Like some other Olympic medalists, Charlie White began developing his athletic skills at a very early age. He was a mere three years old when he began ice skating in his hometown of Dearborn, Michigan. He progressed quickly as a single skater as well as an ice dancer. He loved school and academics as well as athletics.

White also played hockey during his early skating career, but left that sport after breaking his ankle. He placed highly in junior competitions as a single skater, but in 2005 he began focusing on pairs skating and ice dancing. He had already developed considerable experience as part of a skating pair. Indeed, his partner in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Meryl White, first teamed up with him at the junior level in 1997. They won a silver medal at the Junior Olympics during their first year skating together.

The pair went on to succeed and win at a number of competitions, and in 2006, at the NHK Trophy competition, they became the first ice dancing team ever to receive level fours on all their elements. They were nominated to represent the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics while competing at the 2010 United States Figure Skating Championships. As of April 2010 they are ranked number one in the world for their sport. White has stated that his most life-defining moment up until his Olympic win "was finishing fourth by .04 points at the 2009 World Championships."

White is a man of numerous interests and talents. He played in a string quartet when he was in high school and was active in student government. He is a student at the University of Michigan and hopes to pursue a career in law when his skating career is over. Still an avid student, he is a collector of books and enjoys listening to all kinds of music (except country, he says). He is a fan of Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, and Tiger Woods. He enjoys reading, surfing the internet, and hanging out with friends. He stated that his favorite books are The Amber Chronicles, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and The Stars My Destination.

Whiteachieved an earlier stated goal in February, when he won the Olympic Silver Medal for ice dancing pairs, in Vancouver, Canada. White has often stated that achieving personal perfection is not about a scoreboard. He says it is about one's relationship with oneself, family, and friends.