LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Olympic gold medalist ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White were honored in Lansing on Tuesday while visiting the home state Capitol they once toured as school kids.
Gov. Rick Snyder and legislators paid tribute to the first Americans to win an Olympic ice dance title. They grew up in suburban Detroit, where they still train, and attend the University of Michigan.
Snyder said they are “Michiganders through and through” and residents could not ask for better ambassadors for the state.
“To be back here under these circumstances is really, really exciting for us,” Davis told a crowd that included school children, the governor, legislative leaders and others.
“I don’t think we would imagine training anywhere else,” White said in a video (https://on.lsj.com/1lvWBmb ) posted by the Lansing State Journal. “We are so proud to be able to represent the state all across the world.”
While in Michigan’s capital city - where they also were honored in the state Senate - Davis and White filmed a public service announcement promoting Snyder’s 4X4 wellness and fitness plan. It recommends that residents have a healthy diet, exercise regularly, get an annual physical and not smoke. It also highlights key health measures such as body mass index and cholesterol level.
“We need to pass the word about how we can all take better care of our own health,” Snyder said.
The governor also honored Teadora “Tia” Spremo, an Ann Arbor teen who won a gold medal in figure skating at the state Special Olympics.
“It made me become a better person,” Spremo said of her five-year involvement with Special Olympics.
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