Ice Dancing and Reading?
Yes, but not at the same time! Olympic Ice Dance Champs talk to Kid Reporter
To be honest, I didn’t particularly remember the details of the Ice Dancing competition from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics when I got the assignment to interview Silver Medalist Ice Dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White. My mom and I went onto YouTube to do some research!
We found many interesting interviews and videos of their ice dancing routines. I was really impressed by their “Indian-inspired” ice dance in the Olympic competition. The music and choreography were great! Both skaters were completely in sync with the music and each other.
I also liked the Phantom of the Opera ice dance. Toward the end of that routine, there was an interesting lift that involved Meryl flipping onto Charlie’s back and positioning her skate blade on his calf while gliding across the ice. How did they not fall doing that move? They made it look so smooth and easy.
Just before the interview I had butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous and excited at the same time. When I got to the ice arena for our scheduled meeting, Meryl warmly welcomed me and went to find Charlie. When I asked them the questions, they gave me great answers—just the answers I needed to write a great article. They were extremely nice and told me that I had done a terrific job for my first interview. No more butterflies!
One really interesting thing I learned about the ice dancing pair is that they love to read and are excited by Scholastic’s Campaign to “Read Every Day. Lead A Better Life.”
“Reading every day is something we take to heart,” Meryl said. “Our education is something we really take pride in.”
“Reading books you enjoy can help you advance your education,” Charlie said. “For me, it was key in being accepted into a great college like University of Michigan.”
Both have their respective lists of “influential books” noted on Scholastic’s You Are What You Read website. Some of their all time favorites are targeted for teens and older such as The Chronicles of Amber (Charlie’s favorite) and The Lord of the Rings (Meryl’s favorite).
I asked them about their favorite childhood books. Meryl said The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was her favorite book because of the adventures and mischief she could experience by reading.
And Charlie’s favorite childhood book? A story about a bunny rabbit that sucks all the juice from vegetables.
“Actually, just mentioning the book makes me want to find my copy of Bunnicula so I can read it again!” Charlie said with a loud laugh.
You can check out You Are What You Read and add your own favorite books. It’s cool! (Kind of like ice dancing.) Also, check my story about the interview!
PHOTO: Kid Reporter Molly Pribble with Olympic Silver Medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White at the Arctic Edge Ice Arena in Canton, Michigan, where they train for their ice dancing routines. (Photo Courtesy Molly Pribble)
So there were two articles on the skaters? Where is that town in Michigan? Was it a far drive from AA? How do you get your assignments?
Posted by: Beckie | 05/29/2011 at 02:22 PM
That is very good story about the interview. You must of been very happy about interviewing a great ice skater that won the silver medal.
Posted by: ta | 09/19/2011 at 03:08 PM
Hi molly
great article- good job!
Go eagles!!!
Posted by: Anna | 09/23/2011 at 08:43 PM