2025-26 U.S. Ice Dance News, Updates & Discussion - Backstreet Boys & Spice Girls

[Rukia]

General question: last week (I believe) Lease reported on the Shibs free dance and shared a clip. I'm wondering if this new video is from that same session?

If not, I'm guessing they knew LiveBarn could look in on their sessions and yet still this blow up happened.

No they are not on the same day. According to a tweet by dave, someone told him the rink schedule had changed and livebarn hadn't been turned off/locked and that's how he could record it. So presumably they had livebarn turned off whenever they had rink time, this was just a change in schedule.

 

[Debbie S]

I wonder if they will just quietly withdraw from their GPs, without explanation, and then…simply not come back.

That would work, too. Agree that USFS will not make any statements, but they may be addressing this behind the scenes.

I'm sure Dave sent this to Brennan before posting. She likely can't do anything with it...for one, the video isn't the greatest quality, and more important, there may be restrictions on sharing LiveBarn video in a commercial outlet. But if the story gets big enough on social media, then it could be a story she could report....story about the story. Who knows, she may be working her contacts and trying to get comment from USFS.

 

[tony]

Brennan is so full-force now with her "I told you so! Clark is the best of all-time! Here are stats showing how everyone is useless and the WNBA should be disbanded without her! The treatment of her is so unfair!" but I guarantee she's already planning some big ta-da about it to release in the next few days. I spoke with a USFS.... -adjacent person, we will say, and the first thing they mentioned about the situation was that good ole Christine would destroy Alex over this. You know she loves a good spotlight to bounce back into skating circles, and especially in an Olympic year!

I don't have any further info past knowing the USFS was aware as I mentioned previously, but if they all sit and wait to make the first move (or if the Shibutanis just want to ignore it), then they are otherwise letting Christine walk in and pounce.

 

[Tinycities]

I just don’t think the Shibs will care and will just go forward with competing.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Brennan is so full-force now with her "I told you so! Clark is the best of all-time! Here are stats showing how everyone is useless and the WNBA should be disbanded without her! The treatment of her is so unfair!" but I guarantee she's already planning some big ta-da about it to release in the next few days. I spoke with a USFS.... -adjacent person, we will say, and the first thing they mentioned about the situation was that good ole Christine would destroy Alex over this. You know she loves a good spotlight to bounce back into skating circles, and especially in an Olympic year!

I don't have any further info past knowing the USFS was aware as I mentioned previously, but if they all sit and wait to make the first move (or if the Shibutanis just want to ignore it), then they are otherwise letting Christine walk in and pounce.

Her obsession with Caitlin Clark is honestly a little scary. I know it’s because of her book but still.

 

[Jarrett]

I just don’t think the Shibs will care and will just go forward with competing.

I mean, I have no specific knowledge, but I assume that they are competing partially for sponsorships and I do not think sponsors will like this at all. And even with what Alex did in the practice, I don’t want Christine to “destroy him.” He’s a human who makes mistakes and hopefully he can do something about this, but just pretending nothing‘s going on and trying to move on is not acceptable. I just don’t want anyone subjected to that anymore.

 

[her grace]

I have seen loads of other partnered skaters scream (pairs and ice dance) at each other on the ice. It's more common than most fans think, siblings or not. I have seen lots of fighting on the ice between partners, though fighting between siblings can have more dynamics than just partners.

And yes, some coaches scream and fight with other coaches.

This fight with the Shibutanis is just real-life dynamics of a couple dealing with the pressures of skating. It happens fairly common among skaters and coaches.

I know everyone has different experiences, and to be fair, there weren't very many partnered skaters at the rinks I trained at, but this is not at all my experience in skating. Even the coaches were (at least outwardly) well-behaved at my rinks. Parents were the biggest problems in mistreating skaters.

It does nothing to "cancel Alex" if the incentives and enablements in the system continue.
Even if it's becoming common for abusive skating partners to be exposed, this does not guarantee that there are structural and cultural reforms taking place.

You have to start somewhere. I think Jeffrey Chen, Sorenson, & Desyatov receiving consequences is part of changing the culture. You'd have to be living under a rock at this point to not at least be aware that a credible accusation could lead to a suspension and a disruption of your career. Of course, there's more to do, but holding individuals accountable is part of that process.

 

[peibeck]

Maybe I'm assuming incorrectly, but I'd assume if the Shibs are seeking sponsors, those may be lined up already. Agents work to get that stuff lined up well in advance of the Olympics.

I will trust @tony 's reporting that Brennan is getting her knives out, and I'd guess Hersh won't be far behind following up. Hard to feel badly for the USFS when they're aware of the situation and, apparently, hoping it will go away or the small portion of the populace who've seen the video will conveniently forget it.

"This 11 minutes (or 40 minutes) doesn't reflect who we really are, and is taken out of context," is likely the Shibs only spin. How that will fare if/when other skeletons start falling out of the closet and get reported is where the story could really snowball on them from a P.R. perspective. We've already rumored Alex's ex about his mentally abusive behavior, but if other former rink mates corroborate these stories, it's a recipe for a much bigger story than figure skating boards and skating X/Twitter.

 

[PRlady]

I wonder if Alex then becomes a hero to the men’s’ rights jerks. Another guy crossed up because he talked to a woman The Way She Deserves. Maybe Hegseth will hire him.

 

[Wyliefan]

I wonder if Alex then becomes a hero to the men’s’ rights jerks. Another guy crossed up because he talked to a woman The Way She Deserves. Maybe Hegseth will hire him.

I really need that laugh/cry emoji.

 

[my little pony]

do Alex and or Maia have their own apartment? you have to learn that other people don't live like this and it doesn't happen mystically on the night of your 18th birthday. you have to learn that you can have boundaries and walk away. and some people never learn it. Maia's life is much more entangled with her family than most people. I don't think it is infantilizing her when there are people twice her age living with spouses like this, making thanksgiving dinner for people like this, etc.

 

[VGThuy]

do Alex and or Maia have their own apartment? you have to learn that other people don't live like this and it doesn't happen mystically on the night of your 18th birthday. you have to learn that you can have boundaries and walk away. and some people never learn it. Maia's life is much more entangled with her family than most people. I don't think it is infantilizing her when there are people twice her age living with spouses like this, making thanksgiving dinner for people like this, etc.

Exactly. Like all of what you said relating to the cycle of abuse and how victims stay in or return to bad situations is pretty basic stuff by this point.

If one can’t fathom why it’s plausible, or at least possible, that Maia would “willingly” put herself in this situation, then it’s time for that person to stop spewing ignorance by taking some initiative, closing their mouth, stopping their fingers from tapping on that keyboard with an uncontrollable impulse to argue, doing some research, reading some reputable sources on the subject, and learning something.

 

[angi]

do Alex and or Maia have their own apartment? you have to learn that other people don't live like this and it doesn't happen mystically on the night of your 18th birthday. you have to learn that you can have boundaries and walk away. and some people never learn it. Maia's life is much more entangled with her family than most people. I don't think it is infantilizing her when there are people twice her age living with spouses like this, making thanksgiving dinner for people like this, etc.

I mean, looking at her social media account alone is enough to understand just how entangled her career and image are with Alex's. Every single one of her posts either includes him or tags the "shibsibs" account. The last post that didn't include him or tag him or the shibsibs account is from December 2024, and even before that, he is always present in all of her business ventures and travels. Given they are both over 30, it does appear like they perhaps haven't gone through the natural separation phase, in which each of them carves their own path in life, separate from the other, and that puts her at an even higher likelihood to put herself in an abusive situation again, even when knowing the severity of the situation.

 

[jmtfti]

I've also noticed that Alex ventured out with his own thing -- the photography career -- but not Maia, and I don't think it's for lack of her having any outside interests or abilities.

 

[floridaice]

I mean, looking at her social media account alone is enough to understand just how entangled her career and image are with Alex's. Every single one of her posts either includes him or tags the "shibsibs" account. The last post that didn't include him or tag him or the shibsibs account is from December 2024, and even before that, he is always present in all of her business ventures and travels. Given they are both over 30, it does appear like they perhaps haven't gone through the natural separation phase, in which each of them carves their own path in life, separate from the other, and that puts her at an even higher likelihood to put herself in an abusive situation again, even when knowing the severity of the situation.

Let's hope that Maia has private social media accounts and what we are seeing is just those associated with her 'shibsibs' and business (sponsored) promotions.

edit to add -- That she has a life outside of skating and Alex.

 

[Willin]

Maybe I'm assuming incorrectly, but I'd assume if the Shibs are seeking sponsors, those may be lined up already. Agents work to get that stuff lined up well in advance of the Olympics.

I will trust @tony 's reporting that Brennan is getting her knives out, and I'd guess Hersh won't be far behind following up. Hard to feel badly for the USFS when they're aware of the situation and, apparently, hoping it will go away or the small portion of the populace who've seen the video will conveniently forget it.

"This 11 minutes (or 40 minutes) doesn't reflect who we really are, and is taken out of context," is likely the Shibs only spin. How that will fare if/when other skeletons start falling out of the closet and get reported is where the story could really snowball on them from a P.R. perspective. We've already rumored Alex's ex about his mentally abusive behavior, but if other former rink mates corroborate these stories, it's a recipe for a much bigger story than figure skating boards and skating X/Twitter.

TBH, I hope Brennan destroys him.

But thinking about it, I'm not sure how much USFS can do. They've seemed much less supportive on the ShibSibs PR than they were when the comeback was announced. I've only seen them highlighting non-ShibSibs teams since. Maybe because those teams are actually competing and showed up to the interviews and press stuff at Champs Camp? With this bad press and no recent PR training they're not going to be putting the Shibs out there unless they really do make a solid comeback. I'm more worried about BTS support and biased judging at Nationals, but that may not even happen.

For media coverage, the Shibs have a non-USFS agent and media team, along with connections. Certainly USFS can recommend who NBC covers and interviews, but NBC makes that choice. Outlets like People that cover the Shibs somewhat regularly have no connection to USFS and all connection to their agents. So any media attention they get outside of USFS FanZone and Skating magazine are mostly outside of USFS's hands.

And as far as them punishing Alex for abuse... Organizations the are governed by SafeSport are required to defer to it on investigations, suspensions, and punishments. If there's no SafeSport or Police reports (which is highly unlikely here), USFS can't do anything.

So I don't think USFS will do much about it, but that's not necessarily all or even mostly their fault.

I've also noticed that Alex ventured out with his own thing -- the photography career -- but not Maia, and I don't think it's for lack of her having any outside interests or abilities.

TBH Alex always seemed like the big driving factor of the ShibSibs image. While they were marketed as a duo, he was often the one doing the vast majority of the talking and vlogging production. I recall even during the book tour he seemed like the driving force.

That's not to say that Maia is some unwilling passenger on Alex's wild ride, but I also don't think she's really that into it. She may just have wanted to live a much more lowkey life outside of the ShibSibs while Alex kept trying to chase fame and such.

 

[Debbie S]

And as far as them punishing Alex for abuse... Organizations the are governed by SafeSport are required to defer to it on investigations, suspensions, and punishments. If there's no SafeSport or Police reports (which is highly unlikely here), USFS can't do anything.

Unless things have changed very recently, USFS communications have stated that SafeSport has primary jurisdiction in sexual misconduct complaints, so even if someone went to USFS with a report, USFS would have to report it to SafeSport (like when Gracie went to Mitch Moyer about her assault).

But in cases of physical or verbal/emotional misconduct, complaints can be filed with either USFS or SafeSport. If a case is filed with SafeSport, USFS must defer to them. But if a complaint about physical or verbal misconduct is filed with USFS, USFS can investigate and issue consequences. I'm pretty sure that's what happened with Dave Lease.

With police reports/arrests, USFS has in the past issued a temporary suspension and then makes the final determination when the police case is resolved.

In this case, I doubt any formal complaint will be filed. But while USFS may not issue anything formally, they could very well say to the Shibs, we're not going to support you, WD from your GPs and end your comeback and move on quietly. We'll see how things progress over the next few weeks.

 

[Willin]

@Debbie S But it still remains - no report, no consequences.

They can't force them to withdraw from their Grand Prixs as those are ISU spots. Maybe they can say they won't pay for their travel, but I doubt that would be advertised. They also can't force them to end their comeback. They can advise them to, but they can't.

 

[Debbie S]

@Debbie S But it still remains - no report, no consequences.

They can't force them to withdraw from their Grand Prixs as those are ISU spots. Maybe they can say they won't pay for their travel, but I doubt that would be advertised. They also can't force them to end their comeback. They can advise them to, but they can't.

No, they can't force them. But the Shibs' goal is to make the Oly team. If TPTB make it clear they don't want the Shibs on the team, I can't see the Shibs going through the competitive season to get dumped at Nats.

 

[jlai]

I know people are upset and are eager to punsih Alex, but any penalties against Alex will be applied to Maia too. Unless you know for sure she is competing against her will

 

[kwanfan1818]

Nothing stopped Fournier Beaudry from forming a new partnership when Sorensen was sanctioned, and no one expected Sorensen to get a pass because it would hurt her chances. Maia Shibutani is younger.

 

[just tuned in]

Hmmm, maybe Jean-Luc is ready for a comeback.

 

[carriecmu0503]

Anybody else now think these lyrics have a different meaning now?

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
So she ran away in her sleep

And dreamed of para-, para-, paradise
Para-, para-, paradise
Para-, para-, paradise
Every time she closed her eyes

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
And the bullets catch in her teeth

Life goes on, it gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear, a waterfall
In the night, the stormy night, she'd close her eyes
In the night, the stormy night, away she'd fly

And dream of para-, para-, paradise
So lying underneath those stormy skies
She said, "Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh, I know the sun must set to rise"

It’s like we are seeing this in real time. “The wheel breaks the butterfly” especially hits….

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I know people are upset and are eager to punsih Alex, but any penalties against Alex will be applied to Maia too. Unless you know for sure she is competing against her will

That is thoroughly not a reason to allow him to continue to compete.

 

[Willin]

I think what we should do is let them compete, let Maia show off her stuff, and hope and pray that Alex hits every rut in the ice so he embarrasses himself. Poetic justice.

 

[kwanfan1818]

They can't force them to withdraw from their Grand Prixs as those are ISU spots.

I’m not sure that it is entirely true that Federations can’t withdraw skaters against their will, since even if skaters earn their spots, the Feds can certainly refuse to put them on the list that goes for GP selection, as they did to Sandhu and Sokolova, and there have been some questionable withdrawals in the past that didn’t seem to be the skaters’ idea.

What they can’t do is replace non-host spots.

I know skaters themselves have to sign things if they are comeback skaters to say they are serious, but I don’t think that is independent of their Feds. They’re still listed as part of their own country, and they still count towards the three maximum.

 

[jlai]

That is thoroughly not a reason to allow him to continue to compete.

But she is the victim. I think the victim should have a say in this.

 

[tony]

But she is the victim. I think the victim should have a say in this.

Such as: thankfully the video got out, my brother is a jerk?

 

[kwanfan1818]

If behavior is unacceptable as a member of an organization, the victim doesn’t dictate the organization’s behavior. If she chooses to forgive him, or doesn’t think there’s anything to forgive, that’s entirely her right. But it doesn’t mean he can’t be sanctioned outside the family.

 

[jlai]

It's up to USFS to see if this violates rules. Of course, I do get that many don't trust USFS, and I can't blame you if you don't.
All I'm saying is, this shouldn't be up to us. Also, if the victim won't file 'charges', it will be hard for this to stick, even with a video