PH figure skating star: No
rest for the weary
By DAVID CASUCO
MANILA – Surely, there seems to be
no rest for the weary. After his stint at the Sochi, Winter Olympics where he captivated
the world with his awe-inspiring performance, Filipino figure skating star
Michael Christian Martinez returned home February 23 to face a dizzying maze of
activity as his countrymen couldn’t seem to have enough of him.
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| Martinez's first interview with this writer on Nov. 11, 2011 |
“It has been like this since we
arrived,” said Teresa during the meet and greet event at the South Mall in Las
Pinas, a suburbia 21 kilometers south of Manila. SM South Mall is the place
where Martinez got introduced to the sport when he was eight years old.
The activity center of the mall was
filled to the rafters a few hours before Martinez arrived for the late
afternoon event. At 4:25 p.m. ear-splitting shrieks, and screams were heard
heralding Martinez’s arrival. Surrounded by a coterie of mall security
officers, the young athlete, garb in his Olympic training pants and a black
sports jacket with a large SM emblem, took his place onstage and started waving
to the crowd who reacted with a thunderous roar each time.
A quick presentation was held,
recognizing Martinez as an SM Supermalls Global Pinoy honorary member. The
presentation was done by Glenn Ang, VP-Operations Manager; and Babyruth
Chuaunsu, AVP for operations.
“Thank you for your love and
support,” said Martinez. Getting magnanimous now, the quick-smiling lad told
the crowd not to forget other PH Olympians who also bring honor to the country.
“Mabuhay ang mga Pilipino! Mabuhay ang mga athletes!” he said. And responding
to question how he can help his fellow Filipinos, Martinez told the adoring
crowd: “I will come back here to teach you guys.”
A select group of teens and young
children were allowed to come onstage to have a picture taken with Martinez.
The members of the media that came did not have a chance to field their
questions.
This writer got hold of Teresa,
Michael’s de-facto coach, but our interview was drowned by the din of the crowd
who had gone onstage and was ready to mob their sports hero.
Teresa said that his son is going
back to California to start training for his next important competition. Last
year, inadequate training regardless, Martinez came in fifth in the World Junior
Skating Championships in Milan, Italy.
Asked by this writer to give a
heads up on his chances in Sofia, Bulgaria now that training expenses is no
longer an issue, Martinez said that his Russian coach, Victor Kurdryatsev, has
taken a “no-go stance” because his body would not be ready by then.
“We are not sure about the Bulgaria
junior worlds anymore. His coach has advised Michael not to do it because he
won’t have time to prepare,” said Martinez’s mother. “With barely one week
left, his (Michael’s) body won’t have time to rest and recover from the
frenetic activities in Manila. Crossing time zones is another problem that
could pull back his preparedness.”
After the Olympics, Martinez was
flooded with pledges of support from the public and private sectors. Whether or
not those pledges eventually turn into gold is yet to be seen.
Martinez, 17, is qualified to
compete in both the junior and men’s divisions. In the juniors, he is ranked
5th; in the men’s he is 30th in the world. That ranking though is going to move
up after his 19th place finish in the Olympics.
Earlier, in the day Martinez was cheered
by his legions of fans during a motorcade around the City of Muntinlupa, his
hometown, where he was honored with some cash incentives.
Tomorrow, Feb. 25, Martinez will do
another meet and greet event at the EDSA Megamall where he will do a skating
presentation. He leaves for California on the 27th to resume his training.
(David Casuco writes sports and spirituality for
examiner.com and Mabuhay News Service. He obtained his journalism degree from
the University of Santo Tomas and took expanded theological studies at the
Angelus Bible Institute in Los Angeles.)
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