the early years
Describe your first impressions of each other.
CHERYL DAVIS: I have to say that it was so long ago I cannot remember my first impres- sion. I think we were so busy with work and family, we never thought about it. I know we traveled together and enjoyed our adven- tures right from the start.
JACQUI WHITE: My first impression of Cheryl was that she was pretty serious. I’ve learned since, of course, that she is a lot of fun and has a great sense of humor. However, the first time I saw her at the rink, she was busy help- ing Meryl with something and probably had a million things to do later when she got home, just as I did.
At what point did you realize your daugh- ter/son found the right skating partner?
CHERYL: I don’t think I ever thought of a dif- ferent skating partner for Meryl. She was so happy with Charlie and they worked so well together with all the coaches that they have been lucky to have, that I don’t think we ever questioned if it wasn’t the right partnership.
JACQUI: I knew that Meryl was the right partner for Charlie the first time they skated together. Charlie first tried out with Danielle, another little 8-year-old girl. The coach told her to take hold of Charlie’s hand and skate around the rink, but she collapsed in giggles, too embarrassed to hold a boy’s hand. Meryl had no such problem. When Seth [Chafetz] asked Meryl to try out, she reached out and took Charlie’s hand and they took off around the rink together, never looking back. They looked so comfortable together right from the start, so I never even thought of the pos- sibility of another partner for Charlie. Meryl has always been the right one.
Describe the early ground rules you agreed upon involving their partnership.
CHERYL: I think that Jacqui and I made sure that both Meryl and Charlie had lives outside
34 DECEMBER 2013
of skating that didn’t include each other. They spent so much time on the ice together we tried to get them to spend time off the ice with other friends and to be involved in other activities. I also remember telling Meryl to lis- ten and have respect for Charlie for his knowl- edge and his skills as well as listening to and gaining knowledge from their coaches. They all brought something to the partnership.
JACQUI: We never deliberately went about setting ground rules in the early years. I never felt the need. As parents, I think we were all on the same page from the very beginning with taking things one day at a time. Both families feel strongly about the importance of education and having a balance between their sport and other activities and family time. Because we have such similar values and parenting styles, we were already living the ground rules.
family
It is unique for skaters to train near their hometowns. How has training in Canton, Mich., contributed to their success?
CHERYL: I am sure in many ways it has. Our families got to stay together. They grew up with their hometown friends. I cannot imag- ine how that couldn’t have helped.
JACQUI: Training in their hometown con- tributed to Charlie and Meryl’s success by al- lowing them to begin a partnership that was workable. They were able to stay at home, continue at the same school and enjoy the security and support of having their families around them every day. Honestly, I think if Charlie had to go across the country and live with someone else to train I would have en- couraged him to focus on another sport or music that he could pursue from home. I re- spect the people who are able to do it, but if Charlie’s training required leaving the family while he was young, we would have done something else. So, it’s a good thing Meryl lives 10 minutes away.
How do your other children do with their success?
CHERYL: I have a son three years younger than Meryl. He is proud of Meryl. He is too re- served to put himself front and center in any sport, but he respects her tenacity. He is hap- py and successful in his own life and is happy for her.
JACQUI: Charlie is the youngest of a com- bined family of five children. When he was born, his three sisters treated him like their baby doll. They loved him and supported all of his childhood activities. His brother Jason is 14 years older and has always been very in- volved in music, so he has his own passion in life. I think because of this he appreciates and respects Charlie’s passion for skating. I know it seems like his siblings would be jealous of all the attention Charlie gets, and I don’t know for sure, but I think they know how special we think they are, each in their own way, and that seems to make the difference. Either that or we’re just really lucky.
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