Fil-Am skater a music buff

Hip-hop artist Macklemore was in Manila recently for a concert with Ryan Lewis and it’s not widely known that he inspired Fil-Am speed skater J. R. (for John Robert) Celski to stay determined in recovering from a tragic injury five months before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Celski, 23, had qualified to represent the US in the 1,000 and 1,500-meter events and went out to add the 500-meter slot when disaster struck in the semifinals of the eliminations at the trials in Marquette, Michigan. The skate blade on his right foot sliced through his left quadriceps and opened a six-inch deep wound, severing the muscle completely. The cut barely missed puncturing a main artery as Celski recalled that “blood was going everywhere … I didn’t think I was going to live for a second, much less make it to the Olympics.”

With his leg spewing crimson, Celski was rushed to the hospital where doctors sewed up the gash with 60 stitches. He underwent 2 1/2 months of critical rehabilitation under Dr. Bill Moreau at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and was miraculously declared fit to compete in Vancouver.

In the magazine “Guitar Aficionado,” Celski said Macklemore’s music was part of his therapy. “He has a song called ‘Otherside’ that he wrote about overcoming addiction and going through rehab,” said Celski, quoted in the magazine. “I really connected with that when I was dealing with my injury. It’s this idea of, here is a big obstacle, and the only way I’m going to get through it is to stay positive and do what I need to do to execute.”

Celski recovered to claim two bronze medals in Vancouver as a rookie Olympian – he would’ve made his Olympic debut in 2006 but was 17 days short of the minimum age to participate. The medals came in the 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter relay events. Celski eventually got together with Macklemore and served as executive producer of the documentary film “The Otherside,” which is about the Pacific Northwest’s underground hip-hop scene. “Guitar Aficionado” said the project was a labor of love for Celski who grew up near Seattle where Macklemore is based.

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Celski, whose mother Sue is Filipina, is a huge music buff. His favorite bands include Nirvana and Pearl Jam. He even performed in bands during his high school years but while finding solace in music, knew sports was his true calling. At home, Celski likes to relax with his Ibanez acoustic-electric guitar which he said “puts me in a different zone from skating.” Celski added, “Maybe, in the future, I can be a music producer for the Olympics or something like that, you never know.”

Celski dropped out of the University of California at Berkeley to concentrate on speed skating. He’s reaped the benefits of a full-time devotion to the sport. In three World Championships since 2009, Celski has picked up three gold, four silver and four bronze medals. At the recent Sochi Olympics, Celski took home a silver in the 5,000-meter relay.

Celski was touted to be a major winner in Sochi and showed up holding the 500-meter world record. But he wasn’t his usual self for some reason. “It just wasn’t my time,” he said, shrugging off the poor finish. “It happens, you just can’t always be good.” Celski finished fourth in the 1,500-meter skate, crashed out of the 1,000-meter quarterfinals after tripping on a block and didn’t make it out of the 500-meter semifinals. His consolation was a silver in the 5,000-meter relay. Stealing center stage in speed skating was Victor An, Russia’s naturalized competitor from South Korea. An, 28, received the Order for Merit to the Fatherland Award from Russian President Vladimir Putin after bagging golds in the 500-meter, 1,000-meter and 5,000-meter relay events.

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As for Celski, he’ll bounce back in a big way and might just draw inspiration from Macklemore again.

One of four children, Celski is proud of his Filipino and Polish roots. On his upper left chest is a huge tattoo with the Polish coat of arms in the middle of a sun with eight rays representing the eight centers that instigated the revolution against Spanish colonization in 1896 – Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna and Batangas. Also tattooed are three stars around the sun for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. His father Robert is a US Army veteran of Polish descent. A brother David is a US Army captain.

The world of skating hasn’t seen the last of Celski. With music as his calming influence and his Filipino-Polish roots as a source of pride, Celski will skate to greater heights at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, for sure – it’s destiny written in the stars and the sun on his chest.