Latest news with #DougZeghibe
CBS News
07-07-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
The Skating Club of Boston to honor plane crash victims with memorial, renamed rink
The Skating Club of Boston on Monday announced new initiatives to honor the six community members killed in a deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C. earlier this year. Two club skaters, 16-year-old Spencer Lane and 13-year-old Jinna Han, died in the crash, as well as coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. Lane and Han's mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Han, also died when American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter on January 29. The tributes include renaming a rink and creating a memorial at the Norwood club, as well as setting up an annual scholarship fund and awards program. The club called it the "Always Champions" campaign, which will "honor their lives and create a permanent place of remembrance at the Club for their families, friends and visiting members of the public." "We developed this campaign to honor the memories of these six individuals, and to ensure that their personal legacies will forever be a part of the Club's legacy," the CEO of The Skating Club of Boston, Doug Zeghibe, said in a statement. Remembering the six people lost There will be a permanent memorial at The Skating Club of Boston, which will include three benches, each with a bronze plaque with the victims' names. They will also place four pairs of ice skates at the foot of the benches to remember Shishkova, Naumov, Lane and Han. The west rink at the club will be renamed to the "Always Champions Training Rink" and will feature a wall filled with stories and photos of the victims. The west rink was where the coaches held their training program for skaters, including Lane and Han. Two weeping cherry trees will be planted at the front of the facility, accompanied by memorial plaques, to create a "space for reflection." Jinna Han from Mansfield, Mass. and Spencer Lane of Barrington, RI were killed in a plane crash in Washington, D.C. The Skating Club of Boston "I'm incredibly grateful to this community for honoring the six amazing people we lost, and for ensuring that their spirit continues to inspire others to chase their dreams," Spencer's dad Doug Lane said in a press release. The club said that it will also launch two scholarships to honor Han and Lane. They said that their families will manage the scholarships, but they will help skaters "pursue their skating dreams at the Club." They will also dedicate four awards in the coaches' and skaters' honor, which will be given out at the annual banquet every June. "Their commitment to the sport and spirit of excellence will continue to inspire today's and future generations of our community. For all of us, they are Always Champions who will never be forgotten," Zeghibe said. The Skating Club will raise money for these memorials with a fundraising race on August 21. The Frozen 5K Fundraiser will have people skate or walk 28 laps around an Olympic-sized skating rink. Washington D.C. plane crash All the victims were onboard a flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with them. Both aircrafts crashed into the Potomac River. There were no survivors. The Massachusetts skating community gathered at The Skating Club of Boston's rink in the following days to mourn Han, Lane, Shishkova, and Naumov. Stoneham native Nancy Kerrigan was among those who stopped by the memorial to pay their respects. "We just wanted to be here and be part of our community," Kerrigan said. Skaters gradually returned to the rink after the crash. Zeghibe said that the community became a second family for many of its members. "I don't want to lose the energy or the dedication or the spirit of these kids and just the phenomenal talent of these two coaches," said Zeghibe. "I have to say, personally, I'm gonna just personally miss them all." A private memorial service was held at the club in January.
Boston Globe
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
At World Figure Skating Championships in Boston, joy mixes with grief
Ma's critique came Thursday afternoon at the The championships, which run through Sunday at the Boston arena, is an elite, international showcase for Ma's sport. It also comes at a challenging time of mourning and loss for the place where Ma has trained for five years — the Norwood-based The Skating Club of Boston — as well as the wider skating community. Advertisement In late January, the club lost six people from its community when an The six with connections to the Norwood club would have likely been in Boston for the championships this week. It's a reality not lost on those who knew them, such as Ma, a New York City native who moved to Norwood to train at the club. Advertisement 'The best thing that we could do is to keep moving forward,' he said. 'Moving on sounds bad, but the departed wouldn't want us to sit around and not do anything.' The throughline for the six who died in the crash, said Ma, was a passion for the sport. 'They would want the skating world to continue to flourish,' he said. Doug Zeghibe, the executive director for the club, which was the local organizing committee for the world championships, concurred. 'This event helps in the cycle of healing because it's something we can celebrate, it's something we can come together and share in a more positive way,' said Zeghibe on Thursday. 'It's one more stepping stone along the way.' Doug Zeghibe, executive director of The Skating Club of Boston, spoke to Danny McDonald of The Boston Globe during the men's short program in the World Figure Skating Championships at TD Garden. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff On Thursday, he was not at TD Garden, as he was watching a federal hearing regarding the crash that took the lives of his wife and son. Over the phone, he said he could forgive past mistakes that led to the crash, but would not abide by any lack of transparency regarding the federal investigation into the accident. He found some answers from federal officials regarding the crash to be shocking or unsatisfactory and some information that lawmakers had requested was not produced, he said. Being at the world championships this week evoked mixed emotions in Lane. Spencer had been chosen as an awards presenter at the competitions and even been fitted for a costume. Lane and his wife, Christine, had planned on being in the crowd to watch him hand out medals to skaters. Advertisement 'Thinking about that was hard,' he said. Still, participating in the tribute offered something akin to a salve, he said. 'It felt good to put a spotlight on some of the other people who were affected,' he said. 'It's definitely more helpful than not.' Inside TD Garden, Ma also reflected on those who were killed from his club. He knew them all. The Hans, he said were a 'Hallmark photo of what a family should be.' They were always together and Jinna worked hard at skating. When he first met her, she was still shaky with her double jumps, but within two years, she was landing triple-triple combinations. 'She loved it,' he said. 'Nothing was going to stop her from doing her from doing her best.' Spencer Lane, he said, 'had talent in spades,' and developed quickly as a skater. 'This dude was insane,' he said of Lane's ability. Han was in Wichita, Kan., just like those who died in the plane crash, but he had left on a different flight. Multiple people texted him in the aftermath of the crash asking if he was OK. He shakes his head. Left unspoken is the dark what-if: anyone could have been on that flight. 'It's hard,' he said. 'It puts a different perspective on things.' Amidst the talk of death and anguish, the crowd is buoyant. They cheer when the skaters land jumps and gasp when they spill. The flags among the spectators drive home the international flavor of the event. There are banners from Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Mexico, and Canada, and plenty of stars and stripes. Advertisement Like many of those who were killed in the plane crash, Ma's life revolves around this sport. During his season, he trains six days a week. He's well-known enough that a fan recognizes him in the bowels of the arena. He's been skating since he was a child, and he says his mind is calm only when he skates and when he cooks. He suspects that feeling of blankness is what appeals to him about what he does professionally. He knows many of the competitors here, having competed against them for years. Some he faced in recent months in far-flung locales, including What does it take to consistently land quadruples, he's asked. He laughs. 'A lot of (expletive) training,' he said. Making the difficult look easy is a central challenge to a figure skater, he said. He talks about having a 'good flow' out there on the ice. 'It's incredibly athletic, some of the things you have to do no human is designed to do that,' he said. 'There's a huge artistic aspect of it as well.' Ma said before the plane crash, he was laser-focused on qualifying for the Olympics. But the tragedy changed his outlook. He now concentrates on making the audience feel something and to make himself feel something out on the ice. 'I'm not doing it for the goal,' he said. 'I'm going to do it for the journey.' Danny McDonald can be reached at
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Remembering the lives lost in the skating community after the D.C. crash
Young figure skaters and their coaches were among the passengers on the American Airlines jet that collided midair with an Army Black Hawk helicopter. Skating Club of Boston CEO and Executive Director Doug Zeghibe joins Ana Cabrera to remember the lives lost in their community.
Axios
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Axios
Figure skating community "devastated" after D.C. plane crash
More than a dozen members of the figure skating community are presumed dead after an American Airlines flight and Army helicopter crashed Wednesday night in D.C. "We have lost family," said Doug Zeghibe, the CEO of the Skating Club of Boston. Six victims were from Boston's skating club, including two coaches — 1994 World Pair Champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. Zeghibe said "to the best of their knowledge" 14 skaters were on board the flight. The victims included athletes, coaches and family members returning from a camp in Wichita, Kansas. Some of them were as young as 11. Many skaters practiced together six or seven days a week, Zeghibe said. "We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts," U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. Olympians Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski opened part of Thursday's European Figure Skating Championships with a moment of silence. Both emotionally shared what a tremendous loss this is for the tight-knit community. "I know our skating community will never be the same," Lipinski said. Flashback: This moment is reminiscent of a tragedy in 1961 when a plane headed to a figure skating championship in Prague crashed, killing 18 members of the U.S. figure skating team. "You don't have to know everybody to feel that connection," Olympian Nancy Kerrigan told reporters at the Skating Club of Boston on Thursday. "We've been through the same thing — that training, that rigorous schedule of falling over and over and somehow picking yourself back 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."
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What to know so far about the figure skaters involved in DC plane crash
As many as 14 skaters who were on board the American Eagle flight involved in a midair collision with an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29 are feared dead, Doug Zeghibe, the Skating Club of Boston's CEO and executive director said Thursday. The names of six people on board the flight have been released by the Skating Club of Boston. Two teen figure skaters, Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, were affiliated with the club and were on board the flight, the club shared in a social media announcement. Han's mother, Jin Han, and Lane's mother, Christine Lane, were also on the flight. Twelve-year-old Brielle Beyer and her mother were also on board, a family member confirmed to NBC News. 'Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy,' Zeghibe said in a statement shared on social media. Two coaches, married couple and former Russian world champions Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, were also on board, the club said. Zeghibe added that the athletes, parents and coaches were returning from U.S. Figure Skating's National Development Camp following the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kansas. The camp was for young competitive skaters 'with the most promise to be a champion of tomorrow,' he said. Zeghibe told reporters Jan. 30 that as many as 14 skaters, coaches and parents in total returning home from the training camp in Wichita had been on board the flight. U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body for figure skating in the U.S., also released a statement on the crash, confirming that 'several members of our skating community' were on board the flight. 'We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts,' the organization said. 'We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.' United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland mourned the "profound loss" of the passengers on the flight in a statement. "Among those lost were talented athletes, dedicated coaches, and beloved family members from the U.S. Figure Skating community, all returning home from the National Development Camp. These Olympic hopefuls represented the bright future of Team USA, embodying the very essence of what it means to represent our country — perseverance, resilience and hope. They were remarkable young people and talents, passionately pursuing their dreams, and they will forever hold a cherished place in the Team USA family," the statement continued. At around 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 29, American Eagle Flight 5342 collided in midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, which had been conducting a training mission. Both aircrafts fell into the Potomac River. Authorities say no survivors are expected in the crash, and a recovery mission is currently underway. Sixty passengers and four crew members were on board the American Eagle flight, the airline's parent company, American Airlines, said in a statement. Three people were on board the military helicopter, an Army official said. Here's what to know about the victims in the skating community. Spencer Lane was an up-and-coming figure skater whom Zeghibe described as a 'young phenom.' 'Spencer, in the best way possible, was a crazy kid, highly talented. Like, incredibly talented,' Zeghibe told reporters, describing him as 'very fun, very cerebral.' Zeghibe said Lane had 'only been with the sport a couple of years, and was just rocketing to the top, and his parents were working to support that.' Lane's mother, Christine Lane, was also on board the flight. Zeghibe described Jinna (pronounced "Jeena") Han as 'just a wonderful kid, wonderful parents, great athlete, great competitor, loved by all.' He also shared that the club had a close relationship with the Han family. He offered kind words about Jinna's mother, Jin Han, who was on board the American Eagle flight. 'I would say Jin (was) one of the most wonderful, pleasant, polite, smiling, just fantastic, fantastic member of the club,' he told reporters. 'Never a discouraging word, always appreciative, always supportive of not just Jinna, her daughter, but every athlete, just role model parents in youth sport.' Brielle Beyer, 12, was on the flight with her mother, Justyna Magdalena Beyer, Justyna's sister, Mariola Witkowska, confirmed to NBC News. Brielle and her mother were from a Virginia suburb of Washington. 'We're heartbroken. We're just in shock,' Witkowska said. Calling Brielle "an excellent skater," Witkowska said "ice skating was pretty much her life." 'She was extremely intelligent for her age, very very smart girl," Brielle said. Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were celebrated figure skating coaches and former Russian world champions. They were also married. Shishkova, 52, and Naumov, 55, were two-time Olympians, competing in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, and the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, according to the Skating Club of Boston. They both had decades of coaching experience in competitive single and pair skating. Former pair skater Inna Volyanskaya was on board the flight, her ex-husband, Ross Lansel, confirmed to NBC Washington. Volyanskaya was a coach at Virginia's Ashburn Ice House. Volyanskaya had competed internationally for the Soviet Union. 'She was one of the best skaters I've ever seen, honestly. She was one of the best pair girls to skate,' Lansel told NBC Washington. 'Just knowing the impact she made to all the skaters and everyone just hurts my soul and just I wish all those kids that she taught, just my condolences and I wish them — all my prayers go out to them," he added. "I wish them the best of life and everything because I know it's going to be so hard without her. It's tough because as a figure skating coach, you mean a lot to these kids and you're like the individual person for them." This article was originally published on
