All three ice dance teams headed to Sochi train in metro Detroit
Detroit will have a lot of representatives on the ice at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and that's not just hockey players.
All three ice dancing teams that will represent the United States are based in metro Detroit.
First and foremost are the reigning champs, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who won their sixth consecutive U.S. title this past weekend in Boston.
"Obviously we're going into these Games with very high expectations," White told the Free Press' Jeff Seidel. "We've had a lot of great momentum over the last four years since the 2010 Olympics, and we think we've put ourselves in a great position to bring home a gold medal."
Davis and White skate at the Arctic Edge in Canton.
While Davis and White are the favorites, the other two Detroit-area teams are also looking for medals.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates were second to Davis and White this past weekend in Boston and are also headed to Russia.
"I'm so over the moon and completely thrilled," Chock told Seidel. "This has been a lifelong dream. We're so happy, and we couldn't be in better company."
Chock and Bates skate at the Novi Ice Arena.
The third Olympic berth went to Maia and Alex Shibutani, the sister-and-brother duo who finished third in the ice dance competition in Boston.
The only other possibility was the Detroit Skating Club's Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, who were fourth-place finishers in Boston, but U.S. Figure Skating opted to take the top three finishers at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
"This is the pinnacle of sport," Alex Shibutani told Seidel. "It's the John Williams music. It's watching the opening ceremonies. It's a very exclusive club that very few people have a chance to be part of. In our sport, it's the highest level you can reach."
The Shibutanis also skate at the Arctic Edge in Canton.
