By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(© 2009 Journal Group Link International)

C HICAGO, Illinois (JGLi) – Amanda Evora’s event in the Vancouver Olympics was over last week but she is in the thick of training again for the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships in Torino, Italy next month.

Amanda’s parents, Vicente A. and Maryanne M. Evora, told this reporter in phone and email interviews Wednesday that her upstanding performance in figure ice skating events in Vancouver last week propelled her to take part in the World Figure Skating Championships on March 22-28 in Torino along with her partner Mark Ladwig and the other pair of the United States national champions Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett to represent the U.S. in this yearly event.

The pair of Amanda and Mark placed tenth in the short program and it was their biggest accomplishment in figure-skating competition in their lives so far. They outranked Caydee and Jeremy, who placed 14th in a field of top 20 figure skaters in Vancouver.

When asked if Amanda is planning to join the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia, Maryanne, an accounting employee, said it is premature to tell since her daughter needs first to pass the qualifying rounds immediately prior to the quadrennial event.

Amanda’s father, Vic, a specialist for Economic and Planning at an oil company in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, said in between the Olympics, Amanda would be having a full plate.

“After the Torino championship, Amanda would be doing few shows. For one, there is an “Evening with Champions” charity event in Boston, Massachusetts in April (which they have done the last three years) and (let’s keep our fingers crossed) I am hoping they (Amanda and Mark) will get invited to join the cast of Stars on Ice for a few shows at least. It will mean a lot to them.”

Amanda, 25, has drawn strong rooting interests from Filipinos and Filipino Americans, as she is believed to be the first second-generation daughter of Filipino parents to ever represent the U.S. in the figure ice skating in the Olympics.

Vic added, “Since they decided to skate next season, they have to prepare for it  -- choose music, develop new programs and choreography. I expect them to compete in two Grand Prix skating events next fall. Anne and I are both hoping they get assigned to the Trophee Eric Bompard which is held in Paris, France - and we will definitely go and see the sights, and maybe see some skating as well.”

Maryanne said Amanda and the rest of the Team USA Pair Skaters returned to their rink in Ellenton, Florida to continue with their training for the World Championships in Torino.

Her family returned to Houston, Texas last weekend.

But Amanda and Mark will return to Vancouver for the closing ceremonies on Sunday, Feb. 28.

V ic said the participation of his daughter in Vancouver Olympics has opened new doors for his family as well. “In Vancouver, we met three Evoras (2 brothers and a sister) for the first time.  They saw Amanda's name as an Olympic athlete and thru persistence and luck finally made contact with us. They welcomed all of us with open arms, and meeting them was an Olympic highlight for us!”

Vic and his wife, Maryanne, were on hand to cheer Amanda on as well as their two other children, Andrea (married with three children to a German/Persian), and Astro, 37, single, living in Houston and worked as a medical logistics assistant in a Houston Office for a Medical Research Company based in Maryland.

The former Maryanne Mamuri is a native of Manila while Vic is a native of Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro in the Philippines.

A native of New York City, Amanda visited the Philippines several times in the past and has learned snatches of Tagalog words like “maganda,” “mabuhay ang Pilipinas” and “malaking ilong.”

Amanda visited the Philippines three times – 1990, where she was a flower girl at a cousin’s wedding; 1994, to attend her grandparents 60th wedding anniversary; and in 2005, as guest of her parent’s high school reunion. At the last visit, she brought along with her her skates and practiced skating at Mega Mall in Pasig City near Holiday Inn. She would skate daily near the closing of rink for 30 minutes to an hour.  She is now on her fourth year at University of South Florida in Sarasota, majoring in Business Management, a part-time student as she trains and coaches.

Vic has been going to the Philippines every year since 1978, half of those trips were work-related. He used to work for Caltex in New York/Dallas and got sent to the Philippines on work assignments and had done consulting work in Manila from 2000 to 2004.

Vic started college at the University of the Philippines. He continued his undergraduate studies in the US when he migrated to New York in November 1972, after the martial law. Graduating magna cum laude at Columbia University of New York, Vic holds a masters degree in Chemical Engineering.  (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)

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