MANILA - A few steps from a shopping mall food court that serves fried chicken and steaks on hot plates, 16-year-old Sofia Isabel Guidote honed her dreams of competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The skating rink, an unusual fixture in a country known for sweltering temperatures, has given rise to two-time Winter Olympian Michael Martinez and mall operator SM is giving more Filipinos the chance to try the sport by deploying a mobile version to the provinces.

The Italian-made, 300-square-meter skating rink on wheels was most recently deployed to General Santos City and will soon be moved to Cagayan de Oro and Bacolod. It can accommodate up to 100 people at a time.

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"I first learned to skate when I was 6 years old. I loved how it felt to glide on the ice and how cold it was. It was helpful that they had these skating rinks. if there weren't, I would have never started figure skating," Guidote told ABS CBN News.

Guidote, the country's number 1 junior figure skater and a member of the national team, is currently in Russia for training.

Martinez's pursuits have inspired many Filipinos to join a sport that is uncommon in a tropical country, said Christopher Martin, sports director of Philippine Skating Union.

"It is a good thing na nangyayari 'yung mobile ice skating rink, baka mamaya baka may natutulog lang na taga probinsya na next Michael Martinez eh," Martin told ABS-CBN News.

(It's a good thing the mobile ice skating rink happened. The next Michael Martinez could be just there in the province, waiting.)

TATANG'S DREAM

Growing ice skating is among the many dreams of SM founder Henry Sy Sr., the country's richest man who built a shopping mall empire from a small shoe store in old Manila, Martin said.

"Noong una kasi, 'yung ice skating, dream lang ni Tatang, si Henry Sy Sr., na gusto niya lang ipatikim sa mga Filipino kung anong feeling na mag ice skates," Martin told ABS-CBN News.

(At the beginning, ice skating was a dream of Tatang, Henry Sy Sr., that he wanted Filipinos to experience, the feeling of being on ice skates.)

"Noong nadevelop, gusto na rin niya maging competitive. Dream ni Tatang na magkaroon ng Olympian. Naging dedication na rin ng SM para sa mga batang may dream na maging Olympian,” he said.

(When it was developed, he wanted it to be competitive. It was Tatang's dream to have an Olympian. It has become a dedication for SM to be there for kids who dream of becoming olympians.)

Ice skating rinks are not cheap, but they are a "sustainable" business, said Noel Resultay, operations manager of SM Family Entertainment Center Inc.

SM has 1 roving rink and 4 permanent Olympic-size rinks located in Megamall, Mall of Asia, South Mall, and Seaside Cebu.

Anyone above 5 feet can use the mobile ice skating rink for P160 to P240, half the price of the P450 charge at the Olympic-size rinks. This makes it popular even among middle- and low-income families, Resultay said.

With professional-grade shoes priced at P50,000 and above, figure skating could easily be among the most expensive of sports, said Guidote, who also performs at Disney on Ice.

In order to attract more talents, especially those from the provinces, Martin said the union needs support from the private sector and the government.

"Iyun nga ang wino-workout ni Philippine Skating Union for sponsorship, kasi ang hirap. Ang ice skating, kahit mayaman ka, magiging mahirap ka talaga,” he said.

(That's what we're working out in the Philippine Skating Union because getting sponsors is hard. In ice skating, even if you're rich, you'll be poor.)

But with more Filipinos getting inspired by Martinez's success, Martin said the Philippines could turn more dreamers into Olympians. The union has been active in the seminar circuit, he said.

"That means we’re really serious about the sports and I'm very confident that we're on the right track," he said.