Duhamel pairs up for 2010 Olympics

BY SCOTT HADDOW

Lively's Meagan Duhamel made a big move this summer, jumping back into pairs competition in hopes of representing Canada at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

The 21-year-old teamed up with Craig Buntin of Kelowna, B.C. and is now training in Montreal. She had to say goodbye to her long-time coaches at the Mariposa School in Barrie, but is confident she has chosen the right path at this juncture of her career.

Duhamel competed in pairs from 2005 to 2006, with Ryan Arnold, placing sixth overall at the 2006 national championships.

She decided to go solo for the 2006-07 season. She had received National Team funding for singles and couldn't pass it down. It turned out to be a nightmarish season.

Duhamel waged a frustrating war with injuries, which left her decimated physically and emotionally.

From July to November, Duhamel was unable to train due to a severe foot injury. Just after returning, Duhamel suffered deep gashes in her back from an accident with another skater at a practice that required stitches. She missed several key events leading up to the 2007 BMO Canadian Championships, but still managed a respectable sixth in the women's senior event.

This was a critical time in Duhamel's life and skating career.

"I had finished the Canadians smiling for the first time in four years...it was more than I could've hoped for," said the skater. "Afterwards, I took a lot of time off. In mid-May, this pair's thing happened and it has changed my life. I have found a new drive for skating. The obstacles I faced last season led me to where I am today."

Through the skating grapevine, Duhamel heard one day Buntin was looking for a new partner since his, Valerie Marcoux, had retired. The skater's coaches got busy on the phone and made arrangements for a try-out.

She said Buntin possesses strong character.

"Craig is one of the most amazing persons I've ever met," said Duhamel. "I've never met someone with such a passion for the sport. He has a positive attitude and the fact he believes in my abilities before even seeing them, has shown me I couldn't have found a better partner."

Buntin likes the fact Duhamel is a person of her word.

"One of the first things Meagan said when asked if she wanted to skate with me was 'I'll do whatever it takes'," said Buntin in a press release. "Many skaters say that but few back it up the way Meagan has since moving to Montreal. I feel like I've found somebody who wants this as badly as I do. "

Duhamel wants nothing more than to be standing on the medal podium in 2010 in her home country.

"I want to prove my own personal limits far exceed what anyone, myself included, may have previously thought," said Duhamel. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime. "