Latest news with #SabenaFlight548
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Figure skating tributes dedicated to DC plane crash victims raise $1.3 million
A tearful tribute from the United States' most decorated figure skaters coupled with multiple fundraising efforts has garnered $1.3 million on behalf of the Washington, D.C., plane crash victims, organizers said Thursday. "Legacy on Ice," a figure skating tribute show that took place last month at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., honored the 67 lives lost in the fatal midair collision on Jan. 29 -- with nearly half of the passengers being members of the figure skating community. On Thursday, almost exactly nine weeks since the crash, Monumental Sports and Entertainment (MSE), which co-hosted the event with U.S. Figure Skating (USFS), announced a total of $1.3 million had been raised from the sold-out event and subsequent fundraising. "This is evidence of what good that can happen when people band together," MSE CEO Ted Leonsis said in a statement provided to ABC News, emphasizing the "herculean effort and generosity" of organizers and the Washington community. "The kids that were lost -- skating is what they loved to do, so it only felt right that that's how we remember them," two-time U.S. national champion Gracie Gold said in a video compilation of the "Legacy on Ice" event posted by Team USA on Friday. The midair crash between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Eagle Flight 5342 above the Potomac River left no survivors and was the first major commercial crash since 2009. The incident was particularly poignant within the skating community given the sport's history with aviation tragedy -- in 1961, the entire U.S. national team died aboard Sabena Flight 548 while traveling to the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. MORE:'Hearts are heavy': 14 members of figure skating community among victims of DC plane crash Last week, the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships took place in Boston, marking two months since the fatal crash in D.C. and 64 years since the 1961 tragedy. Pausing from the fierce competition, skaters and spectators took time to remember the victims. Maxim Naumov, 23, who lost both of his parents in the crash, received a one-minute standing ovation at a gala on Sunday that concluded the competition. "I don't have the strength or the passion or the drive or the dedication of one person anymore. It's three people," Naumov said in an interview with NBC News' Craig Melvin last week. He described his parents, 1994 Russian world champions and coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, as "superheroes." MORE: Figure skater who lost both parents in DC plane crash brings world crowd to its feet At last month's "Legacy on Ice" tribute, Naumov performed to his parents' favorite song in Russian, "The city that does not exist." He opened with choreography clasping each of his hands around the empty air on either side of him, symbolizing him reaching for his parents' hands that are no longer here. Naumov's performance concluded with him sobbing on his knees and repeatedly mouthing words, which he later explained was him saying in Russian "This is for you" and "Mom and Dad, I love you." During the World Figure Skating Championships, a remembrance memorial featured videos of the plane victims on the TD Arena jumbotron, and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu highlighted the six members lost from the Skating Club of Boston. Just a day after clinching his second consecutive world championship title, Ilia Malinin delivered an emotional tribute performance at the gala, in which he fought back tears and brought the audience to their feet. Known as the "Quad God" and the first skater to land a quadruple axel in competition, Malinin also performed at "Legacy on Ice" last month, closing out the show with an upbeat, motivating number titled "Hope." MORE: Figure skating's world championships are headed to Boston U.S. pairs champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov displayed photos of the Skating Club of Boston members, and two-time U.S. champion Amber Glenn sported a T-shirt that said, "Skate with their spirit." Efimova, Mitrofanov, and Glenn also performed at "Legacy on Ice," where they were accompanied by a cast of U.S. Figure Skating's top stars, past and present. Included in the lineup was 17-year-old Isabella Aparicio, who lost both her father, Luciano, and her 14-year-old brother, Franco, in the crash. Skating to a recording of her father playing "Canon in D" on the guitar, Aparicio fell to her knees at the conclusion of her routine, and the tear-ridden audience leapt to their feet in support of the skater. "Legacy on Ice" also honored the victims' final skating endeavor as they had been traveling home from a development camp that is hosted annually for the highest-performing youth skaters following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The performers reenacted a skating skills class that is traditionally conducted at such camps, staging the exercise to Beyonce's "Halo." "Against the backdrop of this massive tragedy, this region has provided a light in showcasing its generosity and empathy for the victims, their families, and the heroic first responders," Leonsis said in a statement following the event. MORE: Olympic figure skaters to honor DC plane crash victims in tribute show According to MSE, donations will be distributed to USFS, the Greater Washington Community Foundation's "DCA Together Relief Fund," and the D.C. Fire & EMS Foundation, with each organization receiving approximately $425,000. USFS continues to collect donations from its own fundraiser, the U.S. Figure Skating Family Support Fund, which benefits victim family members. Editor's note: The author of this story has been a member of U.S. Figure Skating since 2008. Figure skating tributes dedicated to DC plane crash victims raise $1.3 million originally appeared on
Fox News
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Washington, DC, airline tragedy recalls two devastating plane crashes that rocked sports world
An American Airlines flight that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter resulting in one of the most devastating airline disasters in decades hearkened back to two tragedies. On Wednesday night, several members associated with U.S. Figure Skating and their families were on the aircraft that collided with the helicopter. At least six had ties to the Skating Club of Boston, located in Norwood, Massachusetts. The figure skating community has felt the effects of an airline tragedy in the past. Eighteen members of the U.S. figure skating team were killed in a plane crash in Berg-Kampenhout, Belgium on their way to Prague for the World Figure Skating Championships. Laurence Owen and Steffi Westerfield were among those killed in the crash. They were considered to be rising stars in the sport and were preparing for an Olympic bid. There were 73 people aboard Sabena Flight 548. The New York Daily News reported, citing investigators, that it was likely the jet's stabilizers that caused the incident. "U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C," U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement on Thursday. "These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. "We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available." Wichita Mayor Lily Wu addressed the tragedy in a news conference. "It was truly an honor to have future Olympians and those who are at the highest competition level of figure skating, right here in our capital," she said. "We were so excited to have the opportunity to host the national championship, and even yesterday I had folks tell me how wonderful these last few days have been with additional individuals that came into our community, whether to watch or to participate. So, our community was really excited and thankful that everything went well with the championship. And so right now we're just waiting for more information from U.S. Figure Skating that we can release. But right now we're just hoping and praying again." The city of Wichita was described as a tightknit community, which is also no stranger to tragic aircraft incidents. Wichita State University's football team, flying in a Martin 404, crashed in Colorado in 1970, leaving 31 dead. Eight players and the co-pilot survived, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal. The cause of the crash was determined to be because of pilot error. "Wichita is located in the heart of our nation, and today we are grieving. I received confirmation this morning that no one survived the crash of American Airlines flight 5342," Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., wrote in a post on Thursday on X. "This is a sad day for Kansas and our nation. My heart breaks for the lives that were lost and their loved ones who are now learning that their family or friends were on the flight. "There will be much to learn and do in the coming days in the wake of this tragedy, but today please join me in praying for the victims and their families. May God comfort them and watch over all those who are mourning." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nancy Kerrigan Mourns Skaters Killed in D.C. Plane Crash Who Belonged to Boston Skating Club: 'This Really Hits Home' (Exclusive)
Olympian Nancy Kerrigan is mourning those killed on American Airlines Flight 5342, especially the athletes that represented her home club: The Skating Club of Boston. The skater, 55, visited the club's rink in Norwood, Mass., on Thursday, Jan. 30, after learning about the deadly crash that occurred between the commercial plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night. "I told them, I have to be around you guys," Kerrigan told PEOPLE exclusively. "I needed the community, the support. It's okay to ask for help and to be there for one another." At least six passengers were affiliated with the Skating Club of Boston: coaches and former world pairs champions Evgenia Shiskova and her husband Vadim Naumov; skater Spencer Lane and his mother Christine; and skater Jinna Han and her mother Jin. Skaters from other clubs, including sisters Everly and Alydia Livingston, also perished in the crash. "It's heart-wrenching," said Kerrigan, a native of nearby Stoneham, Mass. "Everybody who died is somebody's somebody." "I had to be here," she told PEOPLE after a long day of speaking with other skaters and their families. "This really hits home. The skating community has been through tragedy before." Related: Dick Button, 2-Time Olympic Champion and Legendary Figure Skating Commentator, Dies at 95 Kerrigan was referring to the 1961 Sabena Flight 548 crash that killed all 18 members of the U.S. figure skating team en route to the world championships in Prague. U.S. Figure Skating, the governing body of the sport, established a memorial fund to help up-and-coming skaters with their training expenses. Kerrigan also remembered the victims while speaking to reporters outside the Skating Club of Boston on Thursday. She became emotional while sharing that she's "not sure how to process" the devastating loss. "I just wanted to be here and be part of our community." The athletes and coaches killed on American Airlines Flight 5342 were returning home from a development camp following the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships held the previous week. "Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy," wrote CEO Doug Zeghibe on X. "We are devastated and completely at a loss for words." In a statement, Lane's family said the 16-year-old "truly loved" the sport. "His ascent from basic Learn to Skate classes to U.S. Figure Skating's National Development Team in just a few short years was unprecedented," it read. "We are so grateful that his last week was filled with joy and surrounded by his beloved Skating Club of Boston and the U.S. Figure Skating family." Related: U.S. Figure Skater Spencer Lane Eerily Posted Photo from Inside Plane Before Dying in D.C. Crash Kerrigan represented The Skating Club of Boston throughout her eligible career. She won the bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville and the silver medal at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer. Other famous club alumni include Dr. Tenley Albright, the first American woman to win a gold medal in figure skating at the Olympics, two-time Olympic champion Dick Button, who died on Thursday, and 1992 Olympic silver medalist Paul Wylie. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boston Skating Club is at the center of another airplane tragedy
Nancy Kerrigan stepped to the microphone at the Boston Skating Club in Norwood, Massachusetts, visibly shaken. Just hours earlier she had heard the news of Wednesday night's tragedy, in which 64 people aboard a commercial airliner died after it collided with a military helicopter midair near Reagan Washington National Airport. Six of those victims were affiliated with the Boston club: two coaches, two skaters and two mothers, according to CEO Doug Zeghibe. He said the group was returning home from the National Development Camp associated with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. Kerrigan, a two-time Olympic figure skating medalist and alum of the club, spoke with tears running down her face.'We just wanted to be here and be part of our community,' Kerrigan said. 'I feel for the athletes, the skaters, the families, but anyone that was on that plane — not just the skaters. It's such a tragic event. We've been through tragedies before as Americans, as people, and we are strong. It's how we respond to it. My response was to be with people I care about and I love and I needed to support.' Boston Skating Club is among the nation's top figure skating programs. It dates back to 1912, making it the third-oldest figure skating club in continuous existence in the U.S. This is not the first time the organization has been at the center of an airplane accident. Zeghibe said Wednesday's crash evoked painful memories from 1961, when Sabena Flight 548 — a plane carrying 72 people including all 18 members of the U.S. figure skating team and 16 others accompanying them — crashed on approach. There were no survivors. 'Almost half of everybody on board that plane (in 1961) were from this club. It had long, long reaching implications for the skating club and for the sport in this country, because when you lose coaches like this, you lose the future of the sport as well,' Zeghibe said. 'It's been a long time in redeveloping it. I personally feel that this club, the Skating Club of Boston, has just now, almost 60 years later, been coming out of the shadow of that 1961 crash. So this is particularly devastating.' Kerrigan is just one of dozens of Olympic, world, North American and U.S. champions produced over the years at the program. She won a bronze medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics and the silver at the 1994 Winter Olympics. Just before the latter event, an assailant struck Kerrigan's knee with a police baton after a practice session at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. It was later revealed the attacker was hired by Jeff Gillooly, the husband of Kerrigan's rival Tonya Harding. Kerrigan recovered and was able to compete in the Olympics, earning second place behind Oksana Baiul. 'Going through something tragic, not like this but myself, the community stood behind me,' she said Thursday. 'I'm grateful for that and so it's my turn now to hopefully be here.' Zeghibe identified the skaters as Spencer Lane and Jinna Han and their moms, Christine Lane and Jin Han. Officials said the two coaches were former Russian world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. Zeghibe called Han a 'great performer, a great competitor, and off the ice, a great kid.' 'The Han family, we watched Jin just grow up here from just a tiny little tike into this amazingly mature 13-year-old,' Zeghibe said. 'We talk a lot about the athletes, but I think we're going to miss their moms as much. Just really good people.' Elin Schran, the founder of Joy Skate Productions who works closely with Boston Skating Club, recalled Lane 'beaming' after competing in his first professional show last December in Cambridge. 'He came to me smiling, ear to ear, saying, 'I get it now. I understand,' she said. 'He started to discover this connection with the audience and that joy that he was giving to other people through his gift.' Shishkova, 52, and Naumov, 55, won the pairs figure skating event at the 1994 World Championship and had been living in the U.S. since 1998, after their retirement from competitive skating, according to Russian state news agency Tass. Shishkova and Naumov were 'development coaches' at Boston Skating Club, Zeghibe said, helping kids as they began to learn the sport. Tenley Albright, a two-time world champion in 1953 and 1955, and Boston Skating Club alum, spoke in front of a rink Thursday with no skaters on it. She said the quiet scene behind her was abnormal because the ice is typically filled with athletes at that time. 'I really can't believe that it happened, because I picture them right here,' Albright said, pointing to the rink. 'The coaches always stood at that entrance. The skaters just flew all over the ice, doing remarkable things, inspiring all of us. To us, it's just terrible, sad and we just feel we need to be together.' Asked how the Boston Skating Club comes back from Wednesday's tragedy, Paul George — a member and former president of the U.S. Figure Skating Foundation — said it will start by grieving. 'We will honor the athletes, honor the families,' he said. 'But I think we also will encourage people to come back and get back on the ice, get about their lives. Be more focused, if ever. We will survive.' This article was originally published on
CBS News
30-01-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Boston skating club that lost skaters, coaches in D.C. plane crash suffered similar tragedy in 1961
NORWOOD - For The Skating Club of Boston, which lost six members of its community Wednesday night in the American Airlines plane crash in Washington, D.C., the tragedy is all too familiar. Sixty-four years ago, the organization was similarly devastated when the entire U.S. figure skating team was killed on Sabena Flight 548, which crashed in Belgium while heading to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships in the Czech Republic. "Almost half of everybody on board that plane were with this club," The Skating Club of Boston's CEO Doug Zeghibe said. 1961 crash that killed skaters had "long-reaching implications" The 1961 crash killed all 18 members of the team along with 16 officials, judges, coaches and family members. "It had long-reaching implications for the Skating Club and for the sport in this country," Zeghibe said. "Because when you lose coaches like this, you lose the future of the sport as well. It's been a long time in redeveloping it." Two of those killed Wednesday were coaches with the Skating Club of Boston, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova. The club also lost 16-year-old skaters Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, as well as Lane's mother Christine Lane and Han's mother Jin Han. Mass. school named after 1961 crash victim Maribel Vinson Owen, a Winchester native, was among those killed in the 1961 crash. She was a multi-championship-winning figure skater, Olympic bronze medalist and coach, as well as the first female sportswriter for The New York Times. Her two daughters were figure skaters and also died in the crash. The Vinson-Owen Elementary School in Winchester is named after the family, and a banner at the school tells students that Maribel Vinson Owen "is considered perhaps the most influential figure skater in the history of the U.S." A Boston Globe article on the 60th anniversary of the 1961 crash said that out of 34 skaters, coaches, officials and family members on the flight, 10 were from the Boston area. "The Skating Club of Boston has just now ... been coming out of the shadow of that 1961 crash," Zeghibe said. "So this is particularly devastating."
