Shani Davis, a pioneering men’s speedskater who is a five-time Olympian, was raised by a single mother who helped turn his love for rollerskating into an ice skating career. Davis’ mother, Cherie, is a controversial figure in the sport who is known for her alleged feuds with news reporters, athletes, and the speedskating organization.
Shani Davis caused controversy with a tweet that questioned the process used to select the flag bearer for the U.S. team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Davis accused the American team of “dishonorably” tossing a coin to decide that Erin Hamlin would carry the flag, not Davis. Davis included the hashtag #BlackHistoryMonth2018 with his tweet.
Shani Davis is a groundbreaking Olympian; he was the first black speed skater on the American Olympic team, according to his website. He is the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics. Pyeongchang is his 5th Olympics.
Shani Davis started skating at the young age of 2 – at a local roller skating rinks in Chicago, Illinois, where he was born and raised by his mother, Cherie.
“Shani Davis was born on Friday, August 13, 1982, in Chicago, Illinois. Raised by his mother on the city’s south side, he started roller-skating at local rinks at age two. By age four Shani was darting around the roller rink so fast that skate guards would chase him just to ask him to slow down,” according to the biography on his website.
“All we have is each other,” Cherie once said of Shani. Cherie “lived frugally” for years to help fund Shani’s speedskating aspirations, according to an Ebony profile, “driving a 1986 Volkswagen for 16 years.” She raised him as a single mother. Reginald Shuck, Shani’s father, remained involved in his life even though he and Cherie separated when Shani was young, according to Ebony.
“She has tremendous courage,” Shani said of his mother to The New York Times. Shani has steadfastly defended his mother. “She has probably the biggest heart of anyone I know.” She is also, he said to The Times, “willing to fight.” Shani and Cherie have been in conflict with U.S. Speedskating at timew, even asking that Shani’s biography be left out of its media guide and website, reports The Times.
“No matter what anybody says or writes about Shani…she flips,” the article contended. “She flips more than a referee’s coin. Her enemies list is just slightly longer than Nixon’s. She has feuds going with Bonnie Blair (who admitted that she wouldn’t mention Shani’s name lest she incur Cherie’s wrath), Bob Costas, Eric Heiden, NBCOlympics.com, SI,” and others,” the story reported. She once accused a newspaper reporter of having a “white supremacist’s agenda,” SI reported.
GettyShani Davis of US reacts after placing second during the men’s 1000m event of the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Heerenveen, Netherlands, on December 11, 2016.
As a child, Shani Davis soon switched from roller skating to ice skating, and his mother’s job for an attorney was instrumental in that. “Seeming to become bored with roller-skating, a coach suggested that Shani switch to ice skating. Shortly thereafter, his mother started working for an attorney whose son happened to be involved in speed skating at an elite level and who suggested that Shani give speed skating a try,” says the bio.
Davis keeps his private life just that: Private. In 2013, he responded to a joking tweet from someone asking to marry him by saying he didn’t have a wife: “Lol, sorry right now I’m happily married to skating! might separate after 2018, though.” Shani is the father to a 9-year-old son named Ayize, which is Zulu for “let it come.” Little is known about Shani Davis’ girlfriend, although, by some reports, she is Japanese.
Shani’s father, who goes by the name Reggie Shuck, is a realtor in Chicago. “Reggie Shuck is a real estate consultant who has closed over 50 million dollars of Real Estate transactions. He has also had the opportunity to use his skillset to teach Real Estate Fundamentals at Chicago City Colleges and is an advocate for affordable housing,” says PropertyConsultants.com.
Davis is especially beloved to Dutch fans, according to NBC, where his “graceful and elegant style of skating” is admired. As a result, he has earned Dutch sponsorships. In fact, his mother Cherie in previous years wore the national colors of the Netherlands at events, ESPN reports.
“He has won four Olympic medals – back-to-back golds in the 1,000-meter and back-to-back silvers in the 1,500 in 2006 and 2010 – in addition to 30 world championship medals. With more than 100 world cup medals to his name, he is also the all-time leader in world cup points,” the team site reports.
Shani Davis' family includes his mother, Cherie, father Reginald Shuck, and a young son named Ayize.