Meryl Davis and Charlie White stop by to say hello to celebrity TV hosts Martha Stewart and Mario Lopez. ‘LETTING IT ALL SOAK IN’
Davis and White enjoy whirlwind celebrity after leaving their mark on the sport Following their historic success in Sochi, Meryl
Davis and Charlie White enjoyed a nonstop spring, filled with appearances, tours, television spots and a trip to the Academy Awards. Teir celebrity status was cemented when they appeared on the ABC re- ality show “Dancing with the Stars,” a venture that concluded with Davis capturing the coveted mirror ball trophy. Despite their busy schedule, we caught up with the dynamic duo for an update on their ex- periences post-Games:
How would you describe life post-Sochi?
MERYL: “Life post-Sochi has been very different. It’s funny because I don’t think we really realized, upon leaving for Sochi, quite how different our lives would be once we returned back to the U.S. We still haven’t spent a ton of time at home and have really been traveling nonstop. It’s been a lot of fun getting a chance to dabble in so many different things, meet new people and just trying to soak it all in.”
CHARLIE: “Crazy! It has been completely nonstop action in the very best way. We are just so grateful for every single opportunity, and so even when we found ourselves exhausted, we tried to milk the most out of everything.”
How did you balance Stars on Ice and “Dancing with the Stars?”
MERYL: “I think we kind of thought that training for the Olympics would remain the most tiring expe- rience we would ever have. We were proven wrong week to week as ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and Stars on Ice ran relatively parallel to one another. Unlike our training leading into the Games, it was more so the travel and less the actual physical exertion that we found so difficult. We certainly took advantage of the weeks we were able to spend large parts of in L.A. or when our Stars on Ice shows were close enough together that the post-show bus rides to our next location were relatively short. On top of all of the incredible support we received from our families and friends on both the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and Stars on Ice casts, we really feel like we were able to push through, because we were having so much fun! Despite our fatigue, we really were loving every- thing we were lucky enough to be doing.”
CHARLIE: “I’m not sure you could really say that we
balanced anything. Haha! It was really about surviv- ing and still giving 110 percent on the ice and on the ballroom floor.”
What is your favorite post-Sochi experience and why?
MERYL: “I couldn’t possibly pinpoint one favorite experience post-Sochi. Getting a chance to spend time with our families has been amazing. One of my favorite things has just been hearing from people at home about how involved they felt in the Games. Being an Olympian and representing the United States is such an honor. Coming home and having strangers approach us to share that they were proud to have us represent them and what they felt watch- ing the Games is incredibly humbling. It’s hard to appreciate what it means to represent your country until you come home.”
CHARLIE: “For me, joining the cast of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ was 1a and going on ‘Te Colbert Report’ was 1b. Both were really dreams come true.”
Who is the most interesting person you’ve met post-Sochi and when and where did you meet him or her?
MERYL: “Charlie and I have been fortunate enough to meet many incredible people in the last few months. We’re finding that meeting and talking with people in different fields is an invaluable learning experi- ence. Upon talking with Ralph Lauren and Katie Couric, for example, it’s evident how the combi- nation of compassion and an incredible work ethic translates into such success.”
CHARLIE: “We had the great honor of meeting Ralph Lauren in his office in NYC. He has such an amaz- ing and inspiring story and is such a friendly person. It was something we’ll never forget.”
Any pearls of wisdom to share with the next genera- tion of rising stars?
MERYL: “Good, old-fashioned hard work I think is the number one thing. Don’t be afraid to push your- self, fail and push yourself again.”
CHARLIE: “Find a way to make training fun. Always find ways to continue topping yourself. Be mindful of how you conduct yourself on and off the ice. And there just is no secret to being successful — it boils down to a lot of hard work.”
SKATING 13
Davis and White share a special dance on “Dancing with the Stars.”
The Olympic ice dance champions stop by Stephen Colbert’s show, which is one of White’s favorite post-Olympic memories.
TV talk show host Katie Couric clutches the gold medals of Davis and White. Below, the champs meet singer Taylor Swift.
ADAM TAYLOR/ABC
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