Fil-Am set to skate in Winter Olympics
MARCONI CALINDAS
02/09/2010 | 06:56 PM
San Francisco, California — Filipinos will have someone to root for in the figure skating event in the upcoming 21st Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
Twenty-five year old Amanda Evora is the very first Filipino-American to represent the US in the figure pair skating event in the Winter Olympics. She and partner Mark Ladwig earned their slots to Vancouver after placing second behind Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett in the US Figure Skating Championships held in Spokane, Washington last month.
Evora’s parents, according to the LA Times, are both Filipinos who are now naturalized Americans. They migrated from Bahrain. Evora’s father Vicente is originally from Calapan, Oriental Mindoro who worked as chemical engineer in the Middle East. Amada was born in New York City, where her parents spent a vacation.
Evora now resides in Bradenton, Florida where she trains at the Ellenton Ice Arena together with fellow Olympians Denney and Barrett. She is taking her undergraduate studies in Business Administration at the University of South Florida.
The five-foot, 99-pound figure skater has been skating with longtime partner Ladwig since 2002. The silver medals at the 2010 US Championships were their first medals together. Before the Winter Olympics-qualifying US Championships this year, the couple’s best placing was fourth in 2007 and 2009.
In another article, the LA Times also featured Evora’s romantic involvement with rival skater Barrett. Evora gamely stated that this hasn’t affected her performance on ice, as she has competed with her boyfriend for several years already.
Evora and Ladwig will compete on February 14 and 15 both for Short Program and Free Skating. The routine can last up to four minutes and 30 seconds. – FVI, GMANews.TV
Amanda Evora performs her routine with partner Mark Ladwig during the U.S. figure skating championships in Spokane, Washington last month. AP
Twenty-five year old Amanda Evora is the very first Filipino-American to represent the US in the figure pair skating event in the Winter Olympics. She and partner Mark Ladwig earned their slots to Vancouver after placing second behind Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett in the US Figure Skating Championships held in Spokane, Washington last month.
Evora’s parents, according to the LA Times, are both Filipinos who are now naturalized Americans. They migrated from Bahrain. Evora’s father Vicente is originally from Calapan, Oriental Mindoro who worked as chemical engineer in the Middle East. Amada was born in New York City, where her parents spent a vacation.
Evora now resides in Bradenton, Florida where she trains at the Ellenton Ice Arena together with fellow Olympians Denney and Barrett. She is taking her undergraduate studies in Business Administration at the University of South Florida.
The five-foot, 99-pound figure skater has been skating with longtime partner Ladwig since 2002. The silver medals at the 2010 US Championships were their first medals together. Before the Winter Olympics-qualifying US Championships this year, the couple’s best placing was fourth in 2007 and 2009.
In another article, the LA Times also featured Evora’s romantic involvement with rival skater Barrett. Evora gamely stated that this hasn’t affected her performance on ice, as she has competed with her boyfriend for several years already.
Evora and Ladwig will compete on February 14 and 15 both for Short Program and Free Skating. The routine can last up to four minutes and 30 seconds. – FVI, GMANews.TV
