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Shania Twain carries Olympic torch

posted by Pretty Tough | Girls Who Are Fun Fierce & Feminine
Monday, January 4, 2010 at 1:12pm CST

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Country singer Shania Twain carried the Olympic torch in arctic conditions in her childhood hometown on New Year’s Day, as the torch relay continued ahead of the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Twain carried the torch for 400 meters and lit a cauldron in the town of Timmins, in the eastern Canadian province of Ontario.

“I feel proud, very proud,” Twain said. “It’s a highlight of my life to be able to carry the flame, to light the cauldron.”

At 26 degrees below zero (-16 F) and windy, it was so cold that when a dozen red beach balls were tossed into the crowd, the balls came apart within seconds.

“I know that sounds crazy, but it wouldn’t be Timmins if it wasn’t 40 below with the wind chill factor!” Twain said.

The torch was lit in Olympia, Greece, in October 2009 and will travel around Canada before lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony of the games on Feb. 12.

After the relay, the singer donated her Olympic torch and clothing to the Shania Twain Centre in Timmins.

Twain says one addition makes her torch unique – she put hockey tape on the base of her torch so she wouldn’t drop it.

She said every time she visits the centre she’s moved by the fact she’s able to do a small part to try to represent what it is for a small town girl to come from Timmins and live out her dreams.

Dreams, whether Olympic or the Grand Ol Opry, can be achieved by anyone.