Freezing conditions in Changchun

An intrepid Philippine figure skating team made up of two males and three females is braving ice-cold conditions at the sixth Asian Winter Games in Changchun, China. The temperature has dropped to below -18 degrees Celsius but skaters from 45 countries in the region are coping admirably with the situation.

It’s the first time the Philippines is participating in the Asian Winter Games, inaugurated in Sapporo in 1986. Philippine Skating Union (PSU) president and SM Mall of Asia vice president for operations Ric Camaligan said PSU’s recent recognition as a national federation by the Lausanne-based International Skating Union (ISU) paved the way for the country’s debut in the quadrennial event.

The week-long Changchun Games end this Sunday.

Camaligan explained there are two types of jousts in figure skating — recreational through the Ice Skating Institute (ISI) and competitive through the ISU. The Philippines has participated and won in several ISI meets in the past.

To be recognized by the ISU, there must be an Olympic ice rink — measuring at least 180 by 60 meters — in the country applying for affiliation. Last year, the Mall of Asia opened its rink which is slightly bigger than Olympic standards at 181 by 60. SM has two other rinks, a 20 by 40 facility built in Megamall in 1992 at a cost of P40 Million and a 15 by 20 space finished in Southmall in 1995 at a little over P40 Million. The budget for the Mall of Asia rink was reportedly over P100 Million.

Camaligan noted that the Zamboni resurfacing "truck" often seen at the Mall of Asia driven on the rink to smooth the ice with a blade was designed by a Filipino in the late 1940s. The truck is a necessary fixture in maintaining a rink. It flushes dirt from the surface and a towel spreads ice-making warm water after shavings and debris are collected in a bin. The tractor-like motorized machine has a price range of $10,000 to $150,000 depending on the capacity.

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Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam are among the Southeast Asian (SEA) countries without an Olympic rink so they’re not eligible to compete in the Asian Winter Games. Aside from the Philippines, other SEA countries with Olympic rinks are Thailand and Malaysia.

Camaligan, an engineer, said a month ago, he invited the First Family to skate at the Mall of Asia rink. President Arroyo, the First Gentleman and four grandchildren showed up one Sunday to skate for about two hours. Since then, Attorney Mike has been a frequent skater with his grandchildren.

Camaligan said when the PSU was accredited by the ISU, he immediately informed the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and spread the word that the country was in search of competitive skaters for the Changchun meet. 

Five skaters, including two Fil-Ams, answered the call. They were Michael Novales, 21, Jerico Lim, 21, Gracielle Jeanne Tan, 18, Anne Clarisse Roman, 16 and Ramina Palaca, 17.

Camaligan said he’s hoping figure skaters will be able to represent the Philippines at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. He’s also thinking of finding competitive athletes to compete in two other events — ice hockey and short-track speed skating.

Camaligan, a member of the appeals committee of the Movie and TV Review and Classification Board, is in charge of the ice skating, bowling and cinema facilities at the Mall of Asia. He has worked 21 years for the SM Group and is credited for injecting a sports dimension to the malls through bowling and ice skating.

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The Fil-Ams in the delegation, Novales and Tan, were born in the Philippines and have lived the last five years in the US. Last year, Novales placed 14th at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and saw action at the World Championships in Calgary. He won a gold medal at the US collegiate championships in the junior level two years ago. Tan has participated in ISU junior Grand Prix competitions in Bulgaria, Japan, Taiwan and Slovenia. Before concentrating on ice skating, she dabbled in modern dance, ballet, gymnastics and taekwondo.

Lim, a University of Santo Tomas graduating student, took the silver at the Philippine Grand Prix Open last year.

He was the country’s No. 1 ranked skater from 2001 to 2003. Roman, a high school senior at Woodrose in Alabang, is the reigning Philippine junior girls champion. Palaca is a perennial winner in ISI competitions.

The winter edition of the Asian Games is a smaller version of the Winter Olympics with 45 nations competing in 10 events. At the fifth Asian Winter Games in Japan, only seven of 29 countries won medals with the host nation garnering almost half.

The next Asian Winter Games will be held in Alma Aty, Kazakhstan, in 2011.