Former jr. champ brings game in senior level of RP figure skating tilt

MANILA, Philippines – A former junior standout is out to carve her name in the tougher seniors’ field as the 2009 Philippine Figure Skating Championships opens Saturday at the SM Mall Of Asia International Staking Rink in Pasay City. Nineteen-year-old Clarisse Ann Roman is the lone homegrown bet in the field of 11 skaters in the Senior ladies event where the champion will also be the country’s representative to the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany in September. The Germany tournament is the final qualifying event for skaters to the 2010 Winter Olympics to be held in Vancouver, Canada. Only six male and six female skaters will be taken to complete the 30-player cast in the February 2010 Winter Games. “I take it as a challenge to prove that I’m at par with them," said Roman who is a graduating student at the Manila Doctors College in Pasay City taking up AB Psychology. Roman who hails from Molino, Cavite is competing in the seniors’ level only this year but she has an impressive background as a junior skater. She emerged as the gold medalist in the Asian Grand Prix held in the said venue in 2006. A year later she romped off with the gold in the National Youth Games then capped a string of victories last year with another gold in the Thailand Invitational. Leading the charge among the Filipino-foreign rivals is Gracielle Tan, who narrowly missed getting a Winter Olympics berth last March. The top 24 skaters from a field of 54 who saw action in the World Figure Skating Championships will advance to the Winter Olympics and the 21-year old Tan finished 29th. “The experience I had competing in the Four Continents and the World Championships has helped me a lot and I hope to use it in this tournament," said Tan, who continues to dream of becoming the first Filipina to represent the country in the Winter Olympics. Last years champion Elizabeth Stern, Grace Baldo, Katie Dano, Mercien Venzon, Katherine Magno, Kathrina Phan, Tamara Cebedo Sanford, Lauren Ko and Charlene Ang are the other skaters who will also vie for RP team spots for the Germany tournament. Dikki Martinez is the lone competitor in the men’s side but still needs to earn 150 points in order to represent the country in Germany. Four USA judges and one each from Japan and Chinese-Taipei will be officiating Saturday’s tournament. – GMANews.TV