‘ WE ARE SATISFIED’
SHIBUTANIS LEAD U.S. WITH BRONZE MEDAL
BY LYNN RUTHERFORD AND TROY SCHWINDT
In a tension-fraught competition, where a slight misstep made the difference between the podium and sev- enth place, Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani’s year-long commitment to the creative vision for their programs paid off with a bronze medal, the lone hardware earned by U.S. skaters at the 2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki. It was the siblings’ second consec-
utive World medal and their third overall. U.S. ice dancers have now won medals at seven of the last eight World Champion- ships.
It didn’t come
easily. Te Shibutanis’ raucous, life-affirming blues and hip-hop short dance, set to a mash-up of Jay Z and Frank Sinatra’s “Tat’s Life,” enchanted the crowd and gained a vigorous fist pump from Alex. But a Level 2 on the partial step sequence cost them several points and put them fifth heading into the free dance, 1.65 points out of third place. “‘Tat’s Life’ embodied ourselves, what we wanted to say to the judges and the audience this year,” Alex said. “We feel very connected to the music, which is important to us.”
Te U.S. champions’ steady competitive nerves came
to the fore in a fluid and captivating performance of their “Evolution” free dance, highlighted by matchless twizzles and light, airy lifts. Teir 110.30 points gave them 185.18 points overall and lifted them to the podium by just .37 point. “We were disappointed with our scores for the
short dance, but after all, it comes down to how we feel about each other and our programs,” Maia said. “We just focused on our performance today. We missed a couple of minor things but in total we are satisfied.” For the other two U.S. teams, regret may have summed up the Helsinki experience. Madison Chock and Evan Bates, World bronze medalists last season, entered the free dance just .28 point out of third place. But Bates faltered on a twizzle
(l-r) Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, and Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani
SKATING 21
The Shibutanis’ “That’s Life” short dance was a big hit all season long.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates entertain with their high-energy short dance.
JOOSEP MARTINSON - ISU/ISU VIA GETTY IMAGES
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