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

[Allskate]

While I appreciate their sentiment, and I understand their results were not what they had hoped for, I find it utterly bizarre that the Shibs are trying to claim the timing of their comeback had little to do with this being an Olympic year.

Yeah, it was just a coincidence that it was for an Olympic season and that they showed up for Olympic promos just after they announced their return.

Speaking of Olympic promotions, I hope that USFS isn't jinxing G/P by having them publicly design Olympic pins:

U.S. Figure Skating on Instagram: "We're loving both of these Olympic pin designs from NHK Trophy bronze medalists @caroline.g_103 and @michaelap95! 🤩"

895 likes, 15 comments - usfigureskating on November 10, 2025: "We're loving both of these Olympic pin designs from NHK Trophy bronze medalists @caroline.g_103 and @michaelap95! 🤩".

www.instagram.com

 

[jlai]

every time I see G/P I think wait they haven’t switched to Canada
We need the second letters too like Gr/Pa

 

[Allskate]

every time I see G/P I think wait they haven’t switched to Canada
We need the second letters too like Gr/Pa

I know I'm the one who wrote it, but whenever I see G/P my old brain flashes to Grishuk and Platov.

 

[Sylvia]

Speaking of Olympic promotions, I hope that USFS isn't jinxing G/P by having them publicly design Olympic pins:

U.S. Figure Skating on Instagram: "We're loving both of these Olympic pin designs from NHK Trophy bronze medalists @caroline.g_103 and @michaelap95! 🤩"

895 likes, 15 comments - usfigureskating on November 10, 2025: "We're loving both of these Olympic pin designs from NHK Trophy bronze medalists @caroline.g_103 and @michaelap95! 🤩".

www.instagram.com

No need to worry - I recall seeing Olympic pin design 'fluff' videos posted on USFS' Instagram account that featured several other skaters at Champs Camp, not just Green/Parsons.

 

[Willin]

It really makes you wonder if the ShibSibs pay attention to or care about ice dance unless its their own. That statement sounds like they haven't been watching ice dance since they quit.

The ISU is favoring fresh, dynamic, exciting, and innovative programs. Rehashing a 9-year-old program and taking out most of the choreography to turn it into a snoozefest is... not that.

If they watched, they'd see that teams like Fear/Gibson and Chock/Bates broke though with creative and dynamic programs. Even last year there was Smart/Diaz making a move and the Lithuanians rising with good programs. (Olivia Diaz has boosted scores with TWO different partners through creativity). That's what they needed.

 

[Sylvia]

I really enjoyed the Shibutanis' moving Gala exhibition program to Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Aqua" and wondered afterwards if they could have converted it to a free dance.

 

[Allskate]

No need to worry - I recall seeing Olympic pin design 'fluff' videos posted on USFS' Instagram account that featured several other skaters at Champs Camp, not just Green/Parsons.

I hope those skaters aren't jinxed, either. There has been a bunch of Olympic promotion from skaters since last summer. I sometimes wonder how much doing the promotion excites them and how much it stresses them out. Alysa seemed really excited. But, as World Champion, she can be much more confident of being at the Olympics than Green and Parsons can. You can see that in Caroline's pin design.

 

[miffy]

I know I'm the one who wrote it, but whenever I see G/P my old brain flashes to Grishuk and Platov.

I think of Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov

 

[skategal]

every time I see G/P I think wait they haven’t switched to Canada
We need the second letters too like Gr/Pa

I prefer Green/P

 

[Belsornia]

I think of Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov

Gregory and Petukhov will always be Fake G/P to me!

 

[VGThuy]

For what it’s worth, the ISU is still promoting the Shibs:

ISU Figure Skating ⛸ on Instagram: "Back where it all began 💫 After seven years away, Maia & Alex Shibutani made their long-awaited return to competition and Japan welcomed them home with open arms. 🇯🇵❤️ No medals this time, but all the love, coura

5,985 likes, 34 comments - isufigureskating on November 11, 2025: "Back where it all began 💫 After seven years away, Maia & Alex Shibutani made their long-awaited return to competition and Japan welcomed them home with open arms. 🇯🇵❤️ No medals this time, but all the love, courage, and...

www.instagram.com

 

[Rukia]

For what it’s worth, the ISU is still promoting the Shibs:

ISU Figure Skating ⛸ on Instagram: "Back where it all began 💫 After seven years away, Maia & Alex Shibutani made their long-awaited return to competition and Japan welcomed them home with open arms. 🇯🇵❤️ No medals this time, but all the love, coura

5,985 likes, 34 comments - isufigureskating on November 11, 2025: "Back where it all began 💫 After seven years away, Maia & Alex Shibutani made their long-awaited return to competition and Japan welcomed them home with open arms. 🇯🇵❤️ No medals this time, but all the love, courage, and...

www.instagram.com

I mean they also heavily promoted Wang/Liu so idk they are not making the best choices when it comes to terrible ice dance men

 

[Barbara Manatee]

"It's truly about where we thought we were at in our lives, our ability to show up as athletes and people; that's what inspired our return."

Who do the Shibs think is their audience for this nonsense? It says nothing and will satisfy nobody. Why not just say something like we realized how much we love and miss skating/competition/Coldplay?

 

[VGThuy]

"It's truly about where we thought we were at in our lives, our ability to show up as athletes and people; that's what inspired our return."

Who do the Shibs think is their audience for this nonsense? It says nothing and will satisfy nobody. Why not just say something like we realized how much we love and miss skating/competition/Coldplay?

It seriously sounds like it’s written by AI.

 

[Rukia]

The thing is, they already had a great angle. Very few people would have taken issue with them saying they had never really gotten to retire on their terms because of Maia's cancer or that Maia's cancer diagnosis had really changed their thinking. That's all believable and something tons of people can relate to. So many people have been kicked in the teeth by health issues and would probably love a chance to get healthy again and go back to something they love.

And I fully believe and felt Maia's tears after their nhk fd. I have no doubt there was a time she wondered if she could ever really skate like that again. Unfortunately her triumph is now marred by her brother's issues and it sucks that moment was taken away from her by him in more ways than one.

I would love to get to hear from the real Maia at least once. I bet she has a lot to say.

 

[Allskate]

For what it’s worth, the ISU is still promoting the Shibs:

Yeah. And Nick McCarvel also was promoting them in his most recent Rinkside piece for USFS.

 

[Sylvia]

Nick McCarvel has a 5-minute chat with Christina & Anthony starting here in the NHK Trophy Rinkside podcast (timestamped link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcH0GOwKZ34&t=860s
Her naturalization process timeline did not come up.

 

[Allskate]

Nick McCarvel has a 5-minute chat with Christina & Anthony starting here in the NHK Trophy Rinkside podcast (timestamped link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcH0GOwKZ34&t=860s
Her naturalization process timeline did not come up.

FYI, this is the piece where he talks about the Shibs, too.

I always think it's interesting how mild mannered Anthony seems when he talks because I think of his parents as being so dramatic just based on their skating.

 

[Willin]

@Rukia I think the thing marring it for me is that nothing feels authentic. Well, nothing except Maia's tears after the FD at NHK.

The timing/manner of the announcement and all the instant endorsement/media coverage deals made the comeback feel like them trying to return to relevance/get some $$$.

But they've done little to nothing to convince me otherwise. Everything out of their mouths has felt overly PR-written at best. Nothing they say feels authentic or truthful. Even the stuff about Maia's cancer causing them to leave the ice too early, which was well received, felt like a mere footnote - and it's something they continue to downplay if the latest PR laden "we want to show our best selves" statements continue to be their narrative.

Heck, they could've turned this into an HBO documentary about Maia trying to get back to the Olympics after cancer and it would've felt more authentic than whatever this is because at least you get an insider view of things instead of only the things they want you to see and hear.

 

[Allskate]

Heck, they could've turned this into an HBO documentary about Maia trying to get back to the Olympics after cancer and it would've felt more authentic than whatever this is because at least you get an insider view of things instead of only the things they want you to see and hear.

Even the stuff about Maia's cancer causing them to leave the ice too early, which was well received, felt like a mere footnote - and it's something they continue to downplay if the latest PR laden "we want to show our best selves" statements continue to be their narrative.

Actually, I think invoking her cancer as the reason for the timing would have been kind of cringe. I don't think Maia just recovered this past summer.

 

[Karen-W]

Honestly, the Shibs are full of shit if they think that spin they're putting on their NHK results is believable or plausible to the FS community. But, we're clearly not their target audience - and the FS community really hasn't been their target audience since 2018. I doubt many people in their target audience have read that they were allegedly back on the ice, training full-time for a serious comeback a year before they announced it. We got hoodwinked by their team into believing a load of crap because what we saw at NHK wasn't a team that had been seriously training for 18 months.

 

[Wyliefan]

New interview with Kouevi/Homawoo:
https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2025...lify-at-2026-us-figure-skating-championships/

The upcoming nationals will be the third trip to the U.S. Championships for Kouevi and Homawoo. They won the bronze medal in the novice division in 2024 and finished ninth in the junior division in 2025. Their goal is to improve their finish and set themselves up to be contenders for the podium in 2027.

“It’s evolving for me as time goes on, because I feel really honored to go, but I know that we worked really hard to get these nationals,” said Kouevi. Added Homawoo, “Our programs are evolving quite nicely to get to where they need to be for the U.S. Championships.”

 

[Sylvia]

If someone finds the original source and/or link, please share!

ETA to just add the link to the photo I originally embedded here (until it's been verified): https://www.instagram.com/p/DRSY18oCRcK/

 

[Tinycities]

If someone finds the original source and/or link, please share!

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

The rumor I’m seeing is that someone pulled it from her mother’s Facebook? Weird.

A little sad she wasn’t able to announce it herself.

 

[Lanie]

A lot of skating fans are just really freaking creepy

 

[BittyBug]

I don't think one can have an expectation of privacy while on social media.

 

[jlai]

If someone finds the original source and/or link, please share!

ETA to just add the link to the photo I originally embedded here (until it's been verified): https://www.instagram.com/p/DRSY18oCRcK/

Whew! Now cheering for her to make the Olympics !

 

[Sylvia]

Thank you for posting yourself & CONGRATS, Christina!!! Her 3 photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRSm6mvAavv/

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Aaron MB Fan]

Congratulations to Christina!! Very happy for her. Does this mean she can stop having to commute back and forth daily from London to the US to maintain residency requirements? And just stay in London for a better schedule? Or did she already stop this a while ago?

 

[Rukia]

Congratulations to Christina!! Very happy for her. Does this mean she can stop having to commute back and forth daily from London to the US to maintain residency requirements? And just stay in London for a better schedule? Or did she already stop this a while ago?

She's still been commuting. I don't know when/if she will stop, but I feel like she has mentioned that the goal is to no longer have to make that drive.