Ceremony at TD Garden honors members of figure skating community killed in Jan. 29 plane crash
'Some accidents are unavoidable. This one was not,' said Lane, whose comments focused on a theme of hope. 'Even a layperson like me can easily identify the systematic breakdowns that allowed this to happen. But rather than looking for places to place blame, I hope that we can work with our elected officials to make air travel safer for everyone and for all of our families.'
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Also speaking during the ceremony were Governor
Maura
Healey
, Mayor
Michelle Wu
, International Skating Union president
Jae Youl Kim
, and US Figure Skating president
Samuel Auxier
, and the Coro Allegro Choir performed at the conclusion.
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In addition to Christine and Spencer Lane, four other people associated with the Skating Club of Boston lost their lives in the accident —
Jin Han
and her daughter, 13-year-old skater
Jinna
, and
Evegenia Shishkova
and
Vadim Naumov
, coaches at the club who were competitive skaters themselves and the parents of
Maxim Naumov
, a 23-year-old skater who was the 2020 US junior champion.
'These athletes, coaches, and parents reflect the very best of what Massachusetts stands for — hard work, high standards, striving for excellence, and always sharing their talents and love,' Healey said.
'While they may not be here in person … their spirit, their passion, their love for the sport, the relationships they built … will never fade.'
Spencer Lane was scheduled to be one of the medal presenters at the world championships. Instead, the presenters have had a patch shaped like a heart sewn into the inside of their uniforms. The patches read 'Spencer Lane Forever in our Hearts.'
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Video tributes were shown featuring the skaters and other skating community members who were victims of the crash. Their names were displayed on the boards surrounding the ice surface at the conclusion of the ceremony. Auxier read a portion of a poem he wrote as a tribute.
'It is an honor for Boston to host this event, and we do so with heavy hearts,' Wu said.
By the numbers
According to the ISU, there are 190 competitors across the four disciplines — 39 men, 33 women, 23 pairs, and 39 ice dance couples …
Deanna Stellato-Dudek
of Canada, who with partner
Maxime Deschamps
won the 2024 World Championships pairs title, is the oldest competitor in Boston. Stellato-Dudek, who was born in Illinois and became a Canadian citizen in 2024, will turn 41 in June … The youngest competitor is
Meda Variakojyte
of Lithuania, a 17-year-old in the women's event … Five husband-and-wife teams are competing — four in ice dance and one in pairs. The dance couples are
Diana Davis-Gleb Smolkin
(Georgia),
Carolane
Soucisse
-
Shane Firus
(Ireland),
Katarina Delcamp-Berk Akalin
(Turkey), and
Madison Chock-Evan Bates
(United States), while
Camille
and
Pavel Kovalev
(France) will compete in pairs … Five skaters or couples entered this year also competed at the 2016 World Championships in Boston —
Piper Gilles
-
Paul Poirier
(Canada),
Charlene Guignard
-
Marco Fabbri
(Italy), Chock-Bates,
Deniss Vasiljevs
(Latvia), and
Ioulia Chtchetinina
, who now partners with
Michal Wozniak
to represent Poland in pairs but performed with
Noah Scherer
for Switzerland in 2016.
Matt Pepin can be reached at
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