Figure Skating in Northern Ontario
Meagan Duhamel,
Running with the courage of her convictions
March 29, 2005
Meagan Duhamel of Walden Ontario says she wasn't too tired, she had a bad skate.
Meagan is a young woman of remarkable courage and determination, as evidenced by her comments this morning.
Meagan, after a mere six months into her transition to pairs skating, assured herself a place in figure skating history, along with partner Ryan Arnold, by being the first pairs team to ever land side-by-side triple lutzes. In spite of this, things did not go as well as many, including Meagan herself, had hoped at the Nationals. Meagan says her grueling schedule was blamed. She's spent the last several months training at both her current Junior level, and her soon to be needed Senior level, both as a single skater, and as part of a pairs team. Where most competitors find it hard enough dealing with one round of practice, Meagan is handling four. And... making figure skating history while she's at it.
While many of us might be grateful to others for handing us a ready made, and all too understandable, excuse when we mess up, Meagan just sounds irritated by it. She says she didn't feel tired. She just didn't skate very well a couple of times. Period. Bad day, she messed up, it happens. No excuses necessary.
She also says that she won't let it stop her. While many are pushing her to choose between single or pairs skating, she doesn't want to just yet. Meagan says she knows she'll have to in the future, but at this point she's enjoying both and doesn't feel stressed by handling the practice and competitions needed to pursue both types of skating. And, she points out laughing, she only has to focus on Senior level skating in the future, half the problem's gone. Meagan says she'll likely pick one or the other only after she's proved she can do both, and do both well.
Which somehow sounded easy with Meagan Duhamel saying it.
