Tennell prevails with near-perfect showing

Latin music, including a rhumba, is required this year for the short dance. The brother-sister combination — “Shib Sibs” — showed speed and strength and even a tad of wickedness in the routine. The two-time defending champions and three-time world medalists punctuated their program with eight side-by-side twizzle turns as their music counted uno through ocho.

That was Alex's idea, and it worked perfectly.

“It was just something we were listening to Perez Prado's library of music and I heard ‘Mambo No. 8,’ and we're always trying to push the boundaries of what we're capable of doing,” he said. “Obviously, you're only required to do four rotations per set on the twizzles but we just thought that it would be kind of clever and fun and it would entertain ourselves.”

“And the audience,” Maia chimed in.

Hubbell and Donohue have never won a U.S. title. Their short dance was alternately sultry, teasing and rocking. Their synchronization was so good they seemed to be shadows of one another, and their straight line footwork mirrored each other to perfection. But the Shibutani siblings simply were better.

“I think we made a big statement by skating the way that we did,” Alex said. “It's not in our control what the judges give us. If it was, then we would get amazing scores every single time.”