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A novice is a In National Hunt racing, a novice is a horse that has not won a race under a particular code (either chasing or hurdling) before the current season.^[1] Another term is maiden. It also sometimes refers to a race for two-year-old horses that have not won more than twice.

In figure skating competitions, novice has two meanings. For the U.S. Figure Skating Association, it refers to a skill level, while the International Skating Union uses it to designate age.

Novice is a level of minor hockey in Canada. Novice players are usually between the ages of 7 and 8.

In the sport of crew (rowing), the term is used for an athlete in their first year of competition.

See also[link]

• Neophyte
• Novitiate
• Rookie

Notes[link]

Meryl Davis
Davis & White at the 2008 Four Continents Championships
Personal information
Full name	Meryl Davis
Country represented	United States
Born	(1987-01-01) January 1, 1987 (age 25) Royal Oak, Michigan
Home town	West Bloomfield, Michigan
Height	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Partner	Charlie White
Coach	Igor Shpilband Marina Zoueva
Former coach	Seth Chafetz
Choreographer	Igor Shpilband Marina Zoueva
Skating club	Arctic FSC
Current training locations	Canton, Michigan
Began skating	1990
World standing	1 (As of 30 April 2012 (2012 -04-30)[update])[1]
Season's bests	1 (2011–2012)[2] 1 (2010–2011)[3] 2 (2009–2010)[4] 4 (2008–2009)[5]
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	188.55 2011–2012 Grand Prix Final
Short dance:	76.17 (WR) 2011–2012 Grand Prix Final
Free dance	112.38 2011–2012 Grand Prix Final
Medal record Figure skating Ice dancing Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games Silver 2010 Vancouver Ice dancing World Championships Silver 2012 Nice Ice dancing Gold 2011 Moscow Ice dancing Silver 2010 Turin Ice dancing Four Continents Championships Silver 2012 Colorado Springs Ice dancing Gold 2011 Taipei Ice dancing Gold 2009 Vancouver Ice dancing Silver 2008 Goyang Ice dancing Grand Prix Final Gold 2011–2012 Quebec City Ice dancing Gold 2010–2011 Beijing Ice dancing Gold 2009–2010 Tokyo Ice dancing World Junior Championships Bronze 2006 Ljubljana Ice dancing Junior Grand Prix Final Silver 2005–2006 Ostrava Ice dancing

Olympic medal record
Figure skating
Pair's Ice dancing
Competitor for the  United States
Silver	2010 Vancouver	Ice dancing

Meryl Davis (born January 1, 1987) is an American ice dancer. With partner Charlie White, she is the 2011 World champion, 2010 Olympic silver medalist, the 2010 World silver medalist, three-time Grand Prix Final champion (2009–2011), two-time Four Continents champion (2009, 2011) and four-time U.S. national champion (2009–2012).

Davis and White teamed up in 1997 and they are currently the longest lasting dance team in the United States. They are the first American ice dancers to win the World title. At the 2006 NHK Trophy, they became the first ice dancing team to earn level fours on all their elements.^[6]

At the 2010 U.S. Championships, they were nominated to represent the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics.^[7] They won the silver medal in the ice dancing event.

Davis and White are the current world record holders for the short dance.

Personal life[link]

Meryl Davis was raised in West Bloomfield, Michigan. She lives and attends school in Ann Arbor, Michigan and trains in Canton, Michigan.

In June 2005, Davis graduated from Wylie E. Groves High School. She was a member of the National Honor Society and, upon graduation, received the Phi Beta Kappa Society award. She attends the University of Michigan, where she is majoring in cultural anthropology,^[8] and also studying Italian.^[9][10] She is an active member of the sorority Delta Delta Delta. She can play the flute.^[9]

Career[link]

Early career[link]

Davis began skating at age five on a local lake in the winter.^[11] She started out as a single skater, but began doing ice dance at age eight.^[11] She got as high as Midwestern sectionals in novice ladies before quitting singles to focus on ice dancing.^[11]

She was teamed up with Charlie White by her coach, Seth Chafetz, in 1997 or 1998.^[11][12][10] In 2009, Davis said: "Charlie and I grew up 10 minutes apart from each other. Our parents are best friends. We've grown together and know each other so well."^[13] They experienced success rapidly. In their first year as partners they won the silver medal at the Junior Olympics in the Juvenile division.

In the 2000–2001 season,they qualified for the 2001 U.S. Championships, placing 6th as Novices. The next season they won the silver medal as novices and then moved up to Junior. They did not win a medal at either of their two Junior Grand Prix assignments and placed 7th at the 2003 U.S. Championships in their junior debut.

Junior career[link]

In the 2003–2004 season, they won their sectional championship and then won the junior silver medal at Nationals. This earned them a trip to the 2004 Junior Worlds, where they placed 13th.

In the 2004–2005 season, Davis and White did very well internationally on the Junior circuit, winning two bronze medals. However, White broke his ankle before Sectionals and so Davis and White were unable to qualify for the 2005 U.S. Championships. Their season ended there.

In the 2005–2006 season, they came back strong. They medaled at both their Junior Grand Prix events and placed second at the Junior Grand Prix Final. They won the junior national title at the 2006 U.S. Championships and then won the bronze medal at the 2006 Junior Worlds. Following that season, Davis aged out of Juniors. They lost some training time after White broke his ankle at a hockey tournament in 2006.^[10]

Senior career[link]

2006–07 season[link]

In the 2006–07 season, they made their debut both nationally and internationally as seniors. They placed 4th at both their 2006–07 ISU Grand Prix assignments. At the 2006 NHK Trophy, they became the first team to earn all level fours on their elements. At the 2007 U.S. Championships, they won the bronze medal at the senior level, qualifying them for the 2007 World Championships. They are the first team since Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto to go directly from winning the Junior national title to making the World team.

Davis and White also qualified for the Four Continents Championships, which took place before Worlds. Davis and White placed 4th. At the World Championships, Davis and White placed 7th, the highest debut placement for an American team at Worlds since 1980.^[14]

2007–2008 season[link]

Davis and White placed 4th at the 2007 Skate America and then went on to win their first Grand Prix medal at the 2007 Trophée Eric Bompard.

They completely revamped their Eleanor Rigby's Eleanor's Dream free dance before the 2008 U.S. Championships due to its poor reception. They won the silver medal at the competition, one spot up from the previous season. They also won silver at 2008 Four Continents and were sixth at the 2008 World Championships.

2008–2009 season[link]

In the 2008–2009 season, Davis and White won their first Grand Prix assignment, the 2008 Skate Canada. In their second assignment, the 2008 Cup of Russia, they placed third in the compulsory dance but were eighth in the original dance after White fell twice and stumbled on twizzles.^[12] They recovered in the free dance, placing second in the segment and moving up to win the bronze medal, which together with the gold from Skate Canada was enough to qualify them for their first Grand Prix Final. At the 2008–2009 Grand Prix Final, they won the bronze medal.

At the 2009 National Championships, they won the event after reigning champions Belbin and Agosto withdrew due to injury. They won by a 20 point margin over silver medalists Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates.

In February 2009, they won the ice dance title at the Four Continents Championships, placing second in both the compulsory and original dance behind training mates Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir but winning the free dance.^[15]

At the 2009 World Championships they placed 4th. Though they placed third in both the original and free dance portions, they lost too much ground in the compulsory to overcome training mates Virtue and Moir for the bronze. Only .04 points separated 3rd from 4th.

Davis and White after performing their free dance to The Phantom of the Opera at the 2009-2010 Grand Prix Final.

2009–2010 season[link]

They competed at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy, finishing first in all the segments of the competition. Overall they won the gold medal with a score of 200.46 points, 30.87 ahead of silver medalists Alexandra Zaretski and Roman Zaretski.

They won the 2009 Rostelecom Cup and the 2009 NHK Trophy, which qualified them for the 2009–2010 Grand Prix Final. At the Grand Prix Final, they won the original dance and placed second in the free dance to win the title overall, becoming the first American ice dancers to do so. At the 2010 National Championships, Davis and White won their second national title.^[9] They beat former training partners Belbin and Agosto, the first time they had ever done so, and led through all portions of the competition.

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, they placed second to Canada's Virtue & Moir, winning silver. They skated a personal best in the free skate portion of ice dancing, garnering a score of 107.19 and received a personal best total score of 215.74.

They also won the silver medal at the 2010 World Championships.

2010–11 season[link]

Davis and White were undefeated in their 2010–2011 season.

For the 2010–11 ISU Grand Prix season, they were assigned to the 2010 NHK Trophy and to the 2010 Skate America. They won NHK with 66.97 points in the short dance and 98.24 in the free dance, for a total of 165.21 points. Following NHK, they decided to make some adjustments to their free dance.^[16] At Skate America they earned 63.62 in the short dance and 93.06 points in the free dance after both fell, with their nearest rivals also having a fall.^[17] They earned an overall total of 156.68 and the gold medal. Their results qualified them for the 2010–2011 Grand Prix Final where they successfully defended their title, scoring 68.64 in the short and 102.94 in the free for a total of 171.58 points. They won their 3rd consecutive national title at the U.S. Championships held at Greensboro, North Carolina. They earned 76.04 points for their short dance and 109.44 points for their free dance scoring a total of 185.48 points.

At the 2011 Four Continents Championships, they placed second to Virtue and Moir in the short dance. The Canadians later withdrew from the free dance. Davis and White went on to win the free dance and the title with a total of 172.03 points.

At the 2011 World Championships, Davis and White placed second in the short dance by 0.53 points, with a score of 73.76 points. In the free dance, they placed first with a score of 111.51 points, the highest free dance score that season. Overall, they won the gold medal with a score of 185.27, beating reigning Olympic and World champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir by 3.48 points. This was the United States' first ice dancing World title.

2011–2012 season[link]

For the 2011–2012 season, Davis and White are assigned to two Grand Prix events, 2011 Skate America and 2011 Cup of Russia, having declined a newly introduced option to compete in a third.^[18] They announced their music selections in August, including La Strada for their free dance,^[18] but in October announced a change to Die Fledermaus.^[19] Davis and White won gold at Skate America, with 70.33 points in the short dance and 107.74 points in the free dance. They were 21.78 points ahead of 2nd place team Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat. At 2011 Rostelecom Cup, the couple improved with a total score of 179.06, despite a small stumble in the short dance. They placed 17.88 points ahead of 2nd place team Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje. Their placements qualified them for the 2011–2012 Grand Prix Final, where they placed first. They are also the silver medalists at the 2012 Four Continents Championships and 2012 World Championships. On 2012 ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating however, they edged training mates Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir by 5.6 points placing them at the top of the podium.

Programs[link]

Davis & White perform their Beyond the Sea exhibition at the 2006 Skate Canada International.

Competitive highlights[link]

(with White)

Senior results[link]

Pre-2006 results[link]

Detailed results[link]

(with White)

Post-2006[link]

• CD = Complusory Dance; OD = Original Dance; FD = Free Dance.
• SD = Short Dance.
• Personal bests highlighted in bold.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Meryl Davis

• Official website
• Meryl Davis at the United States Olympic Committee
• Davis & White at the United States Figure Skating Association
• Davis & White at the International Skating Union