Filipino roller skiers bagged two silver medals and four bronze medals in this year’s Thailand National Rollerski Championship in Chiang Mai City.
The teenage athletes from San Guillermo, Morong, Rizal went head tohead with skiers all around the globe for the rollerski championship, calling the experience a very teachable moment.
“We were all surprised by our performance. The competition was a big help because we became aware of things we needed to improve and we developed a standard performance which will be the basis for more developments in future competitions,” The team’s head coach Carl Nicole Nery said in an interview.
Fifteen-year-old Paul Mckhenzie Medina Orca bagged two silver medals and a bronze medal in the 12,000-meter mass start, 3,000m meter team relay, and the 12,000-meter interval start respectively.
His teammate Menard James Francisco received two bronze medals for the 800-meter sprint classic and 3,000-meter mixed team relay, while twelve-year-old Dimitri Santiago also scored a bronze medal in the latter competition.
“I would not allow myself to return home without a medal, especially because of the people who supported my dream,” Francisco said.
Orca and Santiago also attributed their victory in the games to their family and friends who endlessly supported them.
Assistant Head Coach Lennard Polintan called on government officials to promote the roller ski sport more in mainstream sports.
“I’m hoping two to three years from now, rollerski in the Philippines will grow with the help of the government and eventually be recognized
not by local government units but also by the national government and any sports commission, in producing more passionate athletes we can
bring to a different country to compete and show how Filipino athletes good at this sports,” he said.
The Philippine Ski and Snowboard Federation (PSSF) showed their support for the Morong-based team in and out of the competition arena.
“Our dedicated team puts in countless hours of training every weekend and attends club training camps to enhance our skills. When we
received the invitation to represent Philippine Ski & Snowboard Federation in the 2023 Thailand National Rollerski Championships
Thailand, we saw it as an opportunity to learn and gain valuable experience in competition. However, we were taken by complete surprise
when we found ourselves standing on the podium,” a post written on their Facebook page reads.
Nery and Polintan called the experience a teachable moment, especially in terms of discipline, strategy improvement, and the sports system.
“We learned so much in terms of management and play. The locals even encouraged us to organize events like these,” Nery said.
The Morong Nordic RollerSki announced that the PSSF is due to open more clubs around the country which will be open for all, encouraging
the youth to join and participate in the sport of roller skiing.
