ommendation] to apply to multiple schools,” Lane said. “You have to really communicate with these people and tell them, here’s the school I’m applying to. They’re probably going to want a draft of your personal statement as well, so they can kind of craft their letter towards what is helpful for the program that you’re applying to.”

Graduate school applications are on a different schedule to other programs, so the timelines can seem aggressive.

“Starting early is the biggest piece of advice,” Lane said. “Especially when it comes to school deadlines, you’re going to get the most consideration for scholarships or fellowships by applying for the earliest deadline.”

Once the application is submitted, it becomes a waiting game.

“Don’t get discouraged if faculty aren’t reply-

ing initially, especially when applications are due in November and December,” Breckenridge said. “Decisions, in a lot of cases, won’t happen until late February, March or even April.”

However, students are welcome to reach out and contact the faculty members or program offices to touch base on their applications.

“Don’t feel afraid to reach out and communicate with people from the school. It gets your name on their radar a little bit. It shows that you’re actually interested, and interested early on, especially if you reach out personally,” Lane said. “It’s really helpful, because sometimes they’ll even put you in contact with a current grad student.”

Most importantly, it’s vital to keep mental and physical health in check, especially because of how much work can go into one application.

“Doing work with other people, whether or not they’re applying to grad school, really helps,” Lane said. “Just having that kind of support network for you, whoever that is, is able to help you through that process.”

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Graduate student advice

Continued from page 2.

Ohio State’s resource, the graduate and professional student, also known as GPS, ombudsperson, can mediate any issues that may arise amongst faculty and advisors with students.

Overall, von Spiegel advises new graduate students to be physically present to get opportunities and make the most out of their graduate experience.

Ohio Union Activities Board offers educational and entertainment programs and activities for graduate students and D-Tix offers discounted events, which von Spiegel said is a

derstand what they’re reading the first time around. In graduate school, von Spiegel said students initially understand 30 percent the first time they read the article. Students will need to repeatedly read the article to fully understand the content.

“I always tell students you’re expected to gain knowledge in stages,” von Spiegel said.

Some students, who are used to succeeding, may have some doubts in what they are capable of when in graduate school, von Spiegel said.

“People who go to grad school are often high achievers,” von Spiegel said. “They feel like [they’re] only

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great way to connect with fellow students and blow off steam and get more involved.

von Spiegel said to not avoid asking questions, students should instead be inquisitive and seek answers.

“It’s good to just ask questions,” von Spiegel said. “You’re not expected to know everything right away. It’s like a weird difference where you’re at this upper level, but you're not expected to be an expert right away. So asking a lot of questions is actually expected of you.”

Graduate school creates a mindset shift in how students learn material, von Spiegel said. In undergraduate school, students are expected to un-

getting 30 percent understanding when [they] read this once. It feels like a failure, but it’s not. It’s really what’s meant to happen.”

von Spiegel said balance and prioritization is key.

Students should look for ways to re-energize themselves, whether that’s taking a fitness class or other stress relievers, to maintain wellness and balance alongside their studies.

“It’s really figuring out your priorities on almost kind of a day-to-day basis,” von Spiegel said. “But prioritization is huge. A huge skill to have for balancing life or juggling multiple roles.”

Campus Roundup: Upcoming career fairs and Ohio State resources

Ally Wolfe Campus Editor

With graduation just a few months away, students are gearing up to enter the career field. Ohio State hosts career events and provides resources for students to feel more comfortable in finding internships, jobs or simply more work experience.

Here is how to get started and upcoming career fairs.

Getting started:

Events can feel overwhelming and never-ending, even if they are there to support students’ experiences entering the job market.

Handshake is where most information is found, including these upcoming career events. The website is Ohio State’s “university-wide position

posting system where students have access to search and apply for part-time jobs, internships, co-ops, and full-time career opportunities,” according to the Ohio State Career Center of Excellence within the office of academic affairs.

On Handshake, students can sign in with their Ohio State login, name.# and password for access.

Found within the Career Center of Excellence website, students can find additional help with Handshake including information to the student help center, training videos and basic “need-to-knows” to navigate the website.

CAREER FAIRS continues on page 6.

Career fairs to keep in mind in Spring semester

Continued from page 5.

Upcoming Career Fairs

Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Career Fair

The Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Career Fair will be held Feb. 18 from 1-4 p.m. at the Ohio Union and will host companies in three industry aspects: food and agricultural sciences, environment and sustainability and construction.

The event will be open to all current Ohio State students and recent graduates. Interested people can register for the event and find more information on Handshake.

Fisher Just in Time Job Fair

The Fisher Just in Time Fair will be held Feb. 26 and it is invitation only, according to the Amazon Web Services “Road to Recruiting” web-

site. Students are encouraged to come prepared with a resume and dress casually.

Engineering Winter Career Fair

Sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers, the Engineering Winter Career fair will be held March 2 at the Ohio Union from 1-5 p.m. All Ohio State engineering students, in addition to those who graduated within a year, can attend.

Attendees can register on Hand-

shake and should consider applying for at least “one position of interest posted by an attending employer through Handshake before the event,” according to the website.

The map of the event and additional details can be found on the website.

TechOhio Career Fair

The TechOhio Career Fair will be held April 7 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Ohio Union. The event is open to all students within the College of Education and Human Ecology and Ohio State alumni with a focus on licensed

K-12 teachers and administrators, according to the college’s website.

On Handshake, a full list of attending employers are listed and additional employers and candidates can register.

2026 HireOhio Alumni Multi-University Career Fair

The HireOhio Alumni Career fair, hosted by Ohio State, is being held June 4 at the Ohio Union from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. to connect alumni, graduate students and doctoral candidates with employers across multiple industries and levels according to the Hire Talent website.

Registration for participants would also include a complimentary professional profile picture when signing up on Hire Talent.

Participating universities and additional information for the event can be found on the website.

ARTS & LIFE

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Tips and tricks for grad school applications

Taste of OSU offers dishes from diverse cultures Friday

Madeline Bradshaw Lantern Reporter

The Office of International Affairs

is hosting a culture-filled event at the Ohio Union Friday from 5 to 8:30 p.m. With multicultural performances, exhibits and food provided by different Ohio State international student organizations, Taste of OSU helps students share and celebrate their cultures.

Maureen Miller, spokesperson for International Affairs, said the event allows Ohio State’s international communities to share and celebrate their culture.

“Taste of OSU provides the international student community a space to share their country and their country’s traditions with the campus community,” Miller said. “I think that the Ohio State community is interested in learning more about our international student population.”

Food is a large component of culture, and Taste of OSU is centered around giving students a bite-sized experience of different cultures from around the world through specially prepared international dishes, including Nigerian spiced grilled beef skewers from African Youth League, flan de queso from Puerto Rican Student Association, bruschetta from French Club and Italian Club and many more, according to the Office of International Affairs website.

Taste of OSU is free to attend. Food tickets are available for purchase online and in person for $1 with BuckID and credit or debit, according to the Office of International Affairs website.

Seventeen Ohio State international student organizations were selected to cook two dishes that best represent their countries, and two will provide beverage-only options.

Christine Lee, Taste of OSU chair, said each item will be priced between one to four tickets depending on the complexity of the dish.

“You’re able to purchase a lot of bite-sizes of food from different cultures, making all the students able to engage in that variety,” Lee said.

Lee said she usually purchases 10 to 15 tickets for the full experience of trying different offerings.

Even the process of cooking the dishes builds community, as Miller said students cook alongside each other and Dining Services staff at the Ohio Union.

“Food means family and community, and that’s kind of where you get to know one another, is over a meal,” Miller said.

Miller said the chefs that help cook for the event are crucial to Taste of OSU’s success.

“We have a great partnership with campus dining, and the chefs at the Ohio Union that help us make this happen are just fabulous,” Miller said. “They love working with the students, so it’s really been a great partnership for many, many years. We couldn’t do this without them.”

While students enjoy their food at the event, they can watch 26 cultural performances from organizations including Chinese Folk Music Orchestra and The Irish Dance Team, according to the Office of International Affairs website.

“It’s all sorts of different performances, and this event makes the students so joyful,” Miller said. “They are so excited for this event. To cook in the kitchens with one another, to perform on stage alongside their friends, I think just brings them a lot of joy.”

An annual event, Taste of OSU reaches thousands of students, international and non-international, but Miller said it was born from a small group of international students in Oxley Hall in 1997.

“I think international students were missing food from home at that time, and so they said, ‘Can we have [a] kind of potluck in your office space?’” Miller said.

With an electric rice cooker and a chicken roaster that kept overloading the circuit breaker, about 60 people gathered on the front lawn of Oxley Hall to share an international meal, Miller said.

Maggie Gu, Taste of OSU chairelect, said she hopes students enjoy that same sense of community.

“I’m hoping students will get to experience a variety of different cultural performances and music,” Gu said. “I’m also pretty excited to see the food that all the groups are going to come up with.”

Miller said Taste of OSU provides a space for students from diverse backgrounds to celebrate their cultures and build community.

“It’s important to share with the campus community the different cultures and perspectives that international students bring to Ohio State,” Miller said. “We’re just trying to provide a space for those students to share things about their home countries that people may never know or see.”

Movie Review: ‘Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie’ makes time travel stupid funny

Grayson Newbourn

Managing Arts & Life Editor

“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” may be one of the dumbest films released in recent years.

But that stupidity is deliberate. In fact, beneath the surface, the film is ingenious.

And no, it has nothing to do with Kurt Cobain.

Based on the web and television series “Nirvanna the Band the Show,” the Canadian mockumentary film is an epic time-travel adventure created by and starring Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, the original creators of the series. It screened at AMC Monday as part of its Screen Unseen series, which premieres never-before-seen films before their wide theatrical releases. The film will open in theaters Thursday, with local showings at Gateway Film

Center. While full of inside jokes from the web series, it’s not necessary to watch to understand the movie — though after watching it, you may want to.

“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” will open at Gateway Film Center Thursday.

Johnson and McCarrol play fictionalized versions of themselves as they attempt to book a gig at Rivoli’s — a

bar and venue in Toronto — for their band Nirvanna, which has zero songs.

After failing yet another

plan, the pair and Jared, their friend and cameraman, accidentally time travel to 2008 and must find their way back to the future.

It’s oddly a beautiful, heart-warming

adventure about the power of friendship, while also being the craziest, most mind-boggling movie theater experience I’ve had in years — maybe ever.

The mockumentary is filmed guerilla-style: quick-paced, high-stakes and impossible to look away from. It doesn’t leave room to breathe. Each scene rolls seamlessly into the next, creating what feels like a never-ending story. It’s also impossible to predict what will happen next. Some scenes give you enough context to deduce what will happen. Some don’t. But the outcome is always shocking nonetheless.

NIRVANNA continues on page 10.

Japanese Student Organization to host fourth annual Maid Café Sunday

Mia Ross Lantern Reporter

Equipped with ketchup bottles and adorned in lace aprons, men and women of the Japanese Student Organization will transform Curl Market into a modern, Japanese-inspired maid café Sunday — with a Buckeye twist.

An eye-catching TikTok posted by JSO on Feb. 3 about the event received over 7,000 likes and nearly 50,000 views. Beyond the initial draw of the video, JSO members said they hope to promote student engagement with Japanese culture in a fun, lighthearted space.

Sunday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Curl Viewpoint, students can enjoy omurice, eclairs and a slice of culture served free of charge.

“Our goal as a JSO is to promote Japanese culture in Ohio State, and then we tried to do that in as fun [a] way [as] possible, and I think maid café is a really good example of that,” said Shuto Urabe, a second-year in accounting and treasurer for JSO. “[We’re] trying to bring Japanese culture in an interesting way to Ohio State so that people want to engage.”

The Maid Café craze began in the early 2000s in modernized Japanese cities such as Tokyo. The cafés center around hospitality and fantasy fulfillment, with most patrons seeking

engagement with characters of their pop-culture or gaming manifestations.

However, beyond the costumes, maid cafés strive to promote social connection and create a temporary escape from reality for those who attend.

Urabe said for JSO’s Ohio State rendition of a Maid Café, the goal remains the same.

“[The] maid café definitely comes off as a kind of shock to people, like people are very curious as to what this is,” Urabe said. “It kind of invite[s] and create[s] an opportunity for people to come check out JSO.”

While the event is rooted in enjoyment, JSO must work extremely hard to prepare a delicious dinner and a memorable experience. The main dish, omurice, is prepared a day in advice

by members of the club, typically in an upperclassman’s kitchen.

The dish consists of egg-topped fried rice, which is then garnished in ketchup artwork. One of the main aspects of the dish is that maids decorate the egg with drawings or messages, Sofia Takenaka, second-year in marketing and co-media design chair, said.

Given the theme of social connection, one of the most popular ketchup drawings from previous events has been hearts. Urabe said customers can also make requests to the maids for specialty drawings of their choosing.

On the morning of the event, JSO will prepare unbaked eclairs — a light, custard-filled dessert with a cornflake bottom. From there, Urabe and Takenaka said they will prepare the space

and assemble their handcrafted photobooth which they encourage students to take advantage of.

“It’s just really fun to do silly little poses, with not only your friends, but with others,” Takenaka said. “I think that’s probably my favorite part.”

Attendees are also encouraged to not only take pictures with friends, but with any of the nine maids working the event, Urabe said.

In addition to the event itself, the preparation is grounded in community and enjoyment. For JSO, Urabe said the experience of making food yields laughter, high spirits and memories.

“It usually takes longer than what we expect, but it’s still a really fun experience because we just get together and cook food and chat and everything,” Urabe said.

Urabe said the day is usually hectic, with ingredients dwindling sooner than expected and last-minute trips to Kroger, however, the joy of the event outshines any inconveniences.

Past maid cafés have typically been filled with attendees mostly coming to see their friends dressed as maids, Takenaka said. However, this year, she said she hypothesizes a much different turnout as a result of the video.

“It’s not something that you see every day,” Takenaka said. “I think when the opportunity to do something a little silly comes up, you should just take it — there’s nothing wrong with having fun and doing something that you normally wouldn’t do.”

Opinion: Movie review

Continued from page 8.

A specific scene of McCarrol on a tour bus stands out as an example. There was not one person in the audience who wasn’t taken aback by it, and it was arguably one of the easiest scenes in the film to predict.

Truthfully, the whole plot of this movie could be spoiled and it’d still be worth seeing. Part of its charm comes from the characters interacting not only with each other, but with their past selves and the public. It may seem confusing, but aside from the movie being stupid funny, its craft is stupid smart.

“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” was in development for nearly two decades, meaning some of the mockumentary footage was actually shot in 2008. The scene where future Johnson and McCarrol realize they’re in 2008 is absolutely hilarious, but also incredibly technical.

The same can be said for the scenes

of them interacting with their younger selves, which blend archival footage of their 17-year-old selves with newly shot footage of them in their 40s, creating semi-realistic interactions between past and present.

Johnson exhibits that kind of insane, over-the-top personality reminiscent of actor and comedian Tim Robinson. He’s ambitious and relentlessly pursues his dream, doing whatever it takes to play the Rivoli — spoiler alert, their plans are far more complex and dangerous than just actually booking a gig the normal way.

One of the best creative decisions they made was leaving the public completely uninformed. Most of the film is shot in downtown Toronto, including areas such as the CN Tower, with the cast interacting with unsuspecting citizens and tourists who had no idea they were filming a movie.

Read the rest online at www.thelantern.com.

From Columbus to Italy: 12 Buckeyes competing in the Winter Olympics

Megan Finn Lantern Reporter

Adozen current and former Buckeyes are showcasing their skills at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy as members of five women’s ice hockey teams.

Ohio State’s seven alumnae playing in the Winter Olympics this year are Cayla Barnes, Hannah Bilka, Sophie Jaques, Jenn Gardiner, Emma Maltais, Natalie Spooner and Andrea Braendli.

Five current Buckeyes will go from teammates to competitors as they represent their home countries.

Junior forward Joy Dunne is representing the United States and is the youngest player on the team at age 20.

“I like being the youngest,” she said. “I’m very much wanting to be receptive to the older girls.”

The United States have won each of their four games thus far in the Olympics, with Dunne adding two goals

against Switzerland and Czechia.

Along with Dunne, Bilka, who graduated from Ohio State in 2024, added a two-goal performance in the United States 5-0 win against Canada to send them to the quarterfinals.

Outside of the United States, sophomore defender Mira Jungåker, freshman defender Jenna Raunio and freshman forward Hilda Svensson are representing Sweden, while freshman forward Sanni Vanhanen is representing Finland.

Vanhanen is the only returning Olympian. In 2022, she earned a bronze medal with Finland.

Dunne said it will not be strange for her and her teammates to play on opposing teams because they are used to battling in practice.

“We’re excited to hopefully go up against each other like that,” Dunne said.

“It’s going to be tough to choose who I’m cheering for,” said head coach Nadine Muzerall. “You just want the girls to do well that you’ve coached and then, whoever wins, so be it.”

In her 10 seasons with the Buckeyes, Muzerall has coached 11 out of the 12 women headed to this year’s Olympics.

“I think just that speaks volumes of what she’s created in this program,” Dunne said.

Olympic play means Ohio State will play eight regular-season games without five key players, including two against No. 1 Wisconsin.

Two of only three Ohio State losses this season have been to the Badgers, who will have five players participating in the Olympics.

Despite the loss, Muzerall has confidence that her team will adapt.

“It is what it is,” she said. “I told

them it’s like Covid all over again. Every day is going to be different, and we’ve learned to rally through that, we’ll figure this out as well.”

Dunne believes the intensity and support of the Ohio State women’s ice hockey program have prepared her skaters well for this opportunity.

“It’s on the biggest stage, the Olympics, but it’s also the sport we love and it’s so fun,” Dunne said. “I play my best hockey when it’s fun, and this is as fun as it’s probably going to get, so might as well enjoy every moment.”

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The Winter Olympics are back: How figure skating works, explained by Ohio State skating club members

Marissa Yang Lantern Reporter

Vinnie DiNatale said there are two questions figure skaters often get asked:

“Can you do a triple axel?”

“Are you going to the Olympics?”

There is, however, much more to figure skating than those two questions, according to DiNatale, a second-year in food business management who has 16 years of ice skating experience and is a U.S. Figure Skating collegiate skating ambassador.

With the 2026 Winter Olympics having started on Friday, including the ever-popular figure skating competition, members from the Ohio State Figure Skating Club explained how to watch the sport and what to look for during the highly anticipated lineup of events.

There are two main routines in any figure skating competition: the short program and the long program.

The short program, which comes first, requires three jumps, three spins and a footwork sequence. The long program requires seven jumps, three spins, a choreographic sequence and a footwork sequence.

DiNatale described the short program as a sprint, compared to the marathon style of the long program.

“You can’t win in the short program, but you can lose in the short program,” DiNatale’s former Olympian coach, Gracie Gold, used to tell him.

While both programs contribute greatly to a skater’s final score, the short program sets the tone for a skater’s chances to medal in a competition.

“It’s a really high-stakes program,”

Zachary Fogt, president of OSUFSC and a third-year in economics, said.

“If you make one mistake on one of those three jumps, it can really sink your program, whereas in the long program there’s a lot more margin for error.”

In Olympic figure skating under the International Judging System, the technical element score and the program compo nent score make up an

ponent scores.

Spins have base values that range from one to four. Each variation of a spin consists of a different level.

overall program score. The former relies on how well a skater executes their jumps, spins and step sequences. The latter focuses on skating quality.

Figure skating tends to be a balance of artistry and technicality.

“Ideally, every skater would have both,” Fogt said. “It’s best to prioritize the one you’re better at.”

Choosing which element to perform in which program is up to the skater’s discretion. Knowing which elements maximize both skill and comfort level contributes to both technical and com-

The more difficult and precise spins are, as deemed by judges, the higher the level the spin will receive. A base level is also assigned to each type of jump; the more difficult a jump is, the higher the base value.

Based on how

well a spin and jump are executed, judges assign a Grade of Execution value. Skaters can get up to plus five or minus five, with a guaranteed minus five if a skater falls on the jump.

Every detail of each element counts–skaters must be precise and expressive.

“There are certain things in the rulebook the judges supposedly say they look for,” DiNatale said. “A difficult entrance into a jump… flow across the ice, how effortless it looks.”

While figure skating is usually

considered an individual sport, the Olympics call for team structure and strength. Representing women’s figure skating, Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito are all renowned skaters in their respective ways.

Liu, 20, secured her first gold medal of these Olympics on Monday after coming out of retirement, Glenn, who offers an impressive triple axel, also earned herself a gold medal and Levito has earned a world title.

On the men’s side, Ilia Malinin, known as the “Quad God” became the first skater to land a quad axel at the Olympics in a program in which he also performed a backflip and won a gold medal.

A single axel requires one and a half rotations in the air. Multiply that by four, and the quad axel is arguably the most difficult jump in figure skating.

In 2022 he became the first and only figure skater to land a successful quad axel in 2022.

“The axel jump itself is just so hard because it’s the only jump that takes off forward,” DiNatale said. “Your center of gravity is off, and there’s more room for error.”

As other jumps in figure skating have a backward entry, it’s harder for skaters to control the axel with the forward entrance. If a skater’s shoulder drops in the slightest or their arms swing too early, it all affects the result.

“Those things come down to the millisecond [of] decisions that you’re making,” DiNatale said.