The Shibutanis Thread 6: Paradise Found

They do have one new program that they performed in Japan like a month or so ago, but another new program would be nice and I hope they have another one. I’m getting tired of the “That’s Life” and “Fix You/Paradise”.
 
There aren’t a ton of choices. Move to Florida to stay with Marina, Switch to Igor and stay in Detroit or go to Gadbois.

Maybe they might move to Chicago and work with Massimo Scali; he was kind of the brainchild for them anyway...

I don’t see them moving to Wheaton or doing something crazy like go to Moscow, though they do to seem to have contacts with Zhuk’s team.
 
VIETgrlTerifa said:
They do have one new program that they performed in Japan like a month or so ago, but another new program would be nice and I hope they have another one. I’m getting tired of the “That’s Life” and “Fix You/Paradise”.
Click to expand...
Especially That's Life. I just rewatched that one and STILL can't get into it. To me that one wasn't a success and I'm not sure it would have scored as well for them if it hadn't come right after their breakout Fix You season. But maybe it's just me.

I'm really hoping to be able to see them in Providence! My life is a bit precarious because of my husband's health but God willing we, or I, will be there.
 
VIETgrlTerifa said:
They're going to join Gadbois, J/K...maybe.
Click to expand...
I don't think they can go to gadbois. The top 4 US teams is really pushing it, and Gadbois is full to the max. I only think they will take new lower ranked teams for the next year. They have lajoie/lagha moving up and they will probably be a top canadian senior team. Maia and Alex seem to like having a lot of attention from their coaches. I think they will either go to florida or go to igor
 
Okay this is a bit out there :eek: ... but I wonder if Virtue/Moir could be a possibility for coaching. Scott did some coaching in Gadbois this past spring when the coaches were away. And he, along with Tessa, recently did some coaching for Weaver/Poje during the Thank You Canada tour (see https://twitter.com/fsonline/status/1083485332224557060). I'm thinking it may, possibly, be only a matter of time before V/M start their own school. It sure would be interesting to see what they could bring to the Shibs! I have no idea, though, what the Shibs' personal relationship is with V/M.

I also wonder if there is some lesser-known, younger, but talented coach that they could turn to. Like when Volosozhar/Trankov plucked Mozer out of obscurity to coach them.

Gadbois just seems unlikely, with 3 other top U.S. teams already there, including main rivals H/D. And considering that Marina's technical dance coaches (Epstein, etc.) are only going to be part-time in FL, that seems like a question mark. Igor also seems questionable, after the acrimonious split with Marina, and the Shibs' family getting partly blamed for that. Although going with Igor would, obviously, allow them to maintain their current home base in Detroit.

There's also Fusar-Poli in Italy, if they wanted the adventure of living abroad!

It's interesting to speculate. :D ETA: Another thought, I wonder if they could become the first full-time students for Charlie/Tanith White. (I don't know if Charlie/Tanith are interested in coaching full-time, but if they were ....)
 
Last edited:
I doubt they'd go up to Montreal for the reasons stated by others, along with the fact that I'd wonder if a sibling team would find appropriate yet creative, challenging choreography from them. Marie France and Patch and their team seem to do the angsty/ romantic themes quite well, maybe overdo them a bit. How well could they choreograph other styles?

With all their connections, I don't think the Shibs would have a problem finding a new coach if that's what they want to do. But first things first, let's get through Nationals before we start wondering and worrying.
 
V/M are an intriguing thought. Carol Lane comes to mind too. She's an interesting choreographer and isn't she a great admirer of the Shibs? I am not keen on D/W because I feel like Tanith is always just polite about the Shibs while being ecstatic about H/D. They deserve a coach who thinks they're great. Also I don't think Charlie's choreography is out of the box enough for them.

But it's hard to imagine them leaving Marina. And I think they'd like sun and kayaking as much as the next skater. :)
 
I'm sure the Shibs will do what is best for them. And I'm sure that if they decide as a team to compete this upcoming season, they know far better than us who to trust to guide them along the way.

I don't know why they couldn't stay with Marina and/or Scali. Maia & Alex already travel all over the place for expertise; and according to the recent announcement, Scali and Marina will still be working together part time. I can see that it's possible Marina may be dialing back her hours or that the new situation may not be as ideal as the Shibs might wish or that they might want to shake things up & try something new. But I certainly don't want to see them doing it because their fans need drama or have an idealized vision of what something new might look like.

Looking at all the athletes that have changed coaches this season, I see very few experiencing actual improvement. Rather I see fans lowering their expectations and fairly giving these relocated athletes time to adjust. Some athletes are happier, which is great; but the only dance team I can think of that has changed their coaching situation and is making a clear leap forward in the ranks and/or on their elements this season is Fear & Gibson, and they were already at their current rink throughout at least the last two seasons. They've only switched to full-time this season (which I would guess is the result of more funding). But Wang & Liu, Hawayek & Baker, Chock & Bates, Muller & Dieck, etc. These athletes are all still struggling with the same elements. (Level two footwork sequences for W&L, lower levels than previously for H&B, C&B are really just coming off injury so we don't have enough data there; but there's no sign yet that they will challenge Hubbell & Donohue this season, Muller & Dieck fell behind Koch & Nuchtern--quite literally--this season; Popova & Mozgov fell behind Evdokimova & Bazin and have dropped results to a bunch of teams that were lower down in the ranks last season, Loboda & Drozd dissolved). Do all these athletes need time? Absolutely. But meanwhile, Sinitsina & Katsalapov and Guignard & Fabbri--who have not changed coaches since last season--are the teams showing signs of moving up the ranks.

I'm really a strong believer in finding someone who is a good coach. Not a famous athlete without high-level coaching experience. I imagine that a huge part of the reason Virtue & Moir returned to competitive skating was to refresh their marketability and increase professional skating opportunities. I can't see them having the time to coach an elite level team full time, even if there was any reason to believe either of them would be great at doing so.

I don't mean to be negative about change. Only thoughtful. Ultimately, I just come back to my original thought: I'm sure the Shibs will do what is best for them. And I'm sure that if they decide as a team to compete this upcoming season, they know far better than us who to trust to guide them along the way.
 
Last edited:
I think that if V/M coach they will join the team at Gadbois. It doesn't seem likely that Tessa wants to coach, but I might be wrong. Scott has said that when their shows and events wind down he would like to coach. They clearly still have a good relationship with Marie-France and the teams at Gadbois seem to like them. I know he spent some time over the summer coaching there. The only team I didn't see him working with was P/C who didn't start training until July so they might have just missed him, or it might have been a little awkward (even though from recent interviews it doesn't seem like there is a lot of tension). I know he worked with pretty much all the other teams.
 
hey guys! how is everyone? not sure if you guys remember me, but i'm back regardless :D after my hiatus i wanna catch up on everything! (although i am still subbed to their IG!) also, i've been thinking about their fly on performance these days.....so dreamy!
 
also, i got to thinking, anyone think someone should make a shibsibs discord? it's pretty popular for meeting other fans of multiple different people/things nowadays. i'd be happy to make it if you guys want to join.
 
Kuurisu said:
also, i got to thinking, anyone think someone should make a shibsibs discord? it's pretty popular for meeting other fans of multiple different people/things nowadays. i'd be happy to make it if you guys want to join.
Click to expand...

I'm on discord if you want to add.
 
they were both back on the ice today, so let's hope that they're brewing up some new and exciting programs!!!

and also regarding their coaching if they return to competition, i agree that they won't be joining gadbois because i just can't see them fitting in there in terms of interpersonal relationships (their top 2 competitors in US ice dance are now also there, and from what i've seen on social media and etc. the shibs aren't really friends with h/d or c/b outside of skating) and also as mentioned before, their sibling dynamic doesn't seem fitting for the gadbois coaching team. scott did mention that he was interested in coaching, but idk now with all the tampa and new zealand (lol) shenanigans - i could see the shibs maybeeee working with v/m for feedback but definitely not under their full-time coaching :)

we'll have to wait and see - excited to see & support how everything turns out though
 
Last edited:
So Kuurisu created a Shibs server on Discord. For those of you who don't know, Discord is basically a chatroom many gamers and others use to talk about their favorite topics. To join a room is invite-only. Everyone is welcome. Just post or PM me your Discord User ID and we'll add you or you can just click on this invite link as it's much easier:

https://discord.gg/ShRfd5V

We can talk about figure skating, especially ice dance, in general as well.
 
^^^ Thanks VGT. I'm one person who had no clue what Discord is. Maybe I'll sign up for an account and join your group. :)
 
Maia & Alex will be going back to Japan for SOI shows in Osaka at the end of March (eta: also Sapporo & Kanazawa in early April): https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/2019-japan-stars-on-ice-shows-in-osaka-march-29-31.105228/

The U.S. SOI tour will span April 18-May 18, 2019: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/u-s-stars-on-ice-tour-april-18-may-18-2019.105102/

ETA: https://twitter.com/AlexShibutani/status/1090662218293628930
I’m going to be at USC tonight with @MaiaShibutani.
The last time we spoke in public (at Northeastern University) a couple of weeks ago, I referenced Ariana Grande and Aristotle within a 2 minute span.
Tonight, anything is possible.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Alex must have been so thrilled to be at the Super Bowl to watch his Patriots win last weekend!

From the looks of their stories they were there with one of their sponsors Coca-Cola and also went to what was apparently an incredible pre-Super Bowl Foo Fighters concert the night before.

I enjoyed Maia's observations. It was apparently her first NFL game :D

@maiashibutani: The Super Bowl. The shortest line I've ever seen for the women's restroom #SBLIII
https://twitter.com/MaiaShibutani/status/1092220978434924544

:rofl:
 
Last edited:
The Shibs are at 4CC right now. I wonder if they’re going to watch the FDs tomorrow.
 
For Valentine's Day, a high school-aged admirer who is an aspiring music producer covered the Four Seasons' "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" for her:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt4fLhOA0-C/

He asked his friends to tag Maia which resulted in line over 200 posts of her being tagged, and she ended up replying with "Happy Valentine's Day - Thank you!". Maybe this is what SojuBoi needed when he made his original song dedicated to her: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfwTw6669AA

:lol:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)

Similar threads

VGThuy
The Shibutanis Thread 7 . . . Years Later
Replies
10
Views
2K
my little pony
my little pony
SkateGuard
2023/2024 Skating Magazine Readers' Choice Award
Replies
1
Views
1K
SkateGuard
SkateGuard
VGThuy
U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame Inductees Class of 2023: Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani and Paul E. George
Replies
10
Views
5K
Addryn
A
VGThuy
  • Poll Poll
Best Olympic Bronze Medal Winning Ice Dance Team
2 3
Replies
82
Views
12K
Icetalavista
I
VGThuy
Kudo Kids: The Mystery of the Masked Medalist by Maia Shibutani, Alex Shibutani, and Michelle Schusterman Comes Out Today, Sept. 8, 2020
Replies
18
Views
3K
VGThuy
VGThuy
Back
Top
Do Not Sell My Personal Information