Detroit's ice dancers still greeted with cheers months after gold medal win

Meryl Davis, Charlie White taking time to visit schools, hospitals now that they're no longer training for Olympics

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. – When Charlie White was not on the ice as a child, he was attending Roeper School in Bloomfield Hills.

Monday, the school that meant so much to him growing up welcomed him home.

Roeper School had a special assembly with White and his ice dance partner Meryl Davis as the guests of honor.   

"It's such a family.  It's amazing," said White.  "Just getting a chance to talk to all of these kids was really special."

The two talked to the students about chasing their dreams and pursuing their goals.  White told them that part of who he is and his success has to do with his time at Roeper School.

Davis and White made history in February when they became the first American ice dance team to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.

The duo have been skating together for nearly 18 years and have always trained in Detroit.  Since returning home, they have taken time to stop at area schools and hospitals to meet with children, talk to them and show off their gold medals.

"When we were training for the Olympics, I think that we were so focused on sort of the task at hand, that we didn't necessarily get the opportunity to do that, so now that we do have a bit of time to do that, go to children's hospitals, have the opportunity to show and you know put a smile on a kid's face is really what brightens our day at this point," said Davis.   "We feel as though we certainly didn't achieve something like this alone, it was the community, it was the people who supported us and so to be able to share that with them especially the people who need that extra little something to smile during their day is really special for us."

Being good role models is important to both Davis and White.

"I think being good role models and encouraging people to follow their dreams and be true to themselves is really what we're most passionate about at this point," said Davis.

"We were very fortunate to have, you know, our parents as great role models other ice skaters really step up and take us under our wing and we just felt that had such an impact on our lives and how confidant we were in ourselves so we always kind of just want to make kids more confidant and believe in themselves," said White.

Roeper school presented Davis and White with alumni jackets and made Davis an honorary member of the school.   Teachers who taught White during his time at Roeper also came forward to give him a special greeting.

What Are They Doing Now?

While they are not currently competing, Davis and White are still skating together, performing in several shows this fall and over the winter.   

"We were so sort of one-track minded for kind of the four years leading into our second Olympic games and so know trying to balance things and not being focused on training all the time is a very different approach but we're having fun," Davis said.

"It's weird going back to the rink and kind of preparing all these things and having a totally different mind set but we're enjoying ourselves," White said.

Davis has started taking classes at the University of Michigan again.   Both White and Davis are students at U of M.

White told Local 4 that he and fiancee Tanith Belbin have set a wedding date.   The two will marry in Michigan in late April 2015.