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PRACTICALLY
NEIGHBORS
Davis, who grew up in West Bloomfield, and White, a native of
Bloomfield Hills, started building on- and off-ice chemistry about the
same time they were learning how to spell the word.
"We skated at the same rink growing up, so we've known each
other for a long time," said the 22-year-old Davis. "When we were about
8 or 9, Charlie's coach at the time wanted to find a dance partner for
him and since I was there already and we were the right height for each
other, we hooked up."
"We were very fortunate to have a lot of people around us who
were very supportive," said White, also 22. "I think the chemistry
developed quickly because we were so young and we really didn't have a
lot of other things to worry about."
Like all world-class athletes, Davis and White have had to make
sacrifices ("Sleeping in would probably be No. 1," Davis said,
laughing), but not as many as most of their peers.
"Charlie and I have been fortunate in that we haven't had to go
to a lot of extremes like a lot of other skaters," Davis said. "We
didn't have to move across the country or leave our families. We've
attended public schools.
"Our social lives have been affected to a certain extent. The
path we've taken isn't the normal path young people take. We've
definitely made sacrifices, but we wouldn't trade what we're doing for
anything."
DEDICATED DUO
The pair train together on the ice roughly 20 hours a week. They
also spend several hours a week enhancing their out-of-skates fitness,
much of the time at Velocity Sports Performance, which is located in
the upper level of the Arctic Edge.
Given their lofty ranking, will Davis and White be satisfied
with anything short of a medal at February's Olympic Games?
"It's tough because after all the time we've put into this, you
really, really want a medal," acknowledged White. "But if we go out
there and skate our best and know that we left it all on the ice, you
can only be so disappointed if you don't win something."
Spend 20 minutes with Davis and White, and you'll find that
their friendship is deep and rich. They smile easily at each other's
quips and seem to share a common bond that won't be broken, medal or
not.
That said, the spectacular skaters don't spend a ton of their
away-from-the-rink time together.
"Free time? What's that?" Davis joked, smiling. "We'll hang out
together during the off-season, but -- and I know Charlie would agree
with this -- it's not like when I do have some free time, I'm thinking,
'Geez, I wish I could spend some more time with Charlie."
White nodded, smiling.
