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April 20, 2014
By Nicholo Jallores
Photos by Irvin Rivera
Audacious.
That is the word that comes to mind when one thinks of Michael Christian Martinez. Other adjectives also come to fore – brave, daring, determined – but what truly sets him apart is his iron-clad audacity in the face of what seem to be insurmountable odds atop insurmountable odds. Taking into account that Michael hails from a tropical country that turns into a humid inferno every summer, you would think that he would have a snowflake’s chance in hell of performing well in any figure skating competition of international caliber. But with his topnotch performance in the Winter Olympics, and his victory in the recently held Triglav Trophy International Figure Skating Competition in Slovenia, Michael continues to display a natural strength of character that transcends limitations, exceeds expectations, and serenely glides against all odds. Michael Christian Martinez is audacious, and through his example, we realize that perhaps, we can be audacious too.
Illustrado recently sat down with Michael Christian during his photo shoot in LA to catch up on his training and discuss his plans to dominate the 2018 Winter Olympics. Snowflake, he is most definitely not. This young man has nerves of steel and the fortitude of pure titanium. He is a trailblazer on ice.
When did you decide to pursue figure skating and what made you decide to do it?
I saw the ice rink in a shopping mall when I was 8 and a half years old. The skaters were doing jumps & spins and I was fascinated by it. I asked my mom if I can try it and she immediately approved. After my first session, I fell in love with the sport, and so I took formal lessons.
After a few months, in November 2005, I joined a competition in Singapore as a lower-level skater, and I won gold medals there. After that competition, where I defeated several foreign skaters, I realized I can be a very good figure skater, thus I decided to continue and pursue competitive skating.
What were your parents’ first reactions when you let them know that you wanted to pursue figure skating?
My mother agreed when I asked her to support me to be a competitive skater. I was born asthmatic and sickly, and was always in the hospital. When I was younger, I couldn’t do outdoor sports like basketball and swimming as I would easily get asthma attacks even though I was already on an asthma maintenance medicine. In skating however, I have less asthma attacks, so my mother agreed to support me. She said then that it’s better that she spends her money in skating than in the hospital.
Her only concern that time is whether I am serious in the sport, and I told her then that I want to compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Thus I promised her that I will train hard to qualify in the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games and in the 2014 Winter Olympics. And I did it! I’m the first figure skater from Southeast Asia who qualified and competed in both the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games and the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Was there ever a time when you wanted to just to give up on figure skating?
No. I really love this sport. Even though I’ve had so many injuries, even though there are times when my body is just too weak to skate, I still want to continue because of my Olympic dream.
What was going through your mind before your first performance in Sochi?
I was very nervous because I had to make it in the Top 24 to qualify in the final round and I knew it was very difficult since I was competing against veteran skaters, while my training was incomplete. I was the youngest in the Men’s Division, and the whole world was watching, so I was really anxious! To calm my nerves, I prayed to God and I told myself that I should give a good performance to be able to qualify in the final round, to make my family and my countrymen proud.
Filipinos all over the world are proud of you and are already proclaiming you as a hero. Was giving pride to the Filipinos a motivation for you?
Yes! I was motivated to reach the Olympics so I can bring honor and glory to the country and to our kababayans. Their continuous support inspires me to try to earn the first Olympic medal in figure skating in the 2018 Winter Olympics. If given the needed financial support, I will work doubly harder so that I can qualify and compete again in the next Winter Olympics.
If you could not be a figure skater, what other career would you pursue?
When I was younger, I wanted to be a singer and dancer. I was enrolled then in several voice & dance lessons, but I stopped taking voice & dance lessons when I started skating. I also want to be a sports medicine doctor.
We know you as the Filipino figure skater who beat immense odds on his road towards the Winter Olympics. But in your own words, who is Michael Christian Martinez? What does he represent, and what can we learn from him?
I am an ordinary kid who loves to sing, dance, draw and make origami. I was born asthmatic. I literally grew up in the hospital and I still have asthma until now. But my sickness doesn’t deter me from pursuing my Olympic dream – in a sport that is not even common in a tropical country like the Philippines.
I am truly honored that people consider me as a role model. I think my success in being able to qualify in the final round in Sochi provided an inspiration to our kababayans, especially the Filipino youth. I was able to prove that anyone can achieve extraordinary feats if they put their heart into it.
My motto is “dream high & work hard.” I believe that nothing is impossible – that for as long as you exert your best effort into what you want to become, you will succeed.
What are your plans for the 2018 Olympics?
I will work hard to win a medal in the 2018 Winter Olympics. But to be able to do that, I need financial help to be able to continuously train in the U.S. so that I can learn and perfect the quadruple jumps which are needed to be a world-class elite skater.
What is your message for all your fans and supporters?
Thank you very much for your continuous support and prayers. Your overwhelming support inspired me, and made me survive the most prestigious & most difficult competition of my life: the Olympics. I can’t thank you enough!
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Help Michael Christian Get to the 2018 Olympics!
Michael Christian has the skill, dedication, and integrity to make it all the way to the 2018 Olympics – but as determined and focused as our champion is, he cannot accomplish this massive undertaking alone. Figure skating is a grueling, demanding, and expensive sport, and our champion needs all the support that he can get.
We discussed the challenges of figure skating with Michael Christian’s equally admirable mother, Maria Teresa Martinez. Top on her list of difficulties are the financial demands of the sport. “We always lacked funding. That is why Michael’s training in the U.S. is often incomplete and sporadic,” says Maria Teresa. “The U.S. training is very expensive. The coaches charge $100 to $150 an hour, and the use of the ice-rink and ice time fee is between $10 to $16 an hour. There is no professional-level ice rink in the Philippines since the rinks in the malls are intended for public use. There aren’t any local coaches who are knowledgeable in high-level training, thus Michael was forced to go to the U.S. to train.”
Maria Teresa goes to profess that they have received very little support from the government to help fund Michael’s training. Michael has been reaping numerous awards and accolades since he started representing the Philippines in international competitions in 2009, but has not received any benefits or incentives from the government, as is his right, under the Republic Act 9064.
Figure skating is also notorious for being a sport that is highly prone to injuries. Maria Teresa recounts, “In 2009,Michael injured himself with his skating blade. It cut through his thigh. Then he also had 2 torn ligaments in his ankle in 2011. He suffered a torn ligament in his knee in 2012 and in 2013 he had a fractured ankle and neck whiplash . Then there’s the regular injuries like sprain or strain in the ankle, knee, shoulders, back, arm, hips and also bumps, cuts and bruises. It’s quite a dangerous sport!”
Maria Teresa revealed that despite having the best wishes of the entire Filipino nation, there is still no confirmed source of funding for Michael’s training – a truly dire prospect, as Michael clearly has a bright future in figure skating. “If we do not receive enough financial support for his training, then Michael will be forced to stop skating. We can no longer afford to support him for another 4 years.”
Michael Christian Martinez is more than just an athlete – he is a source of great pride and inspiration for many Filipinos. By following his dreams, he has inspired all of us to follow ours. Let’s help our champ get to the 2018 Olympics!
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The financial problems of Michael Christian Martinez for the 2018 Olympic training will easily be solved by the people in the Philippines and some Filipino people who are everywhere in the world. Why don’t we set up an institution where people can send money for donation intended only for his needed training and necessities while he is in US, or anywhere he chooses for training. Not only for Filipinos but any person who wishes to contributed are also welcome. I am talking about a legitimate, legal place who would accept any donations for Michael, an entity who is prestigious, honest, (not a scam) good sponsors who really care about this athlete’s welfare. Someone who will legally handle expenses with integrity, and honesty. They should be the only one allowed to release payments for his training, and no one else. Then the expenses must be all reported to informed the people how their money was spent. A monetary fund, not even his mother can touch, only the institution can release the fund when it’s needed. If this suggestion helps, then make an announcement via media where, how and when anyone can send a donation. I thinks this is the only way Michael Christian Martinez can win this battle. Make a statement that any amount for contribution is accepted, via check, money order, money gram, money transfer, etc, etc. etc. Please no Scam though, it will defeat the purpose of helping Michael who is desperately in need of our help. Thank you. Please make this possible, I will standby myself, and perhaps even the first one to send contribution once I find out the legal place to send money, and of course verify that it is not a scam.