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New York Times
27-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Figure skating remembers its fallen and a dad holds it together at world championships
BOSTON — Imagine how many times Doug and Christine Lane must have beamed with pride over the years as they watched their son Spencer slowly and steadily transform himself from an unsteady toddler to a talented teenaged figure skater. That's what parents do, right? In good times and bad, they're first in line with the cheers, the hugs, the words of encouragement. Advertisement But when the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships were getting underway Wednesday at TD Garden, it was just the dad, Doug, standing under a spotlight and speaking words that were on a par with Spencer's skating. Memorable. Forward-looking. It was just under two months ago that Spencer, 16, and his mom were among the 28 members of the figure skating community who lost their lives in the collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. This uber-competitive but tight-knit community has been in mourning ever since, even as training and the competitions go on, as they must. And so it was with Wednesday's remembrance at the world championships, which included remarks by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Boston mayor Michelle Wu and International Skating Union president Jae Youl Kim. But it was Doug Lane of Barrington, R.I., representing all the families who had lost loved ones in the crash, and he spoke in a way that suggested he has watched a lot of figure skating over the years. He was precise. He was dignified. And though his voice cracked a few times, he expressed no anger. And he did it all in exactly two minutes — less than one of Spencer's short programs. 'They haven't really invented vocabulary to talk about the grief we're all feeling,' he began. 'So what I thought I would do with my time today is share a few thoughts of hope.' So there it was, right there: Hope. That's the message this grieving man brought to the world figure skating stage. 'My first hope,' Lane said, 'is that even as we remember the amazing people from our figure skating community that we lost, we take extra care to lift up the young skaters that are still here. They're hurting. I hope we can support them in their skating journeys, but I also hope we can help them find happiness and impact off the ice as well. Advertisement 'My second hope is that we extend the love and support to people beyond the figure skating community who have also been impacted.' He thanked 'the first responders who jumped into action to help our loved ones, without regard to their physical or mental perils that they faced.' What Lane said next brought home the harsh reality of what happened that night in Washington. A plane and a helicopter collided and exploded. Sixty-seven people were killed. 'The final hope I'll share today is that we can prevent something like this from ever happening again,' he said. 'Even a layperson like me can easily identify the systematic breakdowns that allow 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 our families.' The words were simple and direct and did not reveal or even hint at a political agenda. In identifying himself as 'a layperson,' he was speaking to you, to me. And in a world where blame assignment has become all the rage, Lane would have none of it. 'I hope that we can work with our elected officials to make air travel safer for everyone and for all our families.' Lane's remarks concluded the remembrance ceremony and served as a lead-in to the pairs competition. The first skaters were Gabriella Izzo, raised in Massachusetts but representing Austria, and her partner, Luc Maierhofer. 'They have screens in the locker rooms, so I was sitting there, and I started to cry before coming out,' Izzo said. 'It was definitely a moment. It makes it more. It makes it more everything. All the emotions you're feeling. You're reminded that this is a sport that brings people together, but it is also a sport, and there are other parts of life, and you appreciate everything that much more.' Lane, speaking briefly with the media after the ceremony, was asked, in so many words, how he's doing. He said keeping busy helps. He noted that his son Milo, 12, is back at school. 'He does really well in school and time with friends,' Lane said. 'In the evenings, when the house feels like it doesn't have everybody who's supposed to be there, for both of us, that's the hardest time. But under the circumstances, we're persevering and doing our best.' Lane also noted that Spencer was supposed to be on the ice Wednesday night as a medal presenter. Instead, it was Doug Lane who appeared at TD Garden, delivering a short program that will be remembered as the highlight of the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships. Spencer Lane would have been proud. (Photo of the TD Garden video board displaying a tribute to the victims of the plane crash: Geoff Robins / AFP via Getty Images)
NBC Sports
26-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
2025 World Figure Skating Championships Results
Top 10 and American results from the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in Boston ... Women's Short Program 1. Alysa Liu (USA) -- 74.58 2. Mone Chiba (JPN) -- 73.44 3. Isabeau Levito (USA) — 73.33 4. Wakaba Higuchi (JPN) -- 72.10 5. Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) — 71.03 6. Madeline Schizas (CAN) -- 69.18 7. Lee Hae-In (KOR) -- 67.79 8. Nina Pinzarrone (BEL) -- 67.74 9. Amber Glenn (USA) — 67.65 10. Kimmy Repond (SUI) -- 67.42 Nick Zaccardi,
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 World Figure Skating Championships: How to watch, full TV schedule and more
This week, 200 of the best figure skaters in the world will gather in Boston for the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The event comes just two months after the figure skating community lost 14 members in the deadly plane crash in D.C.. There are plans to honor those lost with a remembrance ceremony on Wednesday night. This is the first worlds held on U.S. soil since 2016, and the World Figure Skating Championships one year prior to the Winter Olympics have more weight, so for Team USA, the pressure is certainly on. Defending champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates could become the first ice dancers to win their third consecutive world title in 28 years. American Amber Glenn has the world's top skater title this season, and Ilia Malinin has a chance to become the second American men's singles skater to repeat as world champion in the last 40 years. The competition begins this Wednesday, Mar. 26. All of the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships will stream on Peacock, and some coverage will also air across NBC and USA Network. Are you ready to tune in? Here's everything you need to know about how to watch the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships this week. Dates: Mar. 26-30 Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA TV channel: NBC Streaming: Peacock The 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships begin Wednesday Mar. 26 and conclude Sunday, Mar. 30. The World Figure Skating Championships will all stream on Peacock. Selection coverage will also air on NBC and USA Network. All times Eastern. Wednesday, Mar. 26 Rinkside/Practice Cam: 8 a.m. (Peacock) Women's Short: 12:05 p.m. (Peacock) Women's Short: 3 p.m. (USA Network) Remembrance Ceremony: 6:15 p.m. (Peacock) Pairs' Short: 6:45 p.m. (Peacock) Thursday, Mar. 27 Rinkside/Practice Cam 7 a.m. (Peacock) Men's Short: 11:05 a.m. (Peacock) Men's Short: 3 p.m. (USA Network) Pairs' Free: 6:15 p.m. (Peacock) Pairs' Free: 8 p.m. (USA Network) Friday, Mar. 28 Rinkside/Practice Cam: 5:30 a.m. (Peacock) Rhythm Dance: 11:15 a.m. (Peacock) Rhythm Dance: 3 p.m. (USA Network) Women's Free : 6 p.m. (Peacock) Women's Free : 8 p.m. (NBC, Peacock) Saturday, Mar. 29 Free Dance: 1:30 p.m. (Peacock) Free Dance: 3 p.m. (USA Network) Men's Free: 6 p.m. (Peacock) Men's Free: 8 p.m. (NBC, Peacock) Sunday, Mar. 30 Legacy on Ice: 1 p.m. (program rerun on NBC) Exhibition Gala: 2 p.m. (Peacock) Defending world champions Ilia Malinin and Madison Chock and Evan Bates, and 2025 U.S. champion Amber Glenn will headline Team USA at the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships. Chock and Bates could potentially become the first ice dancers to win a third consecutive world title in 28 years. Meanwhile Malinin is aiming to become the second American men's singles skater to repeat as world champion in the last 40 years (after Nathan Chen). The competition will be hosted by the renowned Skating Club of Boston, which was heavily impacted by the tragic D.C. plane crash back in January. The club lost three of its skaters in the deadly crash — Jinna Han, Spencer Lane and Olivia Ter — and two coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were also world champions in their own right. The loss is likely to be felt throughout the entire competition, by Team USA and beyond. The ISU 2025 World Figure Skating Championships will hold a remembrance ceremony for the six members of the figure skating community lost in the D.C. plane crash. The ceremony will stream on Peacock on Wednesday, Mar. 26 at 6:15 p.m. ET. NBC will also re-air Legacy on Ice, a special covering the skating community's memorial gala for the lost skaters, this Sunday. Legacy on Ice featured performances by Malinin, U.S. champion Amber Glenn, 13-year-old Isabella Aparicio (skating in memory of her late brother and father) and Maxim Naumov, the son of Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
New York Times
31-01-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
As Skating Club of Boston mourns jet collision, stunned community leans on history of resilience
NORWOOD, Mass. — It was impossible not to notice the clean, shiny sheet of ice upon stepping inside The Skating Club of Boston on Thursday morning. It was practically beckoning young skaters to get out there and put their magnificent talents on display; instead, the ice remained unused throughout the morning and into the afternoon, a symbol of the heartbreak being felt throughout this venerable century-old institution. Advertisement Of the 67 people killed as a result of the collision of an Army helicopter and American Eagle Flight No. 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, six of them had ties to the Skating Club of Boston: Skater Jinna Han and her mother, Jin Han; skater Spencer Lane and his mother, Christine Lane; and coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova. They were returning to Boston by way of Washington after participating in a national development camp in Wichita, Kan. Had they returned home, Jinna Han and Spencer Lane would have quickly made plans to get back on the ice at the club's sprawling practice facility. Instead, as a tightly knit community mourned, nobody was skating. GO DEEPER U.S., Russian figure skaters among those on flight that crashed in Washington, D.C. 'In an hour it would be packed,' said Doug Zeghibe, the CEO and executive director of the club, as he stood next to that unused sheet of ice early Thursday afternoon. He ticked off some of the many competitions coming up, including the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships, to be held in March at Boston's TD Garden, hosted by The Skating Club of Boston. With that big event on the schedule, the club has been buzzing with activity. Yet on Thursday, the front lobby was a place where members of Boston's skating community came to share stories and hugs. The visitors included 89-year-old Tenley Albright, a 1956 Olympic champion who was the first American woman to win figure skating gold, and 1994 Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan. Both women grew up in the Boston area and trained at the Skating Club. The main ice surface at the Norwood facility, which opened in 2020, is called the Tenley E. Albright Performance Center. 'I certainly don't have any answers,' said Albright, who became a prominent surgeon after her figure skating career. 'I really can't believe that it happened, because I picture them right here.' She added: 'The skaters just flew all over the ice, doing remarkable things, inspiring all of us.' Also in attendance was 16-year-old Patrick Blackwell of East Greenwich, R.I., a bronze medalist in the recent U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships. Blackwell was friends with Spencer Lane. 'It's heartbreaking to know that something like this can affect the community so much,' Blackwell said. 'But all of the community is coming together to acknowledge the passings of everyone. The skaters, their families.' Advertisement Blackwell said Lane was caring, kind, outgoing and happy. 'Every time he landed something new he would come to me and say, 'Hey, I landed this,' 'I landed that.'' The Skating Club of Boston, established in 1912, was based for many years at a modest facility along the Charles River in Boston's Brighton neighborhood, not far from Harvard Stadium. The club's long history, and its Brighton roots, played a role in what was taking place Thursday at the new facility in Norwood. For this is not the Skating Club's first airline tragedy. In 1961, the entire United States figure skating team was killed when the plane escorting its members to the world championships in Prague crashed in Belgium. Ten members of the delegation were from The Skating Club of Boston; a plaque was placed in the club room of the Brighton facility in their memory. When the new facility was opened, the plaque made the trip to Norwood and was placed on a wall on the second floor, across from a lounge that overlooks two of its rinks. For Paul George, a longtime member of The Boston Skating Club, the parallels between the crashes are striking. 'My wife tapped me on the shoulder at 6:30 in the morning and told me, much as my father had done 64 years ago,' George said. 'As Tenley has said, we lost a whole group of friends. We all grew up together, we skated together, we trained together. We even went to parties together.' Connecting 1961 with this latest tragedy, George said, 'We think and pray and hope for their families. And then there will come a time when the music will begin and we will push forward, be more resolute, be more determined.' Ann Buckley, president of The Skating Club of Boston, noted that the 1961 tragedy inspired the club to step out into the community to hold skating lessons, identify talent and rebuild its ranks. 'Perseverance and resilience have been guiding values of our club,' Buckley said. By 5 o'clock, the sheet of ice at the Tenley E. Albright Performance Center remained clean and unused. But outside in the hallway, young skaters continued to arrive, some of them alone, some in groups of two, three or four, hugging and crying as they saw each other, some of them wailing. They have no direct connection with 1961. They are teenagers and young adults, many of them facing real tragedy for the first time. Advertisement They will rally. For now, nobody feels much like skating. 'We will be back out there tomorrow,' said Misha Mitrofanov, 27, who competed in the 2025 U.S. national pairs championship in Wichita with partner Alisa Efimova. 'It's what we do. It's our job.' GO DEEPER What we know about the figure skaters who were on the airplane that crashed in Washington, D.C. (Top photo of Tenley Albright (left), Doug Zeghibe and Nancy Kerrigan during a news conference Thursday at The Skating Club of Boston: Craig F. Walker / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
