Training Rink: Arctic Edge Ice Arena

Home Club: Arctic Skating Club (Meryl), Detroit Skating Club (Charlie)

Coaches: Igor Shpilband, Marina Zueva

Choreographers: Igor Shpilband, Marina Zueva

Time is the truest test of any relationship; be it marriage, business or competitive figure skating. U.S. ice dancing partners Meryl Davis and Charlie White know better than anyone how the strongest partnerships don’t just appear over night. The dynamic and acclaimed duo have been a team since they were paired in 1997 and are the longest running ice dance partnership in the history of U.S. figure skating. They have been steadily climbing the ranks of US and international ice dance, winning the 2006 US National Junior title and a bronze medal at the 2006 World Junior Championships and most recently becoming the 2009 & 2010 U.S. National Champions, the 2009 Four Continents Champions, the 2009 Grand Prix Final Champions and the 2010 Winter Olympic Silver Medalists.

In fall 2006, Meryl and Charlie made their senior Grand Prix debut with fourth place finishes at Skate Canada and NHK Trophy. A bronze medal at the 2007 US Nationals earned them the opportunity to represent the US at the World Championships where they finished 7th - the highest debut by a US team since 1980. For the 2007 Grand Prix series, Meryl and Charlie competed at Skate America and Trophee Eric Bompard, finishing fourth at the first event and winning their first senior Grand Prix medal, and a bronze at the second. They won a silver medal at US Nationals and followed it up with a silver medal at Four Continents. At the World Championships, they finished sixth. In the 2008/2009 season, Meryl and Charlie captured a gold medal at Skate Canada and a bronze at Cup of Russia, earning them a trip to the Grand Prix Final, where they earned the bronze medal. They became National Champions and followed their national title up with the gold medal at the Four Continents Championships. At Worlds, they finished fourth, just missing the podium. Additionally they won the 2009 Rostelecom Cup and the 2009 NHK Trophy, which qualified them for the 2009-2010 Grand Prix Final. At the Grand Prix Final, they won the original dance and placed second in the free dance to win the title overall.

As a child, living just off of a lake in Michigan, it just made sense that Meryl would begin skating at the age of 5, wanting to be able to skate on the frozen surface in the wintertime. Charlie started at an equally young age, beginning skating at age 3. Both see continuing their education as very important and are currently students at the University of Michigan. Charlie also has a passion for hockey and played on a State Championship winning team. In late fall 2004 he broke his ankle playing hockey, which forced Meryl and him to withdraw from the 2005 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships in Portland, Oregon.

At the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Davis and White earned a spot to represent the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. With their eyes on the Olympic podium, the competition was stiff with Canadian team Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, as well as reigning World Champion Russian pair, Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin; but ice dancing proved to be one of the strongest disciplines for the US this Olympic season with both Davis and White along with fellow U.S. Olympic team members Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto receiving much buzz as the Winter Games approached. Although the two US teams are fierce competitors their mutual respect for each other and friendships are apparent (Meryl wears a necklace given to her by Tanith as a Christmas gift). Davis and White proved their abilities capturing the Olympic Silver Medal, the third U.S. Olympic ice dance medal in twenty four years, with a score of 215.74. Meryl and Charlie continue to build on their strong technical foundation, ranking first in the world as of December 2009, and honing their presentation skills in preparation for what lies beyond the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

PERSONAL BESTS