The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Philippines has a good chance of winning medals in ice hockey and figure skating in the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
The two sports will be introduced in the biennial tournament slated to be held Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 19-31.
The 23-member ice hockey team bagged the bronze medal in Division II at the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan last month. Figure skater Michael Christian Martinez, a veteran of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, placed seventh while his teammates Jules Alpe, Shayanne Casapao and Samantha Cabiles, and speed skater Kathryn Magno also performed well despite being first-timers in the Asian Winter Games.
“I can say that we have a good chance in the Malaysia SEA Games considering the bronze medal performance of our ice hockey team and our figure skaters are also talented,” said Tom Carrasco, head of the SEA Games Task Force, during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel in Pasay City.
Casapao, Cabiles and Magno, all based in the United States, were honored to represent the Philippines in the Sapporo Asian Winter Games.
“I’m extremely excited, and truly honored to have the opportunity to participate in the sport that I love for the Philippines,” said the 18-year-old Casapao, whose parents migrated to the US when they were teenagers.
When asked how she prepared for the Sappporo Games, Casapao replied, “My preparation consisted of on-ice and off-ice training six days a week. Running my programs and practicing my jumps and spins on the ice. Off the ice, I train at the gym one to two hours daily, working on total body strength and conditioning.” She trained at the Pickwick Ice rink in Burbank, California with her coach Darin Matthewson.
Cabiles was born and raised in Lanai, Hawaii until she was nine years old. She moved to Michigan and started to skate at the age of 12.
“It’s an incredible opportunity to be able to represent my country internationally, especially in Japan at the Asian Winter Games,” said the 20-year-old Cabiles, a consistent honor student. She won silver at the RIG Reykjavik International Games in Iceland and Summer Skate in Canada in 2015, and a bronze medal at the Triglav tournament in Slovenia in 2014. She also enjoys photography, fashion blogging, trampoline, tennis and swimming.
Magno was born in San Jose, California. Her mother is from Quirino, Isabela while her father is from Subic Bay, Olongapo. PNA