Chicago skaters honor DC plane crash victims with tribute performance
The Brief
Young Chicago-area figure skaters held a tribute Saturday for those killed in the January plane crash over Washington, D.C.
The Flight 5342 Memorial Skating Performance took place at Wilmette Centennial Ice Rinks and honored those involved in the crash, which occurred after a collision with a military helicopter.
The event also raised funds for the families of the victims, with skaters sharing emotional memories of their friends and teammates lost in the tragedy.
WILMETTE, Ill. - Some of the best young figure skaters in the Chicago area gathered Saturday for a tribute to those who died in the January plane crash over Washington, D.C.
What we know
The Flight 5342 Memorial Skating Performance took place at Wilmette Centennial Ice Rinks.
Among the plane crash victims were four coaches and 11 skaters returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, and an elite training camp.
Some of the athletes had trained and competed with those on board the American Airlines flight that crashed into the Potomac River after colliding with a military helicopter.
What they're saying
"I think it really opened up a lot of our eyes to what the sport really means for us and really how much we value our connections in it and not to take anything for granted," said Addyson McDanold.
"One of them, Everly, was in my squad and another boy, Franco, was on the plane. I was just in a Snapchat group chat talking to him and all of a sudden I hear that this happened and I look at his location on Snapchat and it's just gone. And it's like, heartbreaking," said Baylen Taich.
What's next
In addition to remembering the crash victims, the tribute also raised money for their families.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Angel Reese's teammate demands 'respect' for emotional star in response to online scrutiny
One of Angel Reese's teammates came to her defense Tuesday night after the Chicago Sky's blowout loss to the reigning champion New York Liberty. New York is 9-0 to start the season, while Reese's Sky fell to 2-6. After the game, Reese was asked about the online scrutiny she faces. Reese became emotional while answering the question, which is when Ariel Atkins, who spent last season with the Washington Mystics, interjected. "Can I say something? This is a 23-year-old kid, and the amount of crap that she gets on a day-to-day, she still shows up. So, whatever questions you got about our team, basketball-wise, we appreciate it. All the other nonsense, it's irrelevant," Atkins said while sitting next to Reese, via ESPN. "We're here to play basketball. We're having a hard time at the end of the day. This is a 23-year-old kid who handles herself with grace. Her crown is heavy. So, whatever else you all want to come at her for, she needs to have a wall. Because if she doesn't, people will break her down. Not only because of the way she looks, but also the way she carries herself. "She doesn't just walk around and act like 'Oh, I'm this.' She knows who she is, and we ain't gonna break her down for that. The questions y'all got, I'm hoping it's just about basketball, maybe a box score question. But the kid's crown is heavy. Respect that." Reese has found herself in a rivalry with Caitlin Clark and both the Fever and Iowa Hawkeyes fans. Reese said she experienced racism from both groups last year. It all started when Reese hit Clark with a "you can't see me" taunt in the final seconds of the 2023 national championship. Reese then said fans are watching women's basketball "not just because of one person — it's because of me, too." In their first game this season, Clark hit Reese with a flagrant foul, and Reese had to be held back from Clark. Afterward, Reese shared a TikTok that said she was "unsafe" playing in Indiana against Clark. The WNBA investigated claims of "hateful comments" toward Reese by Fever fans that were eventually "not substantiated." Reese is averaging 10.1 points and 12.1 rebounds this season. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Luzardo returns to form with 10 strikeouts and Phillies bats come alive to end prolonged slumps
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. admired Kyle Schwarber's shot deep into the right-field seats —'that's a bomb!' — and got a thrill when Nick Castellanos came inches away from his own solo homer. Castellanos settled for a triple, showing that in baseball — unlike in Stenhouse's day job in NASCAR — good things happen when a long drive ends with a smack off the wall. Alec Bohm also went deep and teamed with Schwarber and Castellanos to contribute three of the Phillies' five extra-base hits in a win the team can only hope revived an offense that's been punchless this month. Another encouraging sign? Jesús Luzardo put two disastrous starts behind him and struck out 10 in six innings to lead the Phillies past the Chicago Cubs 7-2 on Wednesday. The Phillies had lost nine of 10 games overall headed into the Cubs' series and suffered the double whammy of losing first baseman Bryce Harper to wrist soreness and starter Aaron Nola adding a stress reaction in one of his right ribs. They returned home and split the first two games of the three-game set against the Cubs in underwhelming fashion: Of their 26 hits in two games, 23 were singles. Schwarber hit his 21st homer a Monster Mile — Stenhouse attended to promote the July 20 NASCAR race at Dover Motor Speedway — and Bohm added four RBIs to help the Phillies win the series. Schwarber is averaging one home run for every 10.94 at-bats during June in his career, which ranks third in MLB history with at least 600 at-bats behind Babe Ruth (10.64 AB/HR) and Mark McGwire (10.80 AB/HR). Luzardo handled the rest. The left-hander was an early season success story in his first season since he was acquired from Miami in what looked like the heist of the winter. He struck out 11 in his Phillies' debut and followed in his second start with seven scoreless innings. Luzardo struck out a combined 20 batters in consecutive starts in late May as the Phillies surged to the lead in the NL. Luzardo's next two starts were somehow about as bad as it gets — he was rocked for 12 runs in 3 1/3 innings that skyrocketed his ERA from 2.15 to 3.58 and he gave up eight runs in 2 1/3 innings in his last outing in Toronto. Luzardo insisted he was healthy and still hit the high 90s with his fastball, forcing him to study game film with a bit of a detective's eye to find out why his season soured. He came to the conclusion that he must have been tipping his pitches. How about a tip of the cap from Phillies fans instead? 'There's a lot of things we tinkered with,' Luzardo said. 'The biggest thing was attention to detail, attention to where we want to go, pitch selection that comes from me.' Luzardo fanned two batters in the first inning to get the gem of a start going. He didn't walk a batter in six innings and allowed his only run with the Phillies up 4-0. Luzardo gave up consecutive singles to open the second inning before he struck out the side. 'He studies himself and he wants to address what he's doing wrong,' Schwarber said. 'That's the impressive thing about him. We were all excited to watch him get out there on the mound today and see what was going to happen. Never a third time.' Max Lazar worked two innings of relief and Michael Mercado tossed a scoreless ninth for the Phillies. Luzardo recorded his fourth double-digit strikeout game in his 15th start of the season, the first Phillies pitcher with four or more double-digit strikeout games in their first 15 starts with the team since Steve Carlton had five in 1972. Yes, the Hall of Famer with the 10-foot statue outside Citizens Bank Park. Not all stats, of course, are usually measured against Hall of Famers. Luzardo was the first Phillies left-hander with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks in a game since Drew Smyly struck out 10 in 2019 at Washington. Up next, an off day and a home weekend series against a Blue Jays team that outscored the Phillies 11-2 in consecutive losses last weekend. Schwarber was willing to bet the past two weeks were just a blip in a long season for a playoff-tested team rather than the start of a summer swoon. 'We know what we have,' Schwarber said. 'We've been in a little rut and we're finding our way out of it. We know that if we do what we need to do, we're know that we're not going to be losing many games overall.' ___ AP MLB:
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Pope Leo XIV rocks White Sox hat at the Vatican in new photos
Pope Leo XIV brought his White Sox fandom to the Vatican on Wednesday. While holding a general audience in St. Peter's Square, the Chicago-bred pontiff was photographed wearing a black White Sox cap as he greeted onlookers, including a bride and groom who appeared to be fellow fans of the AL Central club. Pope Leo XIV's sports allegiances were thrust into the spotlight in May when he made history after being elected the first American pope. He succeeded Pope Francis, who died in April at the age of 88 after a lengthy battle with double pneumonia. 6 Pope Leo XIV was seen wearing a Chicago White Sox hat at the Vatican on June 11, 2025. AFP via Getty Images 6 The American-born pope greeted newlyweds in his White Sox hat. REUTERS The pope's brother, John Prevost, quickly set the record straight over which Chicago baseball team his sibling preferred amid Cubs chatter. 'He was never ever a Cubs fan, so I don't know where that came from,' Prevost told local Chicago station WGN TV. 'He was always a Sox fan. Our mother was a Cubs fan. I don't know, maybe that clued in there and our dad was a Cardinals fan, so I don't know where all that came from. 'And all the aunts, our mom's family was from the north side, so that's why they were Cubs fans.' 6 Pope Leo XIV waved to onlookers in St. Peter's Square on June 11, 2025. Getty Images 6 The pope's sports allegiances were thrust into the spotlight after he was elected. REUTERS Born Robert Francis Prevost, the Windy City native has a publicized history of supporting the White Sox, as resurfaced video showed him wearing team gear during Game 1 of the 2005 World Series against the Astros. Chicago swept Houston in four games. 6 Pope Leo XIV was elected the first American pope in May 2025. REUTERS 6 The White Sox commemorated Pope Leo XIV with a graphic at Rate Field in May 2025. AP Last month, the White Sox installed a Pope Leo XIV graphic at Rate Field in honor of their most famous fan. Beyond the White Sox, who lost a record 121 games last season, Pope Leo XIV is also a Villanova Wildcat, having graduated from the university in 1977. Knicks fans were hopeful Pope Leo's Villanova ties would fuel a championship berth with former Wildcats Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. The Knicks ultimately lost to the Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.
