Going for the Gold: Meryl Davis & Charlie White

The "Going for the Gold" series kicked off our One-Year-Countdown to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. We will feature a different 2010 U.S. Olympic or Paralympic hopeful each week with a vodcast on the first and second Friday of every month.

Ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White were barely 10 years old when they were partnered together in 1997. Almost 12 years later, the duo still leaves its mark all over the ice.

At the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships last month, 22-year-old Davis and 21-year-old White came in first. The twosome also won gold at the AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January.

When the couple broke out into the senior scene in 2006-2007, they finished third at Nationals. In 2007-2008, Davis and White had second-place finishes at both Nationals and the Four Continents Championships, and placed sixth at Worlds. This past fall they medaled at all of their Grand Prix assignments.

Although the pair has skated together longer than any other U.S. dance team, White also skated singles until 2006, where he finished ninth at the junior level at Nationals. In 2004 he had a third-place finish at Nationals at the novice level.

White, who is an avid hockey fan, broke his ankle while playing hockey in fall 2004. He and Davis had to withdraw from Nationals in 2005 because of his injury. The following season is when the duo made its first appearance at the senior level.

As if the ice dancers don't spend enough time together on the ice, both ice dancers hail from Michigan-Davis from West Bloomfield and White from Bloomfield Hills-and they both attend the University of Michigan.

Currently ranked third in the world behind a Russian pair and a French pair, Davis and White will compete in the ISU World Figure Skating Championships, which begin Sunday in Los Angeles.

The two know how important their Worlds performance is, as the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games are a mere 11 months away. If they can keep up their performances, Davis and White could be on their way to making their Olympic debut.

Click here to see Meryl Davis' bio.

Click here to see Charlie White's bio.