Meryl Davis and Charlie White yesterday became the first American couple to win the Gold Medal in ice dancing, and the achievement has made the front page of many newspapers across the country. Both skaters are from Michigan and train in Detroit, and their hometown papers predictably put them front and center. The Detroit News went with an image of the pair skating a congratulatory lap holding an American flag under the header, "Solid Gold," while the Detroit Free Press ran a similar image under the header, "Olympic Gold: Made In Michigan." The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Orange County Register both went with the headline, "Solid Gold Dancers," while the Washington Post had, "American Dance Their Way To Gold." Many other papers, including USA Today and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, had an image of the duo with just a caption. The following are a few other headlines (THE DAILY).
Bergen (NJ) Record: "Golden Pair Dance Into History"
Charlotte Observer: "Davis, White Savor To Gold"
Miami Herald: "Historic Moment:
Oakland (MI) Press: "Gold For Local Ice-Dancing Couple"
Providence Journal: "U.S. Dancers Strike Gold"
Richmond Times-Dispatch: "Ice Gold"
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Gliding To Gold"
MOVING THE SPORT FORWARD: Davis and White appeared on NBC's "Today" this morning and received a loud ovation from the spectators around the set. Davis said she hopes winning the country's first Gold Medal in ice dancing "encourages people to keep working and keep going for it." Davis: "The U.S. has been steadily building over the last several Olympic cycles in ice dancing, and it's a great time to be an American ice dancer for sure" ("Today," NBC, 2/18). The pair also appeared on NBC's primetime broadcast last night following their Gold Medal win, and White said, "We feel very fortunate to be among some of the U.S. people to push the sport forward.” NBC's Bob Costas asked Davis if they were aware that some believe this Gold Medal “resonates beyond the victory." Davis: "That’s fantastic. I wasn’t aware until you said that but I’m very happy to hear it." She added, "What's special about ice dance is it’s not just a sport, it’s also very artistic. So to get that recognition, to get a reaction from the audience is really important to us” (“XXII Winter Olympics,” NBC, 2/17).
MIXED BAG ON COMMENTARY: The AP's David Bauder wrote NBC's Tom Hammond during NBC's primetime broadcast of the ice dancing long competition last night "skillfully set the stage for sports fans who will never equate twizzles with home runs or jump shots." Hammond said, "Whether you're a fan of ice dance or not, you really have to appreciate two athletes at the top of their form." He also pointed out the "pressures" the athletes faced. However, Bauder noted it was "impossible for a nonexpert to tell what made one team deserving of a gold medal and the other team the silver, however, and NBC analyst Tracy Wilson never got around to explaining it" (AP, 2/17).
