Beloved Figure Skating Coach:
Marty Martino taught figure skating in Colorado for over forty years. In Colorado Spriings, he taught at the old
Broadmoor World Arena, at Sertich Ice Center, and at the
Ice Arena at Chapel Hills Mall. He also coached in Pueblo and in Denver, Colorado and in New York.
Date and Place of Birth.:
Manuel Martins was born on September 4, 1937 in New York, New York. (His legal name was Manuel Martins, but everyone in the ice skating world knew him as Marty Martino.)
Military Service:
Martino served in the United States Navy.
Family:
Marty Martino never married. He had one sister, Maria Aviles from Florida.
"Man of Many Talents":
In addition to teaching skating, Martino was known for his talents as a costume designer and tailor. In addition to making figure skating costumes, he created and made competitive ballroom dancing gowns. He also designed costumes for the theater.
Cared for His Ice Skating Students and Friends:
Martino was known for his loving nature and his humor. He was known for caring about people. He was interested in the lives of everyone he knew.
"Family of Students":
Marty Martino had many ice skating students and also taught several
adult figure skaters. He trained numerous champions on the regional, sectional, and national level; Marty also produced and directed many ice shows, and was known for his creative choreography.
Skating:
Marty and his sister Maria skated
pairs together. He also did
ice dancing and
singles. He performed professionallly in ice shows in New York.
Passed Away in March of 2009:
After suffering a sudden heart attack, on March 1, 2009, Marty Martino died surrounded by his figure skating students, who cried and laughed as they shared many "Marty" stories.
One of his students commented that it was beautiful that a man that never married was in a room full of women who loved him during his final moments.
Memories From Marty Martino's Students:
From Theresa Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colorado:
Marty was my coach as a child and was also my daughter's coach. We will miss his loving, generous nature. The memory of his sense of humor, his strength, and his smile will comfort us for the rest of our lives. My daughter, Hannah, will forever be grateful to have shared a small part of his life.
From Hannah Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colorado:
I am so sorry for the loss of my beloved coach and mentor Marty Martino. I loved him with all my heart and will miss him the rest of my life.
He always displayed his love for me and my mom everytime we saw him, which was 3 times a week for skating lessons. Marty made me feel like I was the most beautiful and important little girl in the world. He always gave me a great big smile and a bear hug at the end of my lessons.
I will miss his "pet" names for me, the most endearing of which was "zippy".
I will strive for the rest of my life to honor Marty's memory by being the best I can be at everything I try to do. I am so thankful that I was at his bedside and was able to give him one last smile and a great big hug! I know that he will be watching me from heaven.
