Meryl Davis - US Figure Skating's Superstar

beabstress · May 21, 2014

pointyourtoe said:
What's wrong with her interviews?

Meryl is very articulate and expresses herself very well--no issues there. I would imagine that the suggestion about a vocal coach has to do with how very high her voice is. It's a little startling when she begins to speak, especially if one has never heard her speak before.

tulosai · May 21, 2014

buttermilk said:
Having a chipmunk voice is another thing people are supposed to feel about themselves for now? Her voice is fine. Thankfully, I think she has enough self esteem and better things to do with her time than worry about that.

:thumbsup:

SimplyAFan · May 21, 2014

snowflakebeautiful said:
Me too!!!!! It just makes me so thrilled that after people discounted her here on the forums for various prejudiced and fairly baseless reasons that she really came out and was just above and beyond terrific!! And I am so happy for Meryl and Charlie because they have really achieved those dreams that they had; and this is just their year! And I think that she and Charlie have been really terrific ambassadors for figure skating via their time on DWTS. They were both so likable because they were genuine, sweet, hard-working, complaint-less contestants.

So in conclusion, I hope that whatever they wish to do after this point that they are able to do and enjoy because they are so deserving! And it is a great day for the USFS because they couldn't have asked for better representatives of the sport! <3 And it is so great to have a likable and adorable male and female face for the USFS that accomplished everything together! I wish them all of the best; and can't wait to see what they do from here on!

YES! Could not have said this better! I'm hoping they tour with SOI again because I was unable to attend when they were in my city. Really want to see them live!!

ingofan1 · May 21, 2014

YLFan said:
A nose job

What is wrong with you how rude and mean.Meryl is not the standard beauty yet she is beautiful.

ingofan1 · May 21, 2014

What is this pick on Meryl day.It is post like these on here that is one of the problems with the internet. People say things with out thought .We are becoming a rude society.I am sorry about ranting .

Coltrocks12 · May 21, 2014

I am very stinkin' proud of Meryl. She was beautiful in all three dances. The win for M&M was deserved by both. She looked so relaxed and beautiful in all of the talk shows today. The sky is the limit for where she wants to take her life and career. I am also glad that Amy came in second as I really enjoyed her finale dances as well as her perseverance through amazing challenges. Both are incredible role models for young girls with dreams.

I made the mistake of going over to the blog about Scott and Jessica and you should see the hate and vitriol from both the blogger and his/her fans for Meryl. It is irrational, incorrect, and totally hateful and ridiculous. They don't give her any credit for being able to dance, skate, or learn new things. They also claim her to be snobby and stupid. What we learned by her friends and family is that she is fiercely shy which often gets misread as snobbery. Everybody I have talked to that have met her say that she is shy but really genuine and sweet. She is not stupid, she is very smart and well spoken. She had to do a lot to overcome dyslexia. I think she has proven to those not predisposed to hate her that she is a beautiful dancer and artisan on the dance floor and the ice. I agree that if she/Charlie were to come back that there is still growth in them. I have a feeling that V/M have been moving slightly backwards since Vancouver with more and more mistakes creeping into their programs. I don't think the hate is coming from a majority of V/M fans, just a few bad apples trying to ruin the barrel.

I am glad that I found this board and a forum of people that discuss skating and love their favorites without hatred for that person's rivals on the ice. We can agree, disagree, and discuss with respect for the skaters and for each other and our right to have an opinion.

Tompson · May 21, 2014

Can GG be the next superstar in Murrica? :biggrin:

snowflakebeautiful · May 22, 2014

meem said:
Her voice is extremely high-pitched (it's like listening to fingernails scratching a blackboard). A voice coach could help her lower her voice a bit, give it a fuller (i.e., not squeaky) sound which would be great because Meryl's got a lot to offer so she'll need a better speaking voice.

I work in the area of voice; and while I agree that she doesn't sound within the "normal" pitch range for an adult female, what you're saying is rude. An individual can work on his/her voice if they want to....but I think that when you attack a person's voice you're not taking into account how much our voices provide us with an identity. A lot of people opt to not receive therapy in this area because changing his/her voice makes them feel less themselves.
There are a good number of people who have an inappropriate pitch for their gender and/or age, many who are too nasal, and still others with various etiologies affecting their voice. And still some people who have thick accents (southern, northern, foreign, etc.).... All of these people have something in common: many never seek or decide to fully go through with therapy to "sound more normal" bc our voices are part of who we are.

Honestly, Meryl's voice is a part of her identity personally and professionally. The larger public knows what her voice sounds like; and she shouldn't be ashamed of it or have to change it for anyone. There are many current and past celebrities who have different sounding voices; and it didn't make them any less successful. I think Meryl's voice fits her perfectly!

Olympia · May 22, 2014

What an interesting way of looking at the issue, Snowflake! I'd have suggested that she work on her voice, but now, hearing your explanation, I can see the advantage of her remaining as she is. It is interesting to contemplate how much we can do with our voices to define ourselves, though, in terms of not just pitch but openness of tone and accent changes. If one thinks of speaking as an extension of singing, one can see all sorts of possibilities for greater expressive range.

snowflakebeautiful · May 22, 2014

Olympia said:
What an interesting way of looking at the issue, Snowflake! I'd have suggested that she work on her voice, but now, hearing your explanation, I can see the advantage of her remaining as she is. It is interesting to contemplate how much we can do with our voices to define ourselves, though, in terms of not just pitch but openness of tone and accent changes. If one thinks of speaking as an extension of singing, one can see all sorts of possibilities for greater expressive range.

Yes! You're on the money!!

(Actually, some therapy techniques are things that voice teachers also use when teaching singing - it's a small world.)

If this weren't one of the areas of my profession, I probably wouldn't have ever thought about how defining a person's voice can be for them but it really is. So, I just feel like attacking part of someone's identity is just inappropriate. (Granted, I do understand that not everyone fully appreciates or knows how important our voice is to how we view ourselves.)

Overall, with all of the ridiculous nose and voice comments, I'm not sure why so many individuals feel the need to be so rude and not add to the real discussion at hand. I think that the OP of this thread intended for it to be a place to praise Meryl for her recent accomplishments and discuss what else she has the potential to do...

dorispulaski · May 22, 2014

http://www.freep.com/article/20140522/COL38/305220141/meryl-davis-dancing-with-the-stars-dwts

This is a wonderful article. It discusses Meryl's dwts journey from the perspectives of her mom, Charlie's mom, and Marina. It offers the following insight:

Beautiful. Classy. Elegant. Strong.

But nobody ever described Davis as sexy or sultry.

“She’s very quiet,” Meryl’s mother, Cheryl Davis, had told me, just a few days earlier. “She’s a perfectionist. I think people can take that the wrong way. She’s a very quiet girl.”
.....

If anything, going into the Olympics, Zoueva wanted Davis, 27, and White, 26, to be more sexy. More sultry in their routines.

So Zoueva tried to add an erotic flair to the middle of their free-dance program.

“It’s not natural for them,” Zoueva said.

......
A different Davis
But Davis changed over the last few months.

Something came out of her during this TV show and she started to act sexy, sultry and sensuous, while dancing with Chmerkovskiy.

“Did you know that was in her?” I asked her mother.

“No!” Cheryl Davis said with a laugh. “I had no idea. Are you kidding? I had never seen her dance like that.”

And I felt uncomfortable, even asking her about it.

“I apologize for saying this to you, her mom, but she looked so sexy,” I said.

“I know,” Cheryl Davis said. “He is bringing it out of her. The two of them together. I was very proud of her. It just shows me what she is made of. She is so strong and determined to do things right. She has always wanted to be artistic, she has always wanted to show that side of herself.”

Well, consider it done.

But why didn’t it ever come out on skates?

“We asked her about that,” Cheryl Davis said. “She said, when on the ice, the technical is what is important. You have to have the technical score. You have to watch your edges. You have to have everything in the right place. You practice the same dance for a year. It gets to the point where it’s robotic. It’s the same dance, all year long.

“But this is more emotional. She can let herself go and she’s not as inhibited.”

The most revealing part of the show was the small behind-the-scenes vignettes with Chmerkovskiy. We saw a playful side of Davis. We saw the intense side. And we saw how she connects with her partners.

During a modern dance Monday night, Davis and Chmerkovskiy writhed around the dance floor, as Davis wore a nighty.

“My jaw dropped,” I said to Jacqui White, Charlie’s mother.

“So did ours,” said Jacqui White, who has known Davis since she was a kid. “All of us were thinking the same thing. ‘Wow! Where did that come from?’ Not just me. Her parents. Everybody who knows her. She was so free, not a fear in the world, just having a great time and having a blast. It’s been fun and exciting, kind of a joyful feeling.”

snowflakebeautiful · May 22, 2014

dorispulaski said:
http://www.freep.com/article/20140522/COL38/305220141/meryl-davis-dancing-with-the-stars-dwts

This is a wonderful article. It discusses Meryl's dwts journey from the perspectives of her mom, Charlie's mom, and Marina. It offers the following insight:

Thank you for sharing!!!! That is a great article!! :biggrin:

Here's to Meryl (and Charlie) and their future success!! (And many thanks to the fabulous publicity they brought week after week to FS on DWTS!)

WeakAnkles · May 22, 2014

lmarie086 said:
I've been a D/W fan since they made their senior debut- something really just clicked for me. I didn't care that they weren't perfect because they were always improving. It astounds me to go back and compare the 2014 D/W to what they were at the 2006 SC. And maybe I'm alone on this, but I still don't think they've fully met all their potential. Especially now that it sounds like both Meryl and Charlie have a new, deeper appreciation of dance.

The biggest treat of DWTS for me has been seeing Meryl and Charlie learn more about dance, and how wonderful their friendship was. The snippet of their dance that ABC deigned to share (grr) was probably my favorite part of the whole season. I don't care that they don't have a super steamy romantic connection, theirs is no less heartfelt.

And after all the criticism thrown at Meryl (especially) and Charlie, I'm tickled that they may just be on their way to becoming household names. Constructive criticism is no problem, but for some they could never do anything right. So I LOVE this.

And I'm going to be the contrary one and say I don't think Meryl and Maks will end up in a relationship. I think they care about each other deeply, but I see a long lasting friendship coming out of this more than anything.

A few things...

I would be highly surprised if M/M ended up in a relationship. It's a well-known theater phenomenon that cast members become super close during the production of a play. On-set romances are infamous in the movie business. But once the performance is over, those intense feelings tend to level out.

It seems to be some human character trait that we want to believe the movie/theater/ice skating couple are a romantic item in that strange thing known as Real Life, that everything an author writes about is autobiographical, that actors who "play gay" really are (though as one actor who did--sorry can't remember who at the moment--said no one would keep sharp objects away from him in Real Life if he played an ax murderer). The power of art is awfully powerful.

And a nose job? Really? So easy to make ASSinine comments from the anonymous sanctity of the internet. So many great beauties have a bit of something not conventionally beautiful, like Cindy Crawford's mole. It is usually what makes them so striking and memorable (though in Meryl's case I would say it is her eyes). She's a memorable beauty. Not a bland one.

It is a shame that Marlie will probably retire now, because I don't think they ever reached their full potential and I do think their DWTS experience would have made them even better ice dancers.

BlackPack · May 22, 2014

I find these complaints about her nose and voice are just imaginary problems. Nothing wrong with her. Something is wrong with certain posters, however.

In any case... I admire Meryl. I believe she is someone who not only transcended her limitations but also works hard to improve herself.

Something that certain critics aren't doing with themselves, I gather.

Matilda · May 22, 2014

I finally got to watch the finale performances and Wow! M&M blew me away! So, so happy they won! :yay:

And for the record: I think Meryl is an absolutely gorgeous woman! No need to change a thing about her!

BusyMom · May 22, 2014

She is cute as a pie. What's wrong with these people!

Olympia · May 22, 2014

WeakAnkles said:
It is a shame that Marlie will probably retire now, because I don't think they ever reached their full potential and I do think their DWTS experience would have made them even better ice dancers.

I've been thinking this, too. I hope that their dance experience will galvanize them to do more skating. Can you imagine the leap forward we'll see in their skating? After all, it wasn't just Meryl who expanded her capabilities on the show. Look at Charlie doing that sultry tango. They have both gained more dimension. My fingers are crossed that we'll see more skating from them!

iluvtodd · May 22, 2014

Thanks for the freep article! I'm over the moon for Meryl & Maks winning the mirror ball. I also appreciate how supportive Charlie has been for them during DWTS (was bummed out that Charlie & Sharna got eliminated when they did).

Big Deal · May 22, 2014

t is a shame that Marlie will probably retire now, because I don't think they ever reached their full potential and I do think their DWTS experience would have made them even better ice dancers.

Yes, I think that this dance program very obviously showed the reason why D/W never been exciting and hot in the ice more than their great technique and perfectionism. The reason is Charlie. He is the dead fish outf of the 2. I cannot imagine where Meryl would have been gone with f.e. Scott Moir, Andrew Poje or even Poirer. Charlie is VERY good technically but unable to interpret anything else than "The prince in the Swanlake" or a little bit more modern version of it playing some musical role.
The Disneyworld like of style was not the mistake of Meryl or Zueva. That was because of the limits of Charlie.
I hope that this dance show made Charlie to understand and interpret something else, and than they can go to incredible hights.
Meryl's availability is unlimited. She is fantastic. Even ready to do some Bejart program or the most difficult theme of Bartók The Miraculous mandarin. It would be priceless.

GF2445 · May 22, 2014

Remember there is Boston 2016? maybe they could stay on until then.....please please please....

Meryl Davis - US Figure Skating's Superstar

beabstress

tulosai

SimplyAFan

ingofan1

ingofan1

Coltrocks12

Tompson

snowflakebeautiful

Olympia

snowflakebeautiful

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl

snowflakebeautiful

WeakAnkles

BlackPack

Matilda

BusyMom

Olympia

iluvtodd

Big Deal

GF2445

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