RP bets vie in Asian Winter Games

The sport of ice skating has become so hot in the Philippines that this tropical country is fielding five entries, led by two Fil-Americans, in the sixth Asian Winter Games set in Changchun, China Jan. 28 -Feb. 4.

Michael Novales, 21, and Gracielle Jeanne Tan, 18, flew in from the US yesterday morning, and, straight from the airport, attended the send-off party for the RP team at the SM Mall of Asia, which features an Olympic-size rink that used to be the biggest in Asia.

The three other skaters who will leave for China tomorrow to carry the RP flag in the Asian Winter Games are Jerico Lim and a pair of 16-year-olds in Anne Clarrise Roman and Ramin Palaca.

Tan, who has a great resemblance to Olympic ice-skating champion Michelle Kwan, is the first Filipina to compete in the World Junior Figure Skating Championship last year. She also joined the ISU Junior Grand Prix legs in Bulgaria and Japan in 2005, and Taiwan and Slovenia in 2006.

"I was offered to represent the Philippines and I said yes. I really wanted to do this," said Tan, who’s based in Anaheim, California where she trains three hours a day, six days a week. Before taking up the sport, she was into modern dance, ballet, gymnastics and taekwondo.

Engineer Ric Camaligan, president of the Philippine Skating Union, said the coming event is the toughest so far for the Filipino ice skaters who have brought honors to the country since they started competing overseas in the early ‘90s.

"But whatever happens in this Asian Winter Games, we will be in for bigger events. Almost 14 years ago, this was just a dream. There’s no stopping us now," said Camaligan who also announced that the Philippines is now a full-time member of the International Skating Union.

The performance of the Filipino ice skaters in China could determine whether or not the Philippines can field entries to the 2110 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

It was in 1992 that the first ice skating rink was set up in the Philippines at SM Megamall. But it was too small that it only measured one-third of an Olympic-size rink. To be part of the ISU, which has 80 member countries, it was required to have an Olympic-size rink.

" Now we have this one at Mall of Asia. Even President Arroyo tried it out three Sundays ago with First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. And her question was "Can we compete in the Winter Olympics?" said Camaligan, who attributed the Filipinos’ artistic qualities to the popularity of the sport in the country.

"And I told the President that we’re getting there," said the PSU head.— Abac Cordero