From the Tenderloin [San Francisco] to triple Axels: How Dinh Tran is overcoming skating’s long odds

Sylvia

Sylvia

Flight #5342: I Will Remember You
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Feature story by Elliott Almond: https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/12...ow-one-teen-is-overcoming-skatings-long-odds/

Related video filmed by photojournalist Karl Mondon: http://newsvideo.mercurynews.com/Fi...from-the-Tenderloin-33383642?playlistId=19353

(I feel this deserves its own thread rather than being posted in the U.S. Men's thread.)

Excerpts:
Dinh Tran is one of 15 up-and-coming Bay Area skaters competing this week in the lower divisions at the U.S. figure skating championships in San Jose. Only the senior skaters are trying to advance to the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Dinh is scheduled to skate Monday at Solar4America Ice and Wednesday at SAP Center in the fiercely competitive juniors that will preview the next generation of American men.
The Stuart Hall High School sophomore is not favored to win by any stretch of the imagination. But just reaching the national championships at this level is triumphant itself.
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Mimi Hoang has reared her four boys in a tiny apartment in the crime-ridden Tenderloin neighborhood where she has lived for years. She and her youngest son sleep in a bed crammed into a large closet. Her oldest boys sleep in a bunk bed while Dinh uses a mattress on the floor of the living room.
“It’s like the curfew of the house: When someone goes to sleep, everyone needs to be home and everyone needs to be quiet,” said Hao Tran, the second oldest son.
Dinh takes it in stride.
“It’s nice to be around my brothers and my mom because that’s how we build a strong relationship,” he said.
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His path began with the Bay Area Women’s and Children Center, which partners with the Yerba Buena rink to give kids from the Tenderloin free skating lessons.
Hoang took advantage because she wanted to keep her oldest boys active. Dinh followed them to the rink when lacing on his first pair of boots at age 3. Yerba Buena coaches saw something special in the toddler. Soon, the Skating Club of San Francisco gave the family a free membership.
Then a local sponsor got involved. The benefactor, who asked to remain anonymous, has played a prominent role in helping guide Dinh’s career.
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ETA:

Almond also wrote this touching article on 12-year-old Junior ladies competitor Alysa Liu and her father: Figure skating’s next big thing? Phenom raised by immigrant single father
 
Awww.... what a touching story of this young skater and his family, and how others have helped him to achieve so much in skating. He's probably been through more adversity than any of the other competitors. Glad to hear about Dinh and know about his background. I'll be rooting for him too!
 
I had no idea about this! It's wonderful to hear that a program like this exists.

I met them at a solo dance competition a couple of years ago. His family seemed so nice and well adjusted. Dinh himself was one of those kids who really seems to love to skate - he wasn't doing solo dance because he had to, but rather because he wanted to compete during the off season and become a better skater. I think he'll go really far because of that drive and love for the sport. (Also because he's great at solo dance, so his skating skills are amazing)
 
Thank you, @Sylvia, for posting these reports. As an immigrant myself these stories are especially close to my heart. US skaters may not have a state-run system that supports their whole training and finance, but I'm glad that there are sometimes communities that lend a hand.
 
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