Meryl Davis is an American ice dancer. With partner Charlie White, she is the 2014 Olympic Champion, a two-time (2011, 2013) World champion, the 2010 Olympic silver medalist, two-time (2010, 2012) World silver medalist, five-time Grand Prix Final champion (2009–2013), three-time Four Continents champion (2009, 2011, 2013) and six-time U.S.A national champion (2009–2014). At the 2014 Winter Olympics, they also won a bronze medal in the team event.
Meryl Davis and White teamed up in 1997 and they are currently the longest lasting dance team in the United States. They are the first American ice dancers to win the World title, as well as the first Americans to win the Olympic ice dancing gold medal; in addition, their Olympic performance scored the highest point total ever recorded in ice dancing. At the 2006 NHK Trophy, they became the first ice dancing team to earn level fours on all their elements. Meryl Davis and White are the current world record holders for the short dance, free dance, and total combined score.
Meryl Davis was born in Royal Oak, Michigan and raised in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, the daughter of Cheryl and Paul D. Davis. She is of English, Irish, Scottish and German descent. Her paternal grandmother was born in Regina, Saskatchewan. Davis was diagnosed with dyslexia in the third grade and she struggled with reading until the 11th grade. In June 2005, Davis graduated from Wylie E. Groves High School. She was a member of the National Honor Society and, upon graduation, received the Phi Beta Kappa Society award. Davis lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She attends the University of Michigan, where she is majoring in cultural anthropology, and also studying Italian. She is an active member of the sorority Delta Delta Delta. She can play the flute.
Davis began skating at age five on a local lake in
the winter. She started out as a single skater, but began doing ice
dance at age eight. She got as high as Midwestern sectionals in novice
ladies before quitting singles to focus on ice dancing. She was teamed
up with Charlie White by her coach, Seth Chafetz, in 1997 or 1998. In
2009, Davis said: "Charlie and I grew up 10 minutes apart from each
other. Our parents are best friends. We've grown together and know each
other so well."
In their first season together, Davis/White won the silver medal at the Junior Olympics in the Juvenile division. In the 2000–01 season, they qualified for the 2001 U.S. Championships, placing 6th as Novices. The next season they won the silver medal as novices and then moved up to Junior. They did not win a medal at either of their two Junior Grand Prix assignments and placed 7th at the 2003 U.S.A Championships in their junior debut.
In the 2003–2004 season, Davis/White won their sectional championship and then won the junior silver medal at Nationals. This earned them a trip to the 2004 Junior Worlds, where they placed 13th. In the 2004–2005 season, Davis/White won two bronze medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series. However, White broke his ankle before Sectionals and so Davis/White were unable to qualify for the 2005 U.S. Championships. Their season ended there. In the 2005–2006 season, Davis/White medaled at both their Junior Grand Prix events and placed second at the Junior Grand Prix Final. They won the junior national title at the 2006 U.S. Championships and then won the bronze medal at the 2006 Junior Worlds. Following that season, Davis aged out of Juniors. They lost some training time after White broke his ankle at a hockey tournament in 2006.
In the 2006–07 season, Davis/White made their debut both nationally and
internationally as seniors. They placed 4th at both their 2006–07 ISU
Grand Prix assignments. At the 2006 NHK Trophy, they became the first
team to earn all level fours on their elements. At the 2007 U.S.
Championships, they won the bronze medal at the senior level, qualifying
them for the 2007 World Championships. They are the first team since
Tanith Belbin/Benjamin Agosto to go directly from winning the Junior
national title to making the World team. Davis/White also qualified for
the Four Continents Championships, which took place before Worlds, and
placed fourth. At the World Championships, Davis/White placed 7th, the
highest debut placement for American ice dancers at Worlds since 1980.
Meryl Davis and White teamed up in 1997 and they are currently the longest lasting dance team in the United States. They are the first American ice dancers to win the World title, as well as the first Americans to win the Olympic ice dancing gold medal; in addition, their Olympic performance scored the highest point total ever recorded in ice dancing. At the 2006 NHK Trophy, they became the first ice dancing team to earn level fours on all their elements. Meryl Davis and White are the current world record holders for the short dance, free dance, and total combined score.
Meryl Davis Personal life
Meryl Davis Early Career
Davis began skating at age five on a local lake in
the winter. She started out as a single skater, but began doing ice
dance at age eight. She got as high as Midwestern sectionals in novice
ladies before quitting singles to focus on ice dancing. She was teamed
up with Charlie White by her coach, Seth Chafetz, in 1997 or 1998. In
2009, Davis said: "Charlie and I grew up 10 minutes apart from each
other. Our parents are best friends. We've grown together and know each
other so well."In their first season together, Davis/White won the silver medal at the Junior Olympics in the Juvenile division. In the 2000–01 season, they qualified for the 2001 U.S. Championships, placing 6th as Novices. The next season they won the silver medal as novices and then moved up to Junior. They did not win a medal at either of their two Junior Grand Prix assignments and placed 7th at the 2003 U.S.A Championships in their junior debut.
Meryl Davis Junior Career
In the 2003–2004 season, Davis/White won their sectional championship and then won the junior silver medal at Nationals. This earned them a trip to the 2004 Junior Worlds, where they placed 13th. In the 2004–2005 season, Davis/White won two bronze medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series. However, White broke his ankle before Sectionals and so Davis/White were unable to qualify for the 2005 U.S. Championships. Their season ended there. In the 2005–2006 season, Davis/White medaled at both their Junior Grand Prix events and placed second at the Junior Grand Prix Final. They won the junior national title at the 2006 U.S. Championships and then won the bronze medal at the 2006 Junior Worlds. Following that season, Davis aged out of Juniors. They lost some training time after White broke his ankle at a hockey tournament in 2006.Meryl Davis Senior Career
In the 2006–07 season, Davis/White made their debut both nationally and
internationally as seniors. They placed 4th at both their 2006–07 ISU
Grand Prix assignments. At the 2006 NHK Trophy, they became the first
team to earn all level fours on their elements. At the 2007 U.S.
Championships, they won the bronze medal at the senior level, qualifying
them for the 2007 World Championships. They are the first team since
Tanith Belbin/Benjamin Agosto to go directly from winning the Junior
national title to making the World team. Davis/White also qualified for
the Four Continents Championships, which took place before Worlds, and
placed fourth. At the World Championships, Davis/White placed 7th, the
highest debut placement for American ice dancers at Worlds since 1980.
Davis
and White worked with Derek Hough and Alex Wong on their programs for
2013 and 2014. On February 5, 2014, the pair appeared among five other
Olympians in a one-hour special on NBC television, How to Raise an
Olympian. During the team event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi,
Davis and White earned 20 points in two first place finishes for the
U.S. team, which was awarded bronze medal overall. Davis and White
posted record scores in both the short program and freedance and were
awarded the first Olympic gold medal for Americans in ICE Dance.
0 comments:
Post a Comment