ARE champions born or made?
Many believe champions already have this God-given talent to excel in whatever they do. Still others feel that one has to put a lot of efforts and hard work to achieve his goal in life.
For Winter Universiade ice skating representative Misha Fabian, she simply hopes to become a champion in her own little way even if it means taking the road less travelled.
She so dearly want it to happen she is doing her best to make it happen regardless of how many times she fall.
“One of the most important lessons in life that I learned from skating is that you have to always get back up every time you get down,” said Fabian during the “Usapang Sports on Air” by the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports (TOPS) via Zoom recently.
“It maybe a cliche, but I know you can’t simply give up, especially if it’s your dream,” added Fabian, who is set to represent the country in the 2021 Winter Universiade in Lucerne, Switzerland on Dec. 11-21.
Fabian already represented the country in the 2019 Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia through FESSAP (Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines), headed by well-known Filipino-Chinese sports patrons Angel Ngu and Alvin Tai Lian.
And surely, Fabian hopes to do it all over again this year.
“My Winter Universiade experience was very overwhelming. It was a big honor for me to represent the country in such prestigious competition. Talagang wow,” recalled Fabian.
“Staying in the Athletes Village, meeting new friends and seeing our Philippine flag flying high there, talagang nakaka-iyak. You see history happening before your eyes. It was very inspiring and humbling experience even just to be there,” added Fabian who attended high school at the GCF International Christian School and college at Ateneo de Manila.
“A lot of delegates were actually surprised to see that the Philippines was represented in the competition. Some of the participants even approached me to ask questions about the country and what it was like to skate here. Some were even surprised that we had ice rinks,” Fabian recalled.
Fabian’s love affair with ice skating started at a very young age.
“Ever since I was a kid, gusto ko na talaga mag-skate.I watched skating a lot every time dinadadala ako ng Mom ko sa Megamall. I was so amazed how people could jump, spin and glide around the ice with such ease.”
“But I didn’t get to take formal lessons until I was around 10 years old.It was a birthday gift to me by parents. It was merely recreational activity for me every weekend until I found myself competing when I was about 14 or 15 years old. So medyo late na rin ako nag-start to train competitively.”
Her first pair of skates was also a gift from her parents during their visit at the Chelsea Piers skating rink in New York,
“I really loveskating. It’s been my life for the past three years and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. I really think that even when this pandemic happened, it became clear to me na mahal ko talaga ang skating. It’s really my passion and I want to see how far I can go into this sport. So hanggang kaya pa ng katawan ko, I wanted to be training, practicing and doing what I can for the sport.”
A ballet student and performing arts actress, Fabian said skating allows her to combine sports and the arts.
“It’s a challenge. I enjoy the challenge that it presents — the perfect balance between solid technique and artistry,” shared Fabian.
Asked about her plans after the Winter Universiade, Fabian said she will try her hand into coaching and helping young figure skaters to achieve their goals.
“After my Winter Universiade experience, I want other young skaters to get the same opportunity and represent our country as well. So I’ll probably go into coaching like Coach Ronan (Capili) and share my knowledge.”
“I’ll them to keep pushing themselves. If they get down, just get back up. Don’t give up. I’ll tell them to manage their time well at ipagpatuloy yung studies. Education is incredibly important even for athletes.”
Fabian claimed she really focused on her studies last year.
“But I definitely have plans to get back to training, probably compete more. I’ve been working with a friend to do strength and endurance training exercises on a daily basis to keep myself in good condition,: said Fabian,who also dabbles into singing and painting.
“I’ve also invested in a pair of roller blades to help me practice some of my maneuvers while sarado pa ang mga skating rinks due to the pandemic.”
While admitting getting back to training on ice remains her priority, Fabian plans to take a gradual approach.
“My immediate goal is just to get back on the ice and see how it goes from there. Honestly, it’s been over a year since I last stepped on the ice. I would like to see how can I get back and how can I still do my jumps and spins.,” said Fabian.
The 2021 Winter Universiade in Lucerne is still over 10 months away, but Fabian admitted she is already excited to get the opportunity to skate — and compete — for the country again.
