Jaime Bonneau of Independence Township takes on the world this week, at the Special Olympic World Winter Games 2009.
“I want to get a gold medal,” said Bonneau, 28, 2000 graduate of Clarkston High School.
This is her first time competing at the world games, Feb. 6-13, in Boise, Idaho. To prepare, she spent a week in December at the U.S. Olympic team training center in Denver, Colo., and trained with world-class coaches.
“They skated all day, every day,” said Roxanne Bonneau, her mother.
“It was really hard,” said Jaime.
She trains at Lakeland Skating Club in Waterford twice a week ? getting up at 6 a.m. each time, she said ? along with swimming, pottery, portrait painting, photography, Tae Kwon Do, gourmet cooking, horseback riding, and work at the local Kroger’s.
“She does so many things,? Roxanne said. ‘It’s hard to keep track of them. She likes to keep busy. She’s not afraid of anything. If I asked her to go skydiving, she say, ‘let’s go.'”
“I’m not afraid of heights,” Jaime said.
Her 1 1/2 minute skating routing features crossovers, single-blade turns, spirals, spins, and backward circles, all set to music from “The Phantom of the Opera.” With her black and white costume, she portrays both the Phantom and his protege/victim, Christine.
‘That was my mom’s idea,? Jaime said.
“The idea of skating to the Phantom was Jaime’s,” Roxanne said.
Jaime, who has Down’ Syndrome, has been skating for eight years, three with Special Olympics.
‘It’s fun,? she said.
She won gold and bronze medals at last year’s state Special Olympics Summer Games, earning her a spot at the World Games.
“She’s quite the athlete,” said Roxanne, who travelled to Colorado to cheer on her daughter with neighbor Carolyn Clark.
“I think it’s fabulous ? she works so hard at everything she does,” said Clark, whose son is engaged to Jaime’s sister, Ashley. “Lakeland Arena had a sendoff reception. That was the first time I watched her perform. She’s very, very good ? elegant.”
Randy , Jaime’s father, couldn’t go because he had to run the family business, Natural Touch Florist in Lake Orion.
Jaime and her parents live in a home decorated with artwork painted by members of the family.
“She comes from a long line of artists ? her grandmother, both her parents, her sister,” Clark said. “Jaime paints everything.”
She is also starting her own business, making and selling jewelry and paintings.
‘She’s already sold quite a few pieces of art,? Roxanne said.
Jaime’s boyfriend, Kyle Groff, just started learning to skate, but she hopes to compete with him in pairs.
“He looks like John Travolta,” Jaime said.