The Boston skating community hosts the world championships even as it mourns plane crash victims
NORWOOD, Mass. (AP) — The chairs where Jinna Han and Spencer Lane used to sit are still there, and covered with gifts: cards and cookies, plants and pictures — anything that might have sparked a connection for their friends and fellow skaters.
Photographs, drawings, a South Korean flag, hearts cut from construction paper or bent out of pipe cleaners and so many stuffed animals that they are in danger of spilling off the white plastic folding chairs just like all of the others in the hallway outside the main rink at the Skating Club of Boston.
Except these are roped off.
“The kids have insisted upon that,” said the club's CEO, Doug Zeghibe. “It’s their own remembrance of Spencer and Jinna.”
It has been not quite two months since American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C., collided with an Army helicopter and fell into the Potomac River, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft.
Among them were six members of the Boston club: Han and Lane, their mothers and a pair of married former world champion skaters who were coaching at the club, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov; their son, Max, had taken an earlier flight home.
And as the skating community gathers in Boston for this week's world championships — an event planned long before the city again became the center of the sport's grief — organizers are planning a tribute to those who died in the icy waters of the Potomac.
“The kids we lost — across the country — were the future of the sport,” Zeghibe said. “So it’s really nice to see this being acknowledged.”
First chartered in 1912 — the same week that the Titanic sank — the Skating Club of Boston for more than a century has trained recreational skaters and Olympians alike, including gold medalists Dick Button and Tenley Albright, runners-up Nancy Kerrigan and Paul Wylie and scores of U.S. junior and senior champions.
The awards and trinkets from the club's history fill a trophy room (named for Button) overlooking the main performance rink (named for Albright). A few steps away in the members' lounge is an even more poignant collection: an impromptu memorial for the crash victims, which moved upstairs after it outgrew a table in the lobby.
There are pictures — everything from professional-looking pastel sketches of the skaters to a cheerful grade school scrawl with the message: “I HoPe You Gis FeL BeDr.” Framed photographs of Han and Lane have signatures spilling off the mats.
An origami swan. Knit angels and flowers. A certificate for 15 trees planted in the memory of the lost skaters. Fresh flowers arrived from the Japanese skating federation just Tuesday morning. The Missoula (Montana) Figure Skating Club sent a note, too.
On the rink below, a Zamboni cleans the ice. Skaters wander the hallways preparing for practice.
“The kids are definitely back on the ice," Zeghibe said. “A lot of them say they’re skating with renewed purpose and they feel the sport a little bit differently now, knowing that they lost two of their training mates.
“I don’t see anybody quitting the sport over this. I see kids renewing their commitment to the sport,” he said. “So it has brought the community together, which is, I guess, one of the slivers of, you know, optimism to something this horrific.”
The six Bostonians were among more than two dozen people from the skating community returning from a development camp after the national figure skating championships in Wichita when their plane crashed on Jan. 29 on its way into Washington.
Skating clubs in the D.C. area also were impacted by the crash, and a televised tribute was held in Washington this month for a crowd of more than 15,000, including hundreds of first responders who assisted in rescue and recovery efforts.
American skating icons Kristi Yamaguchi and Brian Boitano emceed the show, which featured performances from two-time U.S. champion Amber Glenn, Olympian-turned-TV analyst Johnny Weir and reigning men’s world champion Ilia Malinin.
But it was Max Naumov, a 2020 junior champion and three-time fourth-place finisher at nationals, who brought the arena to tears.
“It was really heartfelt,” Zeghibe said. “To see how many folks come together in support of the skating community, it was a bit emotional. You really felt it, in a good way, that support.”
Another tribute is planned for Wednesday night during the worlds at the TD Garden. Videos will memorialize the skaters, and a choir will sing. Political and skating dignitaries are scheduled to attend, and Lane’s father, Doug, will speak on behalf of the grieving families.
Malinin, who will be trying to repeat as champion, said he would dedicate his performance to the victims.
“As a community, we’ll come together and share the joy we have for skating with one another," said Madison Chock, who along with her husband, Evan Bates, will be going for a third consecutive ice dance world title.
“I’m hopeful this will be a cathartic experience," Bates said.
Zeghibe said he believes some of the gloom is lifting.
“This month has been better than February. And it is all of our hopes," he said, “that April will be better than March.”
___
AP Sports Writers Dave Skretta in Boston and Stephen Whyno in Washington contributed to this report.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
Topics
-
World Figure Skating Championships coming to Boston, will honor victims of D.C. plane crash
The competition is scheduled to take place at the TD Garden on Wednesday and run through Sunday.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
'In my heart' - Malinin defends figure skating world title in wake of tragedy
American Ilia Malinin is embracing the pressure of defending his figure skating world title in Boston, where skaters are still grappling with the emotion of a deadly January plane ...Yahoo Sports - 15h -
Figure skating's world championships are headed to Boston, another chance to heal after DC crash
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 ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
World Figure Skating Championships 2025: How to watch, schedule, preview
The 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships air live on NBC Sports and Peacock from Boston's TD Garden.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Who to watch on the U.S. team in the World Figure Skating Championships
This year's World Figure Skating Championships are being held in Boston, which makes it the first championship in the U.S. since 2016.NBC News - 1d -
Jason Brown tries to reboot his Boston story at World Figure Skating Championships
Jason Brown is back from boot problems to compete at his seventh World Championships.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Small plane crashes in Pennsylvania
A small plane crashed in Manheim Township, Pa., on Sunday. The incident occurred just after 3:15 p.m., and crews were on the scene, ABC6 reported. The Aircraft N347M took off from the Lancaster ...The Hill - Mar. 9 -
South Korean officials say a helicopter engaged in firefighting has crashed
South Korean officials say a helicopter engaged in firefighting has crashedABC News - 7h -
Figure skating's world championships are headed to Boston
It has been nearly two months since American Airlines Flight 5342 departed for Ronald Reagan Washington National AirportABC News - 2d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Pro Bowler Trey Smith expresses his desire for a long-term contract with the Chiefs
In a recent media appearance, Trey Smith discussed hopes for a long-term contract with the Kansas City #Chiefs | @EdEastonJrYahoo Sports - 17m -
Pro Bowler Trey Smith expresses his desire for a long-term contract with the Chiefs
In a recent media appearance, Trey Smith discussed hopes for a long-term contract with the Kansas City #Chiefs | @EdEastonJrYahoo Sports - 17m -
20 biggest salary cap hits for the Broncos in 2025
These 20 players are the Broncos' biggest salary cap hits in 2025.Yahoo Sports - 17m -
20 biggest salary cap hits for the Broncos in 2025
These 20 players are the Broncos' biggest salary cap hits in 2025.Yahoo Sports - 17m -
Draymond Green passes Nate McMillan in assists
Jorge Sierra: DrYahoo Sports - 18m
More in Sports
-
Can anyone break Sean Brady's grip on welterweight?
Here's a look at every weight class to determine the best of the best in UFC, Bellator, PFL and beyond.ESPN - 11m -
Power Rankings: Pacers push toward playoffs, Nuggets hold on
Where all 30 teams stack up with less than a month left in the regular season.ESPN - 13m -
Power Rankings: Pacers push toward playoffs, Nuggets hold on
Where all 30 teams stack up with less than a month left in the regular season.ESPN - 13m -
USWNT: Rodman back for first time since Olympics
Forward Trinity Rodman will return to the United States women's national team for the first time since its Olympic gold medal victory in August.ESPN - 15m -
Champions Argentina qualify for 2026 World Cup
Argentina will get the chance to defend its World Cup title in 2026 after becoming the first South American team to qualify for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year.ESPN - 15m