Olympic Gold Medalist Meryl Davis Talks U.S. Figure Skating Championships

Whether you're born-and-raised or a transplant, it's pretty clear and ice and Minnesota go hand-in-hand.

Learning to skate is almost as ubiquitous as learning to walk.

So, it makes sense that the state's capital city would be the stage of one of the largest events to take place on ice – the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

After six years, the competition returned to downtown St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center. Beginning on January 15, the nation's best skaters – junior, women's, men's, pairs and ice dancing – compete for a chance to go on to the World Figure Skating Championships in Boston.

Additionally, past champions joined the tour by offering their support to those competing. Among the internationally recognized talent was Olympic gold medalist Meryl Davis.

Davis, along with her partner Charlie White, won the gold in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi for ice dancing. Among other honors, Davis and White also won gold at the U.S. Championships from 2009 to 2014, and both competed on Dancing With The Stars. Davis and her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, ultimately won.

During her visit, Davis took time to discuss the importance of the National Championships and why St. Paul is such a perfect fit for the competition.

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Growing up in Michigan, was ice skating just as natural a fit as it is for many Minnesotans or was it something you sought out?

Davis: I grew up on a lake, and it would freeze over in the winter so I would go skating with my family. I just had an abundance of energy. I loved [skating] and my parents loved that I had an outlet for my energy. I started taking lessons. The first or second time I took lessons Richard Callaghan, he was Tara Lipinski's coach, [was there] and I was maybe 6- or 7-years-old and I walked up to him and said, "I need lessons." I think my mom knew from there that I was pretty set on skating.

Wow! You certainly were determined! So, getting out on ice skates is a pretty common thing for young Minnesotans. Is skating as prevalent in Michigan as it is in Minnesota?

Davis: I think even more so. Detroit, for a lot of reasons, has been skating central for the last decade. Being Hockey Town, Detroit has ice rinks everywhere, so a lot of kids grow up skating there. Also, a lot of the top Russian figure skating coaches just happen to end up in Detroit. Some of the world's best coaching is in Detroit, especially for ice dance. So, the majority of the top ice dance teams train in Detroit, American or otherwise. We're really lucky that that is where we're from and we just happen to have that coaching access in our backyards, which certainly helped us along the way.

Getting into your ice skating background, how did you get involved in ice dancing?

Davis: My partner Charlie was ice dancing and they asked me and my mom if I was interested in trying out with him. I had no idea. I didn't know the difference between ice dancing and pairs at the time, so I sort of got involved and I fell in love with it along the way. So, I didn't really choose per say.

So, why not pairs?

Davis: Well, my dad wouldn't let me. (laughs) That's probably the most honest answer I can give! I always wanted to do pairs, I was really adventurous and I loved the idea of being thrown around but my dad was like, "Nah."

I can understand that! But, when you were skating alone you were still doing jumps. Was he not as concerned?

Davis: I did single skating until I was 16. But jumping by yourself and being thrown is totally different. (smiles.) My dad is very protective so he said, "Nah, we'll stick with below the head lifts."

That makes sense! I can understand it's definitely different when you're not the one in control. So, as you've continued to skate with Charlie have you ever thought about skating alone again?

Davis: No. Not once. I love skating, but I always loved the expressive performance side of it. Ice dance really, especially at that time, focused on that aspect of skating. Once I got used to skating and competing with Charlie I no longer liked being out there by myself. So the combination of being able to compete with someone else and really being able to dive into the performance side of things, it was pretty clear ice dance was what I preferred.

That's wonderful that you found what you really love and that you've been so successful at it. Speaking of, after your and Charlie's win in Sochi, you were on "Dancing With The Stars." Tell me, do you think your skating background helped you on DWTS?

Davis: I think a lot. I think mostly the physicality of it. I think actors, actresses, etc. come in and they're not used to training their bodies so many hours a day. Even though the actual dancing portion for me was challenging, training for four hours a day is just what I've done. I think that was probably the greatest advantage I had.

I can see how the training part would be difficult for people who aren't used to it. So, you and Charlie were on the show at the same time. Was there a lot of competition between you two?

Davis: We didn't really feel like we were competing against each other. I think we knew we were on the show because of our relationship and because of what we had done together. I think we just were looking to have an amazing time on the show and we weren't looking at it as a do-or-die sort of thing.

So, moving on to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, outside of qualifying for the World Championships or Olympics, why is this an important tournament?

Davis: American skating for ice skaters has a special element to it. Technically, winning the World Championships is seen as more prestigious but there's something so special about the U.S. Championships that I think, as a skater, it's hard to top performing at the U.S. Championships. Performing in front of your peers, performing in front of your fellow Americans and just the history of this competition holds a really special place in the heart of all American skaters. For Charlie and myself, I know the U.S. Championships was really always one of our most special events of the year just because of what it meant. It's a very sentimental event on top of being able to continue on as well.

I can understand why it would mean so much to compete in your home country's most prestigious tournament. For those who have never viewed a championship, what should they expect?

Davis: As a skater, we like to think that the event includes a lot of pride for the sport and the country. This is our opportunity to fight for a chance to represent our country, whether it's for the Olympics or the World Championships. So, there's a really strong feeling of patriotism at this competition because, while we all support one another and we want American figure skating to excel as much as possible, we're also all fighting for the opportunity to get that chance to be the Americans representing our country internationally. So, hopefully audience members can have that sense of pride. I think that's one of the special things about this competition.

I hope audience members feel that pride too. That sounds like a wonderful element to the competition. So, why do you think St. Paul is a good stage for this competition?

Davis: I think any time you're in a city where people skate for fun people have a greater appreciation for what the skaters are doing on the ice. It seems like St. Paul is a great place for that. We were here in 2008 for the championships as well and it was really well attended. There was great energy in the audience and that always makes for a better event, not only for the audience but for the skaters as well. We're all glad to be back.

We're glad to have you! What has been your favorite part of St. Paul thus far?

Davis: It's a great city. It's beautiful. Rice Park is so beautiful with the lights. We did "A Taste of St. Paul" contest with Brian Boitano and we were judging the meals at some of the restaurants in St. Paul. It was a great way to get a feel of St. Paul, the restaurants and the people. Even though it's chilly it has a winter wonderland vibe, which, as a figure skater, I can appreciate.

You should have been here last week! I'm glad it warmed up a bit for your visit. Now, you aren't skating this year. How are you and Charlie keeping busy?

Davis: We're sort of on the professional circuit at the moment. So, we do shows all the time, different events and sponsor appearances. Stuff like that.

Are you planning to compete again?

Davis: We have not decided yet. We're leaving it on the table.