Charlie White On DWTS: “The dance floor is a totally different kind of monster”
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette interviewed Charlie White about he and Meryl Davis’ ice skating, their gold medal, and the new “Stars On Ice” show. They also asked him about Dancing With The Stars. I love how Charlie says the dance floor is a total different monster versus the ice rink. More below. Great article! Be sure to read it in full at the link. And don’t you just love the pic above of he and Sharna dancing in the black lights? Awwww So cool! More pics at Getty Images.
Davis and White — skating partners since 1997 — have spent the past two months performing side-by-side on the “Stars on Ice” figure-skating tour and separately in ABC’s hit dance competition “Dancing with the Stars.”
It’s been an “intense” and “exhausting” saga, White said by phone Saturday, but “we’re in the best shape of our lives. We’re also having the time of our lives. And we’re not taking any of it for granted.”
The only difficult part, White said, is the dance floor.
“The ice just feels like home, especially now after I’m realizing how much I take for granted,” he said. “The dance floor is a totally different kind of monster. You think you know how to walk, but you actually have no idea how to walk like these guys.”
Monday, on the Week 6 airing of “Dancing With the Stars,” Davis and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy tangoed to a perfect score of 40; White and Sharna Burgess’s cha-cha finished four points back and in third place.
“People like to bring up the fact that we’re competing against each other and ask if that feels weird, but it doesn’t,” White said. “It feels like we’re in it together.
“Obviously, after 17 years of skating together, on top of the fact that we just won an Olympic gold medal, we know exactly what the other person is going through. It’s just nice to have someone that’s there to support you and have fun with you and be tired with you.”
Charlie and Sharna are bringing such fun routines and he is doing awesome and so much fun. I feel they have been underscored, but I think they is an agenda here, but hope it will backfire in the end. Charlie and Sharna all the way!
I feel they are underscored too. It reminds me of the season with Donald Driver and Peta. It seems they won’t give him a 10 for anything.
Vogue, I’m so glad you pointed to the comparison with Donald. The best thing about that is Donald ended up winning. I would love it if Charlie won.
Vogue, thanks for this great find! One of the many things I like about Charlie and Meryl is they’re both so articulate in interviews. They’re pleasant and positive and express themselves in complete sentences. Guess that’s one of the benefits of having continued to pursue their college education. They’ve experienced a bit more of life than just the inside of an ice skating arena.
YW and I love that about them too!! Both of them are so humble.
Majoring in cultural anthropology and Italian just sounds so dramatic and mysterious (not sure how you actually make a living at it but hey, it’s a TOTALLY cool sounding major). Political Science with thoughts of Law School? UGH. So totally not my thing BUT definitely explains being able to speak in articulate, concise thoughts.
I don’t think it’s unusual for people who are that dedicated and driven in their sport, driven enough to rise to the very top, to end up being successful in other walks of life. There’s just something built into their DNA that makes them work just that little bit longer and harder to achieve their goals.
I wish I had even a fraction of their drive.
I am in awe of these people. I read that Charlie while in school was active in student government(probably why the law school)played the violin in the school orchestra, played hockey in a team which won the state championship, did ice dancing and was still competing in singles
figure skating till he was 16!
I wonder when he had time to sleep.