WICHITA, Kan. (news agencies) — It has been nearly two months since American Airlines Flight 5342 lifted off from a wintry runway in southeast Kansas, destined for Washington, D.C., with dozens of members of the tight-knit figure skating community aboard it.
They were just kids, accompanied by parents and coaches, who had been attending a development camp that followed the U.S. championships in Wichita. Many had posted on social media what they had learned — those jumps and spins and techniques that form the foundation of their sport — and how eager they were to share their newfound knowledge back home.
They never got that chance. On that January night, their regional jet was on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with an Army helicopter, killing all 67 people aboard the two aircraft.
“I’ll always have them in my head and my heart,” said world champion Ilia Malinin, the 20-year-old American wunderkind, who will be defending his title in Boston this week. Some of his fellow members of the Washington Figure Skating Club were aboard Flight 5342, and many of them had cheered him to victory at the U.S. championships.
“Still some days I have some of those thoughts, kind of thinking about it. It does upset me a little bit that some days I won’t see them on the ice, training with me and looking up to me,” Malinin continued. “This worlds, I really want to dedicate to everyone on that flight, and give my all to the performance, and really make it special for them.”
When the world championships begin Wednesday at TD Bank Garden, home of the Bruins and Celtics, they will be hosted by the renowned Skating Club of Boston, which produced such Olympic icons as Tenley Albright, Dick Button and Nancy Kerrigan.
The club was rocked on Jan. 29 when it learned that three of its own young skaters — Jinna Han, Spencer Lane and Olivia Ter — and coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were killed in the crash. The next morning, flowers accumulated in the club’s lobby in nearby Norwood, and a single white rose was placed on a table for each member who died.
Kerrigan and Albright were among those who showed up at the club so they wouldn’t have to grieve alone.
“You don’t have to know everybody to feel that connection,” Kerrigan said. “We’ve been through the same thing — that training, that rigorous schedule of falling over and over and somehow picking yourself up, which is the main lesson learned in skating: You get back up, keep on trying. And even when it’s hard, you get back up.”
Time has begun to heal some of the wounds. Others, no doubt, will never fully recover.
The healing was aided in part by a gala celebration earlier this month in Washington that included performances by Malinin, U.S. champion Amber Glenn, and former Olympic champions such as Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi.
It was broadcast locally and streamed on Peacock, and NBC will be airing an encore performance next Sunday.
During the 2-plus hour event, 13-year-old Isabella Aparicio skated in memory of her brother, Franco, and father, Luciano, who were on the flight. Maxim Naumov, who lost his parents in the crash, performed in their honor. The tears were flowing from the best figure skaters of past and present, and more than $1.2 million was raised for the families of those affected.
Now, the world championships provide another chance for the skating community to heal.
International Skating Union president Jae Youl Kim made a tearful announcement during the European championships in Estonia that those killed in the crash would be honored in Boston. The highlight comes Wednesday, on the opening night of competition, when a tribute and remembrance will take place between the women’s and pairs short programs.
“This is almost part of a process of recovery, of dealing with the grief and supporting the families, and then it’s still focusing on competition as a way of dealing with all that,” said Sam Auxier, the interim CEO of U.S. Figure Skating. “Boston will be a bit of a peak of all that energy we’re seeing now around this tragedy, and how it could become something very positive.”
In that respect, the skating community is rising en masse for the world championships this week. Malinin called it a coincidence — “an unfortunate coincidence,” he said — that worlds would be taking place on American soil after the crash.
Unfortunate that the crash occurred. Fortuitous that it can provide another chance to honor and remember.
“Boston is a great host,” said Evan Bates, who along with his American partner and wife, Madison Chock, will be chasing their third consecutive ice dance world title. “The Skating Club of Boston, it’s steeped in history with U.S. Figure Skating. We have so much respect for the community. And we know the community has been through some hard times.
“We’re looking forward to a great event,” Bates said. “I think everybody is looking forward to something to cheer for.”
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