Buntin, Chipeur announce retirements

News broke this week that Canadian pairs skater Craig Buntin and Men's figure skater Vaughn Chipeur have announced their retirements from competitive skating. Craig Buntin, 30, has been on the national and international pairs scene for quite awhile and was on national champion with Valerie Marcoux from 2004-06. In recent years, Buntin skated and competed with Megan Duhamel.

Buntin is enrolled in the MBA program at McGill University, and plans to still be a part of skating though more behind the scenes.

Buntin stated in his press release, "Training, sacrificing, creating, performing and sharing the spotlight with my partners and coaches has meant more to me than anyone could imagine...I am so grateful to have had figure skating in my life and so proud to have represented such an incredible country."

In a statement released today, Vaughn Chipeur is the latest skater to announce his retirement from competitive skating. Chipeur, 25, is a two time Canadian national silver medalist as well as 2010 Olympian. Chipeur was 12th at the 2009 World Championships and 23rd at the Vancouver Winter Games.

Chipeur stated that he will tour through the summer before joining a cruise ship's ice skating cast.

"I want to wish him well in his professional career," Scott Davis, his coach, said, "and will miss those high flying triple axels on a daily basis."