This Olympic figure skater loves Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Guts,’ too

Madeline Schizas of Canada skates her free program during the Skate Canada International ISU Grand Prix of figure skating at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver on October 28, 2023 | Photo by Geoff Robins/AFP

Four months after its release, people still seem to be guilty of blasting Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts” in their bedrooms. The Gen Z singer-songwriter has managed to fight against the sophomore slump, as her second full-length record reigned the charts, and was even hailed as the “critics’ favorite album of 2023” by BBC.

From pop punk lovers to twentysomethings wanting to be teenage girls, there’s definitely a long list of “Guts” listeners. One of them, actually, is an Olympian and two-time national champion.

In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, Canadian figure skater Madeline Schizas talked about her blossoming career, life outside the rink, and everything in between.

In meeting with co-athletes and collaborators, she often goes on long drives. As someone being from Milton, Ontario, it would take an hour of travel to get to retired ice dance champion Scott Moir and his team; then, 40 minutes to reach coaches Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs. Music keeps her occupied on the way, then podcasts on her trip back.

Among her go-to podcasts are The New York Times’ “The Daily.” She said in the article, “A lot and a lot of the news ones, too; a couple in French.”

As for the music she listens to, this is where the 20-year-old pop star’s name appears. “I have been listening to Olivia Rodrigo’s new album; that’s been fuelling my drives,” the athlete, who’s also 20, revealed. It looks like many people have been maximizing the young artist’s discography as driving music.

It’s quite interesting to recall, too, that Rodrigo’s first massive break involves long drives—cue her hit debut single “Drivers License.” From then forward, this theme of seemingly pensive—and cathartic—drives would occupy a few more releases, such as the music video of “Deja Vu” and her 2022 documentary film, “Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home to U.”

In other news about the “Vampire” singer, Rodrigo’s fans have been theorizing about her latest post involving the number “5.” Is a music video of “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” (track five off “Guts”) on the way, or is this just a case of overthinking on Instagram?