MOC6-Day-#11-On-this-Day-Four-Years-Ago

I had this all written with the title being: January 11, 2014. I was about to upload it when I realized - OMG - this story happened EXACTLY 4 years ago! So, I changed the title.
JOURNALING:
On this Day-Four Years Ago
January 11, 2014
The day dawned cold and rainy in Boston as my sister and I took the spectator shuttle to the TD Garden for the penultimate day of the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships. My mind returned to the year 2000 in a frigid ice skating rink in the suburbs of Cleveland where a young novice ice dancing team would take my breath away. I couldn't take my eyes off of them as they held hands and skated around the rink. They had such beautiful edges and deep knees and an indefinable quality that said "STAR." Meryl Davis and Charlie White would only finish 6th in that event, but it was the start of my journey attending and watching them at each successive Nationals as they grew into the most successful ice dancing team in U.S. history. The best part of that journey was getting to meet them and learn that they were truly the nice, wholesome young people they appeared to be.
So, here we were in Boston waiting for the final group of dancers to take to the ice. The evening before, as my sister and I ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, Davis and White and their families came in. They saw us and came over and said hello. We congratulated them on their short program and wished them success the next day. Later, as we left the restaurant, I went over to their table and told them how much I had enjoyed watching their "Scheherazade" long program as it evolved over the season and was looking forward to seeing it the next day. Charlie told me, "Well, there has been another change. Just wait until you see it."
So, here we were. The Shibutanis got the crowd going with their sassy homage to Michael Jackson. And then Meryl and Charlie took to the ice and performed their revamped "Scheherazade." I was stunned. Coach and choreographer Marina Zoueva had added a softer section to the middle of the program that showed the king falling in love with Scheherazade. It was so beautiful and well done and completed the story. I couldn't believe how emotional "my kids" made it. It was no contest as they won their 6th straight Senior National title and a huge, well-deserved, standing ovation.
Just over a month later on February 17, Davis and White would set new records in ice dancing at the Sochi Olympics as they became the first U.S. team to win the gold medal. I'd said all they had to do was skate the way they had skated all season. And they did.
And so, it had come full circle. I first saw them in my home state of Ohio; they won their first Senior National title in Cleveland; and now they were crowned Olympic Champions in my emotional heartland of Russia. And it had all started in that frigid ice rink on the outskirts of Cleveland...
CREDITS: PHOTO: web; KITS: Watercolor Paper by Sahlin Studio; Lola Rose 2 by Rebecca McMeen; FONT: Lucida Handwriting