When it came time to designate his hometown for media information for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 25-year-old figure skating champion had only one place in mind - Huntsville.
Davison, the defending national pairs skating champion with partner Jessica Dubé, has listed this community as his hometown, according to information provided by Skate Canada and the International Skating Union.
He talked about his decision to list north Muskoka as his official residence during a conference call arranged last week by Skate Canada with the national media.
“I have had a summer home and cottage there since I was born and my parents had retired and recently moved permanently to Huntsville. Because I moved around so much with skating and with my dad’s job (a corporate banker) when I was young, the cottage has been the closest thing I could call home my whole life. So I talked about it with my parents and we thought it was a good idea to call something home that actually feels like home.”
Davison and Dubé are one of this country’s top medal hopes at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, slated to begin Feb. 12.
The pair are three-time (2007, 2009, 2010) national champions, the 2008 world bronze medallists and the 2009 Four Continents silver medallists.
The duo placed 10th at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games and seventh at the world championships in 2006.
They won their first national crown in Nova Scotia at the 2007 Canadian championships.
Davison and his family came to Canada from his birthplace of Walnut Creek, California, when he was eight months old.
He said that his family has been very supportive of his skating goals, referring to parents Rick and Laurie, sister Ashley and brother Palmer. He added that everyone will be there in Vancouver when he and Dubé try to win gold for Canada.
“My family is very, very close and we like to laugh a lot with each other. I have had so much support from my parents and my brother and sister over the years, that I could never thank them enough.”
Davison is also counting on the support from his new hometown when he and his partner hit the ice at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.
“Our closest family friends are from Huntsville and it is great when I go up there,” he said during the conference call. “I didn’t get to go to the (Olympic torch) ceremony when it was up there, but I heard it was something very special. The whole town and area loves the idea of the Olympics.”
He added that although he considers Huntsville his hometown, strapping on the blades for a quick spin on local ice isn’t something that happens often.
“We don’t every really get time to skate up there. For sure, I get home at Christmas for a couple of days and in summer on a long weekend. If I need to relax I will go down … just enjoying (it) and trying to be normal.”
With the start of the Winter Olympics just more than a week away, the newly christened Huntsville resident is training hard with Dubé in preparation for competing on the world’s biggest stage in amateur sports.
Davison said being part of the national team competing at the games in Canada will be an experience he will always remember.
“It’s incredible, or at least I imagine it will be. The feeling of being out on home ice in front of the fans in Vancouver and on (television), across the country … everyone is tuned into the Olympic games, whether it be summer or winter and it’s great to be part of it. For that little moment out of such a big event, all eyes (are) on you so it is such a great experience and it’s a life-long dream.”