Ice dancers Maia, Alex Shibutani to mentor South Korean students
Jeff Seidel
Take the Olympic ideal, blending sport with education and culture.
Use the internet as a tool to unite people in a blink.
And you get this cool opportunity: Maia and Alex Shibutani, ice dancers who train in Canton, will use video conferencing to mentor students from Jinbu Middle School in PyeongChang, South Korea, leading up to the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Starting in September, the Shibutanis will host a series of monthly mentorship sessions with the students via video chat. In February, the ice dancing pair is expected to meet the class when they travel to South Korea for the Winter Games, the United States Olympic Committee will announce today.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to be able to show how grateful we are to South Korea as the host country of the upcoming Olympic Games,” said Alex, 26, of Ann Arbor. “And then share the Olympic values with these students.”
On one hand, it’s way to build relationships and excitement for the Games. Maia and Alex, a brother-and-sister duo often referred to as the “Shib Sibs,” are tremendous ambassadors for the sport and for the Olympics.
On another hand, it tells you how much respect the Shibutanis have earned in the eyes of the USOC. They are three-time world championship medalists (2011 bronze, 2016 silver, 2017 bronze) and took ninth place at the 2014 Olympic Games.
More:U.S. figure skating champs: Maia, Alex Shibutani win ice dance gold
“We will be sharing our passion for the Olympics and also talking about things like health and nutrition and the Olympic values,” said Maia, 23, of Ann Arbor. “We will also be learning from them, about their country and I think it will be build a lot of excitement about the games.”
The program will be announced today by the USOC in partnership with the PyeongChang Organizing Committee.
Earlier, Maia and Alex Shibutani made a video, which was scheduled to be shown today at the school, on the first day of class.
“Alex and I love working with kids,” Maia said. “What’s really cool about this program is we are going to have the chance to meet them in person in February.”
Assuming, of course, that the Shib Sibs make it to the Winter Olympics. Which seems like a lock.
The duo has medaled at the U.S. Figure Skating championships for 13 consecutive years, winning the national title last season.
More:
Music elevates Shibutani siblings to 2016 U.S. title
“Our entire preparation, starting right after the world championships, is going really well,” Maia said. “We are working extremely hard and looking forward to this year.”
The Shib Sibs train at Arctic Edge Ice Arena in Canton under coach Marina Zueva.
“We have taken our creative process to another place entirely, the types of professionals we work with on our music, on our choreography,” Alex said. “And we have upped our game in the gym.”
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel/.