Skating before school, Workman rose at 4 a.m. to be driven 40 minutes to the rink for practice. A lot of days after school, it was back to the rink. Every weekend she was either training in Stockton or somewhere else in California for competition. When she meets new people, she likes to sit back […]
Skating before school, Workman rose at 4 a.m. to be driven 40 minutes to the rink for practice. A lot of days after school, it was back to the rink. Every weekend she was either training in Stockton or somewhere else in California for competition.
When she meets new people, she likes to sit back and get a sense of them, so in her first season she hasn’t been known for jumping into the heated arguments. Just like she learned everyone’s different personalities on the synchro team, she’s tried to learn the nuances of the SLC women.
As Workman is Asian American, her mother envisioned her being the next Michelle Kwan. Looking up to Kwan, Workman saw her as a role model.
“Some of my fondest memories are sitting outside of the ice and having her watch me lace up my skates, telling me all sorts of stories,” she recalled. “She made me love the sport probably more than an 8-year-old would because she taught me all the tiny, beautiful things that go into being a figure skater.”
Of course, Wagner also taught her valuable skating lessons. Not only how to jump and spin, but how to tie her skates probably and keep them polished.
Workman grew up in Northern California. Before hitting the ice, she was a competitive roller skater. Her mother thought it was more advantageous to ice skate, so she made the switch. She started skating at around age 7 at the Oak Park Ice Rink in Stockton, California, coached by 1960 Olympic pairs champion Barbara Wagner.
“It’s the same thing in my adult life on this show as in skating,” she said. “Overall, it’s been a fun and unique experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
“It’s fun to share a little bit about my childhood,” said Workman, who has lived in the Salt Lake City area for 18 years. Much to her disappointment, she wasn’t there when the 2002 Olympic Winter Games took center stage, but she has skated at what was a practice rink for those Games.
During a cast trip to Milwaukee, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (RHOSLC, Bravo TV) cast member Meili Workman was undaunted by an outing to a curling rink. She let viewers know that she had been a figure skater in her youth, so the ice didn’t faze her.
“When I moved to Provo (Utah), I actually started picking up skating again on my own as a creative outlet,” said Workman, a wife, mother of four young children and part-time model. “My 10-year-old daughter is obsessed. We take her every year for her birthday and try to squeeze in a few other trips in the winter. We have so many gorgeous outdoor rinks here; it’s beautiful. She would probably like to do it a little bit more competitively, but that’s a full-time, fully immersed sport in order to be good and be competitive. I’ve got three other kids, so soccer it is for now.”
Above: Meili Workman holds a skating trophy with her mother by her side. Photo credit: Fred Hayes/Bravo TV
By Lois Elfman
She did pitch the idea of taking the cast skating, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. If she returns for next season, she’s hopeful they all lace up together. This interview has piqued her interest in heading to the rink more frequently.
This season, she joined the cast of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, and Workman’s background in skating hasn’t only been beneficial on the curling ice. Having skated on a synchronized team taught her how to be around groups of females. She’s able to roll with the judgments of her castmates and people on social media.
Eventually, the family moved, making it a longer commute to the rink, and it became too much of a grind, so after about five years in the sport, Workman put skating on ice. Just prior to quitting, she’d gone to Sun Valley with Wagner for a skating camp. Incredibly, she landed her first double Axel there.
“I have always told everyone figure skating was the best foundation for so many different things in my life,” Workman said. “On a synchro team, having so many different personalities in one room definitely applies to the Housewives. Even as a kid, I’ve always been a little bit more reserved in general, and that’s kind of been my take on the season [for those who don’t watch the Bravo series, things can get intense].”
“She chose who she would coach; you couldn’t just sign up with her,” Workman said. “So we always felt special that she wanted to coach me. She kind of took me under her wing and really was like another mother figure in my life. I remember a lot of life lessons she taught me — how to take care of my skin and my fingernails. She was the sweetest, kindest woman and was such a role model for me.”