MANILA, Philippines - If there is one thing that young filipina figure skater Verniece Bulan Enciso learned from her idol Olympian Michelle Kwan, it’s “how to stand up after falling.”
“I like American figure skater Michelle Kwan because even if she falls she will stand up and smile,” says 14-year-old Verniece, one of the country’s youngest champion figure skaters.
At 14, Verniece has already won 90 gold, 37 silver and 15 bronze medals from various international and national ice skating competitions.
Her recent achievement in the international arena is winning 12 gold medals in the Skate Bandung 2008 held in Bandung, Indonesia last Dec. 12 to 14, where she also received the “Most Medal Skater” award.
From a chubby little girl, Verniece blossomed into a pretty and graceful figure skater.
“My grandfather was the first one to teach me to glide,” Verniece reveals.
At five, her grandfather would bring her to the mall, rent skates and teach her to glide.
“I started skating when I was five years old. My lolo and I were going around the mall and he told me to try it and I loved it,” Verniece says. “He was the first to bring me to the rink.”
Verniece hails from Parañaque City and is currently a Grade 9 student at the Southville International School in Las Piñas City.
She is the middle child of Verne and Mylin, who run a family business.
Mylin says her daughter started formal training in figure skating when she was six years old.
“My father is her inspiration...she tried ice skating because of her lolo. She’s the favorite,” says Mylin.
She adds her daughter used to be chubby and asthmatic. “We did not expect that she will look like that because she used to be so fat,” Mylin says.
Aside from being competitive, Mylin says one of the most important things that her daughter learned from ice skating is to accept defeat.
“She also learned how to focus. Because she knew that if she will not focus she will not win,” the proud mother says.
However, Mylin says her daughter has to sacrifice for the competitions.
“Because of the traning she has to sacrifice many things for ice skating. She could not do things like what a normal teenager does. Like last year, she competed almost the entire year so she had no time to go out with her friends,” she adds.
“That’s how she differs from others because she’s the only athlete in her group…so in her group she’s the abnormal one,” Mylin says.
But Verniece easily manages to make time for studies and training because of the full support of the family.
“Aside from me, her two siblings sometimes accompany her during her practice,” Mylin says.
Currently, Verniece is enrolled in a gymnastics class to improve her flexibility.
Verniece became National Champion at the age of 10, having won the Novice Ladies Division in the 2005 Philippine National Figure Skating Championships.
In 2006, she was crowned “Miss Barbie Ice Princess,” and also appeared as the infomercial model of ice skating in The Filipino Channel’s “Bravura.”
She was also the Grand Champion of QTV Channel 11’s “Stars on Ice” with her partner actor Victor Basa.
She was also awarded “Most Promising Skater” in the recent Skate Manila.
Verniece also won gold medals in Skate Asia 2001 in Hong Kong, Skate Asia 2002 in Bangkok, Thailand, Skate Singapore 2004, Skate Asia 2006 in Shenzhen, China, and Skate Asia 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
She is the current poster model of SM Ice Skating Rinks.
Verniece says she wants to get to a higher level and join more competitions outside the country.
“I only compete in Asian countries, but this April I might join the world ice skating competition,” she says.
Amid the present global economic crisis, Verniece urges Filipinos “to look at the brighter side” of life, such as the achievements of children in international sports.
“There is still hope for the country…I think we should look at the brighter side so we can relax,” Verniece says.
Apart from figure skating, Verniece says she wants to take up advertising or mass communications in college.