If you’ve binge-watched Heated Rivalry, seen TikTok edits of Alysa Liu or tuned into the recent US men’s hockey team controversy, then it’s safe to say you’re at least somewhat tapped into the great winter sports revival of 2026. Thanks to the Blade Angels (the US women’s figure skating trio composed of Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabeau Levito), ice skating, in particular, is having a major moment, with some viewers even trying their hand at the sport themselves. Of course, winter sports have always been around, and since this year’s Olympic Games only recently ended, it’s not surprising that we’re more attuned to these stories than ever. For some athletes, however, winter sports are not just a moment in culture, but a lifestyle. That’s certainly the case for 23-year-old Laine Dubin, a Pennsylvania-based figure skater and content creator who’s made a career out of sharing her figure-skating journey online.

Dubin has over half a million followers on TikTok, where she posts a mix of advice videos, snippets of her routines and a behind-the-scenes look at her skating life. As a plus-size skater in a sport with a well-documented weight stigma, Dubin’s videos of her performances, gliding and spinning expertly to tracks like “Love You in the Dark”, have garnered wide attention, with her comments section often filled with viewers saying she’s inspired them to start skating themselves. Through a sport that often literally involves falling flat on your face, Dubin has managed to convince audiences that simply getting started is enough. “You don’t have to be the best at something to enjoy it,” she says. “I think a lot of people are scared that they have to be really good right from the jump, or it just feels very overwhelming to try a new hobby – it just doesn’t have to be that way.”

Dubin grew up very much on the ice, skating in various programs at her local rinks before eventually competing at the collegiate level. Now, as a young adult, she has no plans to slow down. As her lifelong practice of the sport evolves into something she does recreationally, she’s committed to enjoying it just as much. It’s a joy-forward mindset that’s started to gain traction online during the recent Games, when the radical optimism of fellow skater Alysa Liu, in particular, reminded young people that it’s okay to pursue something simply for the love of the game.

Amid the winter sports craze, we caught up with Dubin to chat about her career in skating, going viral online and what advice she has for beginners.

How did you first get into skating?

Laine: I was adopted from China at one, and grew up in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, right outside of Philadelphia. I first saw figure skating back in my old house, when I must have been three years old, during the Olympics. I wanted to do that, but my parents didn’t want to shell out all that money yet, so they tried a little bit of roller skating on me first. I got into figure skating around five or six. I did a public skate with my mom and her coworker, and it was so casual at that age. From there, I just started skating and loved everything. I went to a learn to skate program, got a coach and now we’re here.

You skated all the way through college. How does it fit into your life now, post-graduation?

Laine: It’s really content creation-based. I feel like there is still this ongoing debate about whether figure skating is actually a sport or not. It falls in the same categories, depending on who you’re talking to, as cheer, dance, gymnastics and all the other artistic judgment stuff.

I used to really do it as a sport and tried to build myself up to get to a more national level, but I always knew that I was never gonna get there. So, now that I’m an adult, I’m really just creating content and doing it as a hobby, more for fun than actually training. There are adults right now who are training for Adult Nationals and other competitions like that, but that’s just not where I am yet. I’m not really focusing on technique that much, and it makes people mad online, but I’m just having fun. Skating doesn’t have to look a certain way for you to have fun and for you to be considered a figure skater, especially once you’re an adult and there’s not as much scrutiny as if you were a minor.

How did you get started in content creation?

Laine: I started posting back in 2013 because I wanted to be a YouTuber when it was a really big thing. But I would get so cringed out by the videos I made, so I stopped. Back in 2015 or 2016, I would just post videos for 300 followers on a public Instagram account, around the ‘finsta’ day and age. From 2016 to 2021, I was just clearing out my phone storage and putting videos out online, because I knew social media was always going to be there.

Then, 2021 hit. There was a challenge where you would run on the beach and just be really free and sing the lyrics to ‘Ceilings’ by Lizzy McAlpine. I had someone film me at my school rink doing that, and I think that the mixture of the location – because it was a really nice stadium – and seeing a mid-to-plus-size skater at that time was very jarring for people. I think there was a shock spectacle factor. 

Once that went viral on TikTok, I was like, ‘Oh, I should diversify off of Instagram and maybe just try posting on TikTok,’ which is what I did. People don’t see plus-size people or people with a bigger body in general on the ice, so I realised, ‘Wait, this is a market and [I can speak to people] through just skating,’ and not have to speak directly to a camera like a YouTube video.

On your TikToks, many people comment that it means a lot to them to see plus-size representation in figure skating. What’s it been like to get this sort of reception?

Laine: It means the absolute world to me. I don’t think I’ve actually had a second to really fully process and believe that I am that person. No matter how many DMs I get, I don’t think it’s officially hit me. But I do get a lot of messages saying, ‘Oh my God, I just had my first skating lesson today because of you. I saw what you could do.’

In college, I studied media. So, having that knowledge and seeing just how much of an impact representation for being Asian, Asian-adopted, queer and plus-sized can have, I think really resonates. There aren’t a lot of people who are like me, especially in the media, so being able to be someone that you can constantly see on your For You page is very impactful.

Adults need hobbies and to get outside, especially in the post-pandemic world. I think it’s important to keep curious.

Why do you think so many people resonate with your content?

Laine: Just to see themselves, honestly. I think people go to social media to escape reality and maybe find comfort. There are a lot of people who have told me that when they were young, their parents would say, ‘You’re not good enough to do that’ or ‘You’re too fat to do that.’ When they see that fat person out there on the ice, especially as an adult and not as a nine-year-old prodigy skating child, I think that resonates with a large audience of people.

Winter sports, and figure skating in particular, have been having a moment right now, especially because of athletes like Alysa Liu. What do you make of this current interest in winter sports?

Laine: We always see this during the Olympic cycle, right? There are gonna be those breakout stories, but I don’t think I expected this, the Blade Angels and the women's skating specifically, to hit so intensely. I think Ilona Maher had a huge moment for Paris 2024, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’d be so cool if they did that for skating,’ but skating never gets that much story coverage. Seeing it skyrocket is great. 

As someone who watches skating year-round, I see myself in Alysa; she’s Chinese and I am Chinese-American as well, so I can connect with her on that. And, just to see how carefree she is. I’m also in a spot where I am so carefree and skating for fun, not caring about certain placements and really prioritising mental health. 

What is your pre-competition ritual?

Laine: I think it’s shaking out my legs. My legs get so jello, jiggly and tingly, so I have to keep moving my legs constantly. And taking a lot of deep breaths, closing my eyes and bending my knees.

Nice. What song always pumps you up on the ice?

Laine: Probably ‘Pink Pony Club’ by Chappell Roan.

While most people give up recreational activities after college, you’ve kept skating into adulthood. Why do you think that it’s important to pursue what you love, even as an adult?

Laine: I listen to a lot of self-help or reflective podcasts. Even the expert ones always say you need to have a little bit of whimsy, a little bit of healing your inner child. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. And what else are you gonna do? Just work?

Adults need hobbies and to get outside, especially in the post-pandemic world. I think it’s important to keep curious. You miss 100 per cent of the shots you don't take. I think going into things with an open mind and not being afraid of rejection is key. Putting yourself out there and just trying – going to one meeting or one activity – you never know what that could bring. You just have to start.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who wants to start skating, or just start something new in general?

Laine: I would say the first thing that comes to my head: just go for it. Again, you just never know what’s gonna come. You are in charge of your own life, and you can either live in misery or you can live in a fun, whimsical world where you’re doing what you love and being successful at it.