Dozens of children gather on the thick ice on the road to Trebishte, a village in Mavrovo-Rostushe municipality near the Macedonia-Albania border. The atmosphere is cheerful. Children slide on the ice using only their footwear as skates, bursting into loud laughter whenever someone slips clumsily and falls over. Most of them are beginners, but there are also self-proclaimed experts on skating on frozen trails. Others dream of being professional skaters, wearing real ice-skates and pirouetting on the ice.
Young Seldin lives far away from this village on the Balkan Peninsula, far away on the other side of the Adriatic Sea on the Apennines Peninsula. He is only eight years old and what connects him to the small Macedonian village of Trebishte are his parents Alisan and Sumeya Saliu. They are originally from this village, and when Seldin was just six months old they moved to the Italian town of Feltre, in the north of Italy, where his brother Lyman was born three years ago.
Unlike his peers in Trebishte who slide down the ice just for fun, young Seldin Saliu skates as a true professional. His skating is more than fun, it’s an art. Seldin, or as friends call him Seldo, has won several prizes in figure skating competitions throughout Italy. He may be the only child with Macedonian origin who professionally competes in figure skating.
His parents are proud of their virtuoso of the skate-rinks in Italy, recalling his humble beginnings.
“It all started when he was five and a half years old. He attended a short course in figure skating organized by his kindergarten and the current ice-skating sports team. He fell in love with the sport instantly, and hasn’t stopped skating since.” – says his father Alisan. He says that figure skating is a sport that is most common in northern Italy, but preferred by girls more than boys, he adds jokingly. Seldin is one of the few boys who ice-skate professionally.
Little Seldo revealed his ambitions and dreams to Balkon3.
“My dream is to become world champion one day. I impatiently wait for school to end, so that I can go to a training session where I learn a new jump every day.”- says the eight years old boy. He has climbed the champions’ pedestal several times, winning first place in competitions, but his favourite reward is a recent victory.
“I am especially fond of my last competition in Klaut near Venice. I managed to beat my rival who had kept the first place in years and instead of him I climbed on the highest podium.” – says Seldo.
The fact that he is a truly talented skater is confirmed by Ilaria Davare, former national champion of Italy, and currently a figure skating coach.
“Seldin is a child with a keen interest in this sport. He puts so much effort into it day by day, and his efforts are confirmed by his good results. I hope he continues to train with this rhythm, persistence and dedication in order to get into the Italian national team and compete in world championships.” – says the proud champion.
The points he won this season are enough for him to qualify for the Coppa Italia, scheduled for the end of March this year, where the ones with the most points compete against each other. People predict a bright future for Seldin who proves to be a true champion on ice and that the ice rink is his second home. With his ice-skates he already carves his dreams into the ice.
(AM)
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