Martinez eyes stint in world figure skating

MANILA, Philippines - Winter Olympic veteran Michael Martinez is in Beijing training under Russian coach/choreographer Nikolai Morozov while undergoing therapy for a bruised right hip and right ankle with the outlook of competing at the World Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai on March 23-29 now a possibility.

SM sports development director C. J. Suarez said the other day Martinez has submitted his entry form to the Shanghai organizers for the short program. The top 24 finishers in the short program will advance to the freeskate which is equivalent to the final round.

Martinez’ mother Teresa, who is also in Beijing, said a decision on whether or not to compete will be made in the middle of next week. “We’re hoping his condition further improves so he can compete at the World Championships,” she said in an e-mail.

Morozov’s presence is a clear indication that Martinez hopes to participate. Morozov, 39, was an ice dancer before retiring in 1998 to concentrate on coaching. He took Shizuka Arakawa to the 2006 Olympic gold medal and Miki Ando to two world titles. Martinez’ mother said Morozov, who is based in New Jersey, prepared two programs for the Filipino to master. The usual rate for a choreographer of Morozov’ caliber is $5,000 for a three-minute program and $10,000 to $15,000 for a 4 1/2 minute program.

Suarez, the 2003 World Cup of Bowling champion, said he’s closely monitoring Martinez’ progress as the brand ambassador for SM skating. Last July, Martinez signed a four-year contract extension with SM which has provided a budget for his competitions, training and medical expenses.

Martinez’ mother said beyond what SM pays for, she relies on assistance from other sources like the Fil-Am community, PSC, POC, Philippine Skating Union and MVP Sports Foundation. Martinez and his mother live in a rented room in an Anaheim bungalow from where they travel to practice in four different rinks with coaches John Nicks and Ilya Kulik.

“Figure skating is a very expensive sport,” said Martinez’ mother. “Coach John charges $150 an hour and coach Ilya $200 a day for two hours. We used to borrow a car from a Filipino coach, Ted Domingo, to go to practice until we decided to buy our own car on instalment. We pay $550 a month to stay in one bedroom in a house where three other rooms are being rented.  Michael and I alternate sleeping in the room because we’re not allowed to share. When Michael sleeps in the room, I sleep in a sofa in the living room. There are two-bedroom apartments available for rent at $1,700 to $1,900 a month but we’d rather use the money for other expenses. The estimate is we spend $10,000 for every competition Michael joins. In a season, he could compete in as many as 10 meets.”

Martinez’ mother said it would be a boost if the PSC could give her son the usual allowance for an elite Filipino athlete. “The PSC wants to help but unless there is an endorsement from the Philippine Skating Union to include Michael in the payroll, he isn’t eligible to receive an allowance,” she said. “We’ve written Malacanang for assistance but we were referred back to the PSC. Michael has been representing the country since 2009 and isn’t considered an elite national athlete. The Fil-Am community has supported us and we’re grateful to benefactors like Ms. Loida Lewis.”

Martinez, 18, has finished high school but isn’t enrolled at the moment to focus on figure skating. He’s approaching his prime and his goal is to bag a medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.  Eventually, Martinez hopes to take up courses in sports medicine, physical education and therapy. He’s also interested in film and photography.

Martinez’ mother said she’s still awaiting reimbursement for the plane tickets to fly to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, last year. “Perhaps, some people think that with Michael’s SM contract, we’ve got enough money to move on,” she said. “The SM contract provides only for competitions, training and medical expenses. We’re on our own for other expenses. Every cent counts. We’re still hoping that someday, we’ll be reimbursed for our two plane tickets to Sochi. I’m reminded of another instance where in 2012, Michael won a competition in Romania as a 15-year-old and was promised a prize of 1,000 Euros. Unfortunately, we were never paid by the organizers.”

Martinez and his mother flew in from Anaheim last month to attend the PSA Awards Night. Martinez suffered a bad fall at practice a few weeks before and underwent rehab in Manila. He left for Beijing with his mother last March 1. If Martinez is cleared to compete, he will move to Shanghai a day before the competition begins. The World Championships will be held at the 17,923-seat Crown Indoor Stadium of the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai.

As of the latest reports, there are 37 countries represented in the men, women, pairs and ice dancing events at the World Championships. In the men’s division, Martinez is listed among 30 competitors including defending champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. In the women’s division, the Philippines is represented by 17-year-old, Swiss-born Alisson Krystle Perticheto. Early this year, Perticheto claimed the silver medal in women’s singles at the Skate Helena competition in Belgrade.

Of the 37 countries at the World Championships, seven are from Asia – China, Hong Kong, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Philippines and Uzbekistan. Russia has the largest delegation of 17 skaters with the US and Canada next at 16 each.