The excitement is building as Olympic competition begins in just two days with the figure skating team event.

Four years ago, Metro Detroit's Meryl Davis and Charlie White skated into history as the first American ice dancers to win Olympic gold. Life hasn't stopped for Davis since the Olympics, and she will be taking on a new role during this year's events.

Millions watched as Davis and White brought home the gold in Sochi. They had been ice dancing together since they were 8 or 9 years old.

But this year, they're sitting out the Olympics in South Korea and retiring from competing.

"Now that we're nearing the games, it feels very right for me to embrace another challenge," Davis said. "Embrace something different."

Davis isn't hanging up her skates completely. She's still skating professionally, traveling the world doing skating tours and shows for entertainment.

She's also giving back to the community by teaching figure skating to young girls in a program called Figure Skating in Detroit.

"I didn't know how much it would affect me, and just how much it would teach me," Davis said. "So Figure Staking in Detroit's an educational program for young girls that uses figure skating as a tool to teach them lessons like setting goals, persevering through the challenges. But it also has a large academic component."

Davis is in school herself, working toward a degree in anthropology.

"I've been going to school at the University of Michigan since 2006," Davis said. "It's been a long haul, so I'm hoping to be done in about a year."

 

Click here to read the full article and to watch her interview.