Cheryl Davis and Jacqui White share their ‘empowering’ philosophy Cheryl Davis, left, and Jacqui White, right, continue to support their children every step of the way.
Success starts at home
Editor’s note: Cheryl Davis and Jacqui White are two of the most famous skating moms in the United States. Not only did they raise 2014 Olympic ice dance champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White, they were featured in numerous print and television spots leading up to and during the Olympic Games. Cheryl and Jacqui are indeed special, having spent 17 years together, guiding their
children through an impressive skating career. From their first regional championships in 1997 to the senior level, Team USA and two Olympic Games, these skating moms have lived and seen it all. With Meryl and Charlie electing to sit out the 2014–15 competition season, Cheryl and Jacqui are excited to begin their own chapter by giving back and sharing their wealth of knowledge with a new generation of skating parents.
by KELLY VOGTNER “At the end of the day, I know that my role is
not to dream for my child, but to empower her to dream for herself.” — Gonan Premfors Figure skating is a challenging and long
road, and as a parent, there are some key things that you can do to support your child throughout the process. One of the most important things you can
do to empower your athlete is to let him or her lead the way. Let figure skating be your child’s
28 JANUARY 2015
sport, not yours. Listen to your skater’s words and actions; they show the level of commitment to the sport. Ask your athlete about goals and pay at- tention to whether his or her actions are support- ing those goals. You need invest your time, your energy and your money into the sport; however, your commitment should be no greater than the interest and effort that your child demonstrates. “We’ve always been parents that come from a place of having respect for our kids and wanting
them to learn from making choices for themselves about their own lives, which includes sports,” Jac- qui said. “I think when kids are given the oppor- tunity to do that, and feel that ownership of their sport, they have a greater sense of excitement, commitment and ultimately, motivation.” “If children take ownership of their own
sport, you should not be dragging them out of bed or away from a TV to get to practice,” Cher- yl added. “If your child is complaining, ‘Why do
Last fall, Cheryl and Jacqui attended the U.S. Novice and Junior Challenge
Skate, a developmental competition that runs in conjunction with the U.S. Interna- tional Classic, as parent team leaders. Te event is an invitation-only program for ath- letes who have competed previously at the intermediate through junior level at section- als or the U.S Championships. Challenge Skate parents had the opportunity to work with Cheryl and Jacqui and attend three seminars titled “Success Starts at Home.” Each of the three seminars included topics relevant to raising a figure skater. In this and the next two issues, SKATING magazine will feature a recap of one of these seminars. First up, Success Starts at Home Part 1: Empowering Your Athlete Success Starts at Home Part 1: Empowering Your Athlete
MIKE COPPOLA/GETTY IMAGES
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68