By Brian Yalung
Filipina skater Skye Patenia got a reprieve after failing to fly to Courchevel, France this month to compete in the junior women’s category of the International Skating Union (ISU) Junior Grand Prix event scheduled for Aug. 18 to 21.
According to Philippine Skating Union (PHSU) national team head coach Abraham Domdom, they failed to book a flight to and from France for Patenia and her entourage due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) enforced in the country.
The PHSU relayed this to the ISU and the organization allowed her to instead compete at the Linz, Austria leg set for Oct. 6 to 9.
However, the 18-year-old figure skater managed to fly out of the country and head to the United States for training before the ECQ was enforced. She is now busy preparing there under the watch of former Olympian and South Korean coach Jean Yun.
According to her mother, Rol Patenia, the 18-year-old has been regularly training at the LA Kings Ice Pickwick Gardens and the East West Ice Palace.
Another Filipina skater, Skye Chua, is also scheduled to compete in the junior women’s category of the Krasnoyarsk, Russia leg from Sept. 15 to 18.
A points system based on the ranking will be used to determine the qualifiers for the ISU Junior Grand Prix of the Figure Skating Final to be held in December.
Points are obtained according to the results of each event. Only the top six skaters in each discipline are eligible to qualify for the final. – jlo
