Originally appeared on E! Online
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani are feeling the love.
Five months after 28 figure skaters, coaches and family members died on an American Airlines flight to Washington, D.C., that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter, the Olympic ice dancing partners detailed how the skating community has shown support for each other in the wake of the tragedy.
For Alex, being a shoulder to lean on for his fellow athletes affected by the crash — which killed all 67 people aboard both aircrafts — has come naturally, considering there’s already a strong foundation of community within the sport.
“There’s a fabric that connects generations, that connects athletes, both in the United States and around the world,” the 34-year-old exclusively told E! News at Team USA’s Nonna Experience on May 22, “and so in good times and tough times, that is something that we all lean on.”
And that backbone was built by a mutual admiration that exists among all of the athletes.
PHOTOS Your Favorite U.S. Olympic Figure Skaters Then and Now
“It’s because we all admire and respect the work that goes into the sport that we love,” Alex continued, “and being able to share that with an audience and share that with each other is super special.”
As for Maia, the 30-year-old echoed her brother’s sentiment, emphasizing that she feels “proud to a part of the figure skating community.”
“I started skating when I was 4,” Maia told E!. “But as I’ve grown through the sport to get to know other generations of skaters, it just has become a larger family.”
And the Team USA siblings are taking that family mentality into their partner training as they gear up for the 2026 Winter Olympics — even if it means butting heads occasionally.
As Alex noted, “We do have different opinions on things. We do argue.”
Ultimately, their disagreements help them strengthen their performances on the ice.
“The best teams fight, and then the best teams work it out, and they communicate and they grow,” Alex said. “We have this special bond that a lot of families experience, but we just get to experience it on the ice.”
Of course, Alex and Maia aren’t the only members of the skating world who have showed their support amid the American Airlines tragedy. Back in February, over 30 skaters stepped out onto the ice at the Legacy on Ice event to perform tributes to those who were lost to the collision.
Among those to honor the victims were Maxim Naumov — whose parents were among those who died on board the aircraft — and U.S. champion Johnny Weir.
“When you’re an athlete, you’re taught to have ice in your veins and to push through anything that affects your community,” Johnny told People at the time of the impact the crash had on their community. “And ours is so small that even if you don’t know everybody, you know them all. They’re all family in some way.”
