I want you to imagine doing something with your sibling for a second. It can be anything from watching a movie to playing a pick-up game of basketball. Now imagine ice skating in front of thousands of people with your sibling, at the Olympics. In my personal opinion, I think that would be awesome! However, I am pretty sure both of my brothers would drop me on purpose because it would be funny. Yet looking at Team USA’s brother-sister skating duo, Maia and Alex Shibutani, I almost think it’s possible. Just look at how cute they are!
According to an article in Time Magazine, their mom, Naomi, decided to put them in lessons together because it made more sense then having them take separate lessons. Alex was seven and Maia was four when they first started skating. Maia fell in love with it immediately but Alex was slow to warm up to the sport. They skated as singles for a while but at their moms behest they paired up and were groomed for competition. Naomi said of their relationship, “When they were little, Alex was very protective of Maia. As they have gotten older, I don’t sense any seniority between them. They really are on equal footing.” Their dad, Chris, said, “They are a team and know that what benefits one of them benefits the both of them.”
They began placing in almost every competition they entered. They even got to train with Olympic skaters who are now their rivals. In their first Olympic appearance, at the 2014 Sochi games, they were the second youngest team and finished in the top ten. This year, at the games on PyeongChang, they won two bronze medals. I would keep an eye on these two, they are going to be doing great things in the future!