Sparkle’s very own Skye Chua braces for a challenging yet fun experience when she braves the 2025 FISU Winter World University Games in Italy. In a conversation with GMA Regional TV News, the lone Filipino bet bares her envisioned state of mind during the games, the goal of qualifying to the Top 24, and her top takeaways from what she considers a very tough prep.
TOURNAMENT PREPARATION
Days before flying to Turin, Italy, GMA RTV News had the chance to talk with Skye in detail, where she talked about her training schemes and preparation style, something she said was “intensified” specifically for this competition.
“I would say 10!” the 21-year-old UP Diliman student quipped when asked to rate the difficulty of her training, “[it was] really a big prep for this competition and I hope mag-pay off naman.”
“It’s 10 kasi mas inintensify ko talaga yung training,” she added, sharing that even if most of her regimen were fundamentals such as on-ice training and strength-and-conditioning (S&C) drills–something she’s repeatedly done over the course of her career– the intensity of each execution definitely ramped up.
“Yung S&C part, mas intense. I added more weights, more reps. I also added more exercises that will help me… like other workouts that’ll help such as pilates. They really help,” she explained.
Skye trained thrice a week, with every early morning to 10 a.m. dedicated to team training. As a result, she made sure to adjust her class schedules accordingly in order to fit her training.
“Pag may taping naman or anything with Sparkle, pag hindi kaya ire-schedule, sometimes I miss school but nagpapaalam naman ako. As long as valid excuse and may proof, they [university] allow naman,” the Sports Science major added.
TRAINING CAMP TAKEAWAYS
Skye’s three major takeaways that she’s bringing with her to the Italy tilt: consistency, discipline, and a relaxed mind.
“First is consistency. I’ve been consistent with my preparation. Second is discipline. With school, Sparkle, and training– ang dami kong jinuggle, so I guess being disciplined with myself and my schedule were very important,” she noted.
The “Hearts On Ice” star also wants to have a clear and relaxed mind as she contends with the best of the best figure skaters in the world.
“Lastly, a relaxed mind. Pag nag-take over na yung mind natin sa kaka-overthink, or being anxious with stuff we should not worry about, affected kasi yung performance,” she said.
FIGURE SKATING AS AN ART FORM
Briefly describing her sport, Skye compared the discipline of figure skating to the craft of acting.
As a Sparkle actress herself, she sees an important similarity between the two art forms: both are performance-based that people watch to connect and be entertained.
“Figure skating is an art form talaga… Pinaka-similar yung performance aspect– how we connect to an audience, and how to put a program together,” she detailed.
“I skate because I like performing. I like the challenge of it. It is a mix of technicals and elements such as spins and jumps, but at the same time may factor yung grace ng performance,” the Philippine national team athlete added.
As the only competitor donning the national uniform at the 32nd Winter Universiade in Italy, Skye definitely feels the gravitas of her participation.
“Medyo under pressure because I’m the only one sent to represent the country and my university, but very grateful kasi ako yung pinadala,” Skye said, “but I want to stay calm, I want to enjoy the moment, stay in the moment, and do my personal best.”
The 2025 FISU World University Games is the 32nd edition of the competition, organized by the International University Sports Federation and is staged every two years.
Formerly called the Universiade, it is one of the most watched multi-sport competitions for student-athletes. The 2025 games will host 11 sports in 11 days of competition between January 13 and 23.
