A Hall of Fame Perspective with the ShibSibs

When Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani made their debut at the World Championships in Moscow back in 2011, the siblings were simply seeking to establish themselves as a team to watch out for in the future. At just 16 and 19 years old, respectively, the duo closed the door on a successful career in the junior ranks at the end of the 2009-10 season that included a silver medal at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in 2009 and a bronze at the 2010 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final.
 
The duo debuted on the Grand Prix circuit in the fall of 2010 and nearly won a berth into the final after capturing bronze in both of their assignments, earning the 'ShibSibs' status as the first alternates into the event. Though expectations were high as the World Championships approached, there were few who imagined that the team would find their way onto the podium in Russia, but when the chips were down, the siblings claimed the bronze medal.
 
"We were certainly shocked in the moment," Maia Shibutani said. "I like to think that we were educated enough about the history of the sport, so we knew that even though we were in fourth place after the short dance, going into the free dance in the final group in our first World Championships in a year after an Olympics where there was not a mass exodus from the top was quite an honor."
 
It was the beginning of an illustrious career for Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani that includes eight consecutive podium finishes at the U.S. Championships — including titles in 2016 and 2017, three World Championships medals and two Olympic bronze medals. 
 
Despite the impressive resume, being elected to the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame with the class of 2023 was still a surprise for the Michigan-trained duo.
 
"We learned via email that we were nominated and that we would not find out if we were elected for another month or so," Alex Shibutani recalled. "It was something that was completely out of our control, similar to a skating competition — you have trained and prepared and you go out there and do your best and then the results come. So, we just proceeded with our lives as normal with no expectations."
 
When the voting was complete and their election to the prestigious group of skating royalty was confirmed, Maia Shibutani recalled her reaction to the news.
 
"I definitely remember getting emotional," she said. "It was early in the morning. We were in Japan, and we just got off of a work call and there were all these different scenarios going through my head. Then to realize how important the Hall of Fame is to the sport and all the people who have been inducted before us and to now be a part of that group is a huge honor. And to realize that part of the criteria to selection is making an impact on the sport, and so, to feel like that's acknowledged is very special for both of us."
 
With their election, Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani became the 11th ice dance team to enter the Hall of Fame, and Alex Shibutani became the first male of Asian American descent ever to be selected for the honor.
 
"The visibility that we've been privileged to have as Olympians and as Asian Americans is in large part thanks to the people who've come before us," he said. "I think it's up to every next generation to continue to carry things forward and make things better. It's being a voice for the voiceless and the people who don't have the visibility and privilege of opportunities that we've been so fortunate to have. Being the first Asian American man in the Hall of Fame or whatever accomplishments we've had in skating results wise and the barriers that we broke through, was a result of the love and respect that we have for the sport. It's a huge honor because we know that we've had great role models in all disciplines, and I think that's one of the things that we learned especially if you don't have visual representation, you find things that you can admire and people from all backgrounds and together as a team. We were able to harness that and forge our own path."
 
Following the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani have been approaching life with a similar gusto that they did as competitors. This was especially relevant as Maia Shibutani learned of a kidney cancer diagnosis back in the fall of 2019, which required surgery to remove a malignant tumor.
 
"I'm happy to say that I am healthy now, but at the end of 2019, I certainly had a bit of a scare with the diagnosis and surgery," she admitted. "I think that it was a good moment where I had a strong support system it wasn't just my family and then also our coaches. I think I had to be strong mentally to get through it, but I was especially grateful in that moment to have such a strong support system."
 
Soon after her surgery, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the reality of daily life, which Alex Shibutani shared was tough for he and the rest of the family with regards to his sister's recovery.
 
"I wanted to be as much of a supportive brother partner and friend as I could, but the nature of the pandemic and the isolation that existed during her recovery was difficult," he said. "So many of the challenges we have faced together allowed us to support each other during our career, but this was something that no matter how compassionate you could be, there was no way to understand what she was going through."
 
Off the ice, 28-year-old Maia Shibutani and 31-year-old Alex Shibutani have kept their professional calendars quite full by tackling various passion projects. Coming on the heels of their "Kudo Kids" two-book children's offering back in 2020, the Olympians are preparing to release another children's book next month. The book, titled "Amazing Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us All" is a picture book that highlights accomplishments of people from the AAPI community.
 
"The title implies who the figures in the book are, but they are so much more than that identification qualifier," Alex Shibutani said. "We wanted to uplift people and elevate those who we believe are doing really important work and don't get the light shone on their accomplishments nearly enough. It was a really challenging task to curate this list of people, but we have amazing team of collaborators, and we're really looking forward to releasing it. For us it is an extension of performing—sharing something. That's what figure skating is—you're sharing something with an audience, and you hope that it brings them joy or resonate it's in some way."
 
Though neither has political aspirations, Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani continue to welcome opportunities to share their experiences with others to bridge the gap in cultural understanding.
 
For example, the duo served as emcees for the U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference in Tokyo last October.
 
"We were in Japan partially to participate (in the conference) with skating being so popular in Japan," Alex Shibutani explained. "Being a place that we've spent a lot of time which is a big part of our family's history and culture, we've always been natural ambassadors between the U.S. and Japan. But trying to figure out how we can stimulate cultural connectivity and help the next generation through the books but not our books necessarily but that exchange, and I think that our skating background really does provide perspective and aid in that."
 
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani have made Los Angeles home, and enjoy a multitude of cultural, athletic and culinary options the city has to offer.
 
"There's a really great convergence of culture to be found," Alex Shibutani said. "We like watching live sports and being able to attend either Clippers game or just go to the Academy museum, for example. There's so much to see and do here."