PROFILE: Meet skater Gaby Panlilio, the Philippines' future ice queen

As summer arrives in the Philippines, some kids might choose to hang out at ice skating rinks inside malls to battle the heat. 

 

And even though that may start as a leisure activity, one of those kids might just follow in the footsteps of Olympic figure skater Michael Christian Martinez.

 

That was how national champion Diane Gabrielle Panlilio, more familiarly known in the skating community as Gaby, got her start in the sport.

 

"One summer, I was very bored, nothing to do at home, so I asked my dad if I can do something," said the 11-year-old figure skater. "He told me that figure skating may be a good sport because it's in a cold place."

 

Gaby's family, who resides in Pasig City, went to the nearest skating rink located at the basement of a mall to accompany their youngest child. Little did they know that their excursion will change the life of their daughter, who was then just five years old.

 

"The whole family skated, everyone was falling one after another," said Gaby's father Edler of that first skating session. "She didn't leave the ice after that."

 

Gaby asked to be taken for skating sessions every other day, which led to the family deciding to hire a coach a month later to help her learn the fundamentals properly. It was just a hobby at first, but when her coach noticed her potential, they decided to enter her into a contest.

 

Gaby skated to Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" in her first ever routine in SM's Summer Skate Competition. She was simply having fun, but the result — she bagged first place — validated the talent that her coach saw in her. Furthermore, the taste of victory led her to pursue the sport seriously.

Gaby has since won numerous medals from various national and international competitions. Skating to Goran Bregovic's "Black Cat White Cat" for the short program and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's "Les Miserables Medley" for the free skate, she emerged as the champion for the Basic Novice Level in the Southeast Asian Trophy held in Bangkok, Thailand last December.

 

Her most treasured achievement, however, was winning the silver medal in the Asian Juniors Figure Skating Challenge in Hong Kong last year. She was just 0.58 points behind Li Angel, who hails from skating powerhouse China.

 

According to her coach Dale Feliciano, Gaby's greatest asset is her strong drive to improve herself and her sense of discipline. She practices two to three hours five times a week, attends gymnastic lessons every Sunday, and still manages to be a consistent honor student at St. Paul College.

 

"When I trained her, she was responsible at an early age. I think her character will take her a lot of places," he said.

 

Gaby looks up to Yulia Lipnitskaya, a flexible Russian skater who won the silver medal in the 2014 World Figure Skating Championships. For Feliciano, however, Gaby's style is more similar to retired American figure skater Tara Lipinski, who won the gold medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics.

 

"Nakikita ko si Gaby at her point now na para siyang si Tara Lipinski," he said. "She's more of a technical aspect like the jumps and the spins."

Watching Michael Christian Martinez become the first ever Filipino skater to qualify and compete in the Winter Olympics last year lit a fire in Gaby's heart, inspiring her to dream of also skating on Olympic ice someday.

 

Her family is ready to support her all the way, even though her father admitted that the sport is expensive and costs a significant amount of money.

 

"It was a family decision that we had to make if she's to pursue competitive skating or not because it's no joke," he said, adding that the sport needs more help from the government and the private sector in order to raise successful athletes.

 

Last year, news of Martinez's financial woes raised public awareness about the support needed by the country's figure skaters. 

 

But for Ronan Capili, one of Gaby's assistant coaches, the present generation of skaters still enjoy better circumstances compared to during their time.

 

"Kumbaga sa pageant, para kaming galing sa barangay level na biglang dinala sa Miss Universe nang hindi dumadaan sa Binibining Pilipinas," said Capili, explaining that the country's national championships only started in 2000. Filipino skaters did not have enough competitive experience back in the '90s, putting them at a disadvantage against skaters abroad.

 

Capili said that Martinez' achievement in Sochi, Russia last year was a breakthrough for Philippine figure skating, paving the way for other skaters with Olympic dreams like Gaby. The milestone came 10 years after the Philippine Skating Union became a member of the International Skating Union, and 18 years since the sport was introduced to the country.

 

Feliciano said that if more support comes, grooming another Olympian like Martinez is not a far-fetched dream for the skating community because of lithe body type of Filipinos, which is ideal for the sport. Gaby's father echoed this sentiment, saying that the Philippines has great potential to excel further in figure skating.

 

"We should try to rationalize where does the Filipino become competitive, and make it really good probably up to the Olympics," said the elder Panlilio. "This is one of those sports, very few realize that. Michael has started bringing us to that consciousness level." —JST, GMA News