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LIVE & PLAY --- QUALITY OF LIFE
Blooming with
Possibilities
OAKLAND COUNTY OFFERS
WORLD-CLASS ENRICHMENT
FOR WELL-ROUNDED KIDS
By Jacquie Goetz Bluethmann
JACQUI WHITE OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS IS THE MOM BEHIND
2014 Olympic Gold Medal ice dancing champion Charlie White.
She also knows a thing or two about ice skating options in
Oakland County.
The family regularly visited rinks in Royal Oak, Berkley and
Birmingham. In fact, it was during an open skate at Wallace Ice Arena
on the Cranbrook campus in Bloomfield Hills that 4-year-old Charlie
first laid eyes on his future ice dancing partner, Meryl Davis, who was
doing spins.
Eventually, the two would pair up, training together for 13 years at
the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Township.
“Every child who starts in the learn-to-skate program at the Detroit
Skating Club has the opportunity to develop their skills to the best of
their ability,” says White, who spent countless hours there watching
Charlie and Meryl develop into two-time world champions. The club
has three ice rinks, one of them Olympic size.
“The Detroit Skating Club attracts some of the best coaches in the
world,” White says. “Kids come from all over the country to train
there. This is hugely valuable to competitive skaters.
“We’ve been unbelievably lucky to have a world-class training
center in our own backyard.”
World skating champions Meryl
Davis and Charlie White trained in
Oakland County from a young age.
Confidence building is one of the big reasons Johnston is happy
to see her children excel on stage. It’s far from the only one, though.
“I love how they get to know kids who they wouldn’t otherwise,”
she says. “Now they have friends from many different schools.”
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Come spring and fall, Megan Johnston of West Bloomfield spends a
good portion of her day shuttling her four children to one stage or
another. Ranging in ages from 6 to 16, the Johnston kids have all been
bitten by the acting bug.
In the fall of 2014, 16-year-old Lily Johnston starred as the feather
duster in the Birmingham Community House’s fall production of
Beauty and the Beast Jr. The following spring, she had the playhouse’s
title role in Alice in Wonderland. Her younger sister, Emelia, played Little
Alice in the same playhouse production.
“I estimate that, combined, our kids have starred in at least 10
Community House productions over the years,” Johnston says.
The Community House represents just one of the many stages
on which the Johnston kids have honed their acting chops. They’re
also regular fixtures at the youth theater of the Village Players in
Birmingham, which puts on two shows each year.
TO THE MAT
Carol Vandermeer of Clarkston can attest to the high quality of
Oakland County’s athletic programs. All four of her sons are wrestlers.
In fact, her two middle sons earned athletic scholarships to Lake Erie
College in Ohio. Both have qualified for the NCAA finals.
All of the boys were wrestling by age 5, joining the Waterford and
Clarkston community wrestling programs. They went on to compete
in middle and high school and during the off season.
“Oakland County has many great wrestling programs including in
Holly and Lake Orion,” Vandermeer says. “Wrestling has taught our
boys so much — but most important has been a strong work ethic.”
Myriad other pursuits for children of all ages — athletics, arts,
volunteerism, foreign languages and many more — can be found in
Oakland County. Find out more at www.oakgov.com.
Jacquie Goetz Bluethmann is a freelance writer from Bloomfield Township.
Photo: Courtesy of Jacqui White
22 OAKLANDCOUNTYPROSPER.COM 2016