Maia and Alex Shibutani - National Novice Ice Dance Champions

The word "novice" is supposed to mean a beginner, but in figure skating, that term has a very different meaning. The skaters who compete at the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships in the Novice events are very advanced skaters. Winning a U.S. National Novice Figure Skating title is a huge accomplishment.

My former ice dance partner, Richard Griffin, is one of the coaches of the newly crowned U.S. National Novice Dance Champions, Maia and Alex Shibutani. I spoke with Rich on the phone today and he described the almost perfect free dance that the team performed to win the title.

I've seen this amazing brother-sister ice dance team in action. They work so hard. Most of the people that go to the Colorado Springs World Arena on a regular basis see them practicing on four to five sessions each day of the work week. They also take off-ice classes in ballet and ballroom. What's also amazing is that they never fight!

_{Alex and Maia Shibutani - 2007 U.S. National Novice Dance Champions
Photo Courtesy Richard Griffin}