Meagan Duhamel, 23, and Craig Buntin, 28, have risen close to the top in pairs in their two years together. The couple won the bronze medal at Canadians in 2008 and improved to silver in 2009, actually winning the short program over 2008 world bronze medalists Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison.
Duhamel and Buntin were sixth at Worlds in 2008 and eighth in 2009. The couple placed fourth at this year's Four Continents Championships in Vancouver.
They also won a bronze medal at Trophée Eric Bompard in 2008.
"The season has gone well for us," Buntin said. "We're in the same league with the top pairs in the world and in striking distance of the podium."
"If we skate our best, we have a shot," Duhamel added. "If we see someone skating well, we want to skate better."
"Our biggest asset is our passion and our drive and desire," underlined Buntin. "I think that comes out in our skating. We're a young team and we're developing fast."
"We want to be on the podium in Vancouver," the 28-year-old continued. "That's my home town. If we haven't peaked as a team, we'll probably continue after that. We definitely want to make the Worlds podium. After we finish, tours and shows would be fun."
Duhamel had to give up a promising career in ladies to focus on pairs. "I miss training, but not competing in singles," she said. "I couldn't do in competition what I could do in practice. I haven't lost any of my jumps. I still do them all for fun."
The couple teamed up in June 2007 after Buntin's former partner Valerie Marcoux retired. "We've rearranged our lives to make the partnership work," Duhamel said. "We're both competitive people. We have a vision of where we want to go and what we have to do to get there."
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