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Boston Globe
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Skating Club of Boston to rename rink, honor victims of January plane crash
Advertisement Both Jinna Han and Spencer Lane trained at the West Rink while Shishkova and Naumov led their 'Tomorrow's Champions' developmental program on the same sheet of ice. The club will also place three benches — honoring the three families — outside of the facility's main entrance, as well as bronzed skates of the two coaches and two skaters. Two scholarships and four annual awards will be established in the names of the victims. '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,' said Doug Zeghibe, the club's CEO and executive director. '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.' Advertisement Amin Touri can be reached at
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.
The Guardian
27-03-2025
- General
- The Guardian
‘Frozen in time': figure skating world unites in grief and tribute at Boston world championships
The lights dimmed, the arena fell silent and a sport took a collective breath. On Wednesday night at TD Garden, the world figure skating championships paused between events for something far more profound than medals or scores: a solemn tribute to the 28 members of the skating community who died in January when American Eagle flight 5342 crashed into the Potomac River. Held after the women's short program and before the start of the pairs' short program, the ceremony honored the skaters, coaches and parents who were returning from a development camp held in conjunction with the US figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas. Flight 5342 had lifted off from a wintry runway in southeast Kansas, carrying dozens of young skaters, their coaches and parents who had just attended a US Figure Skating development camp following nationals. Many had posted about what they'd learned – new jumps, spins, friendships. They never got the chance to bring that energy home. On final approach to Washington DC, the regional jet collided with a military helicopter, killing all 67 people aboard. Schedule All times EST. Wed 26 Mar • Women's Short, 12.05pm (Peacock) • Women's Short, 3pm (USA Network) • Remembrance Ceremony, 6.15pm (Peacock) • Pairs' Short, 6.45pm (Peacock) Thu 27 Mar • Men's Short, 11.05am (Peacock) • Men's Short, 3pm (USA Network) • Pairs' Free, 6.15pm (Peacock) • Pairs' Free, 8pm (USA Network) Fri 28 Mar • Rhythm Dance, 11.15am (Peacock) • Rhythm Dance, 3pm (USA Network) • Women's Free, 6pm (Peacock) • Women's Free, 8pm (NBC/Peacock) Sat 29 Mar • Free Dance, 1.30pm (Peacock) • Free Dance, 3pm (USA Network) • Men's Free, 6pm (Peacock) • Men's Free, 8pm (NBC/Peacock) Sun 30 Mar • Exhibition Gala, 2pm (Peacock) How to watch outside the US United Kingdom As of last year, Premier Sports holds the broadcasting rights for the World Figure Skating Championships in the UK, with coverage extending until 2028. To watch the championships, you'll need a subscription to Premier Sports, which offers live coverage of the events. You can subscribe through their official website or via certain TV providers that include Premier Sports in their packages. Australia SBS provides live and free coverage of the World Figure Skating Championships in Australia through SBS On Demand. Among the victims were two young athletes from Boston – Jinna Han, 13, and Spencer Lane, 16 – their mothers, along with revered Olympic coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. The tragedy cut across generations and geographies: 11 of the dead were skaters between the ages of 11 and 16. The city of Boston, long a historic hub for American skating, became its emotional epicenter. 'Someone once told me time is a great healer,' said International Skating Union president Jae Youl Kim during the memorial. 'But for those who have experienced deep loss, we know that time does not simply erase pain. For many of us, it feels like we are frozen in time.' Doug Lane, whose son Spencer and wife Christine were among those killed, stood before a hushed crowd of thousands at TD Garden and offered a message that blended grief with resolve. 'They haven't really invented the vocabulary to talk about the grief that we're all feeling,' Lane said. 'So what I thought I would do with my time today is share a few thoughts of hope.' He called on the audience to support the young skaters who are still here – those who are grieving and still lacing up their skates each day. 'They're hurting,' he said. 'I hope we can support them in their skating journeys, but I also hope we can help them find paths of happiness and impact off the ice as well.' Lane also addressed the systemic failures that may have led to the crash. 'Even a layperson like me can easily identify the breakdowns that allowed this to happen,' he said. 'But rather than look for blame, I hope we can work with our elected officials to make air travel safer for everyone.' The 20-minute tribute included a video montage of the victims, poetry read by US Figure Skating's interim CEO Sam Auxier, before concluding with live performance from Boston's Coro Allegro Choir. Massachusetts governor Maura Healey and Boston mayor Michelle Wu both addressed the gathering. The audience, including many moved to tears, rose for a standing ovation when it finished. At the renowned Skating Club of Boston, which produced such champions as Dick Button, Tenley Albright and Nancy Kerrigan and where the six local victims trained and taught, an impromptu memorial remains: two folding chairs that once belonged to Jinna Han and Spencer Lane are now covered in cards, flowers, photos, and stuffed animals. The space is roped off – not by the club, but by the skaters themselves. 'The kids insisted,' said Doug Zeghibe, the club's chief executive. 'It's their way of keeping Spencer and Jinna close.' Earlier this month, a gala tribute in Washington DC brought generations of figure skating stars together. Legacy on Ice featured performances by Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, Amber Glenn and reigning world champion Ilia Malinin. Thirteen-year-old Isabella Aparicio skated in honor of her father and brother, Franco and Luciano, who were killed. Max Naumov – whose parents, Shishkova and Naumov, died in the crash – performed in their memory. 'They're not here right now, but they'll always be here,' Naumov told NBC Sports. 'It's not just me anymore. It's our family. I have the strength of two other people with me forever.' The Washington gala raised more than $1.2m for victims' families and first responders. Malinin, too, has spoken openly about how the crash affected him. Several of the young skaters killed trained at the same rink as the 20-year-old US champion. 'Now I'll always have them in my head and in my heart,' Malinin said. 'This worlds, I really want to dedicate to everyone on that flight. I want to give my all in that performance and really make it special for them.' Though grief was front and center on Wednesday night, the world championships now turn toward the ice. The event also serves as a critical qualifying step toward the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, with national quotas on the line and international rivalries heating up – even as one of skating's most dominant nations remains sidelined. Russian skaters are still barred from international competition due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its third year. Malinin enters as the overwhelming favorite in the men's event. Known as the Quad God for his boundary-pushing jumps, he's looking to defend his world title on home ice. His challengers include France's Adam Siao Him Fa and Japan's Yuma Kagiyama. In the women's event, the Japanese star Kaori Sakamoto's bid for a fourth straight world title hit a snag earlier Wednesday when she finished the short program in fifth place behind surprise leader Alysa Liu, back on the world championships stage following a two-year retirement. American Amber Glenn, who entered Boston undefeated this season, was ninth after falling on her opening triple Axel, but honored the crash victims by holding up a T-shirt emblazoned with their names during her post-skate interview. The pairs field remains wide open, and in ice dance, Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates are seeking a third consecutive world title. That would mark the first three-peat at worlds in the discipline in 28 years. Still, for many, these world championships will never be just about competition. 'The kids are back on the ice,' Zeghibe said. 'But they're skating with a deeper purpose.' The lights came up harshly after the tribute. The music swelled and the competition resumed. But for those who lost friends, coaches and teammates this winter, the ice will never quite feel the same. 'February was hard,' as Zeghibe put it. 'March has been a little better. And it's all our hope that April will be better still.'
Boston Globe
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
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.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 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. Advertisement 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.' Advertisement 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
USA Today
26-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
'Frozen in time': Crash victims mourned at 2025 world figure skating championships
'Frozen in time': Crash victims mourned at 2025 world figure skating championships Show Caption Hide Caption Top U.S. figure skaters gather to honor flight crash victims with show U.S. figure skating's biggest names are coming together for 'Legacy on Ice', a tribute show for the victims of the tragic flight crash on January 29th. Sports Pulse BOSTON — The first day of competition at the 2025 world figure skating championships at TD Garden also featured a poignant tribute. Between the first two sessions of competition Wednesday, the regular schedule of events paused to acknowledge the loss and memories of the 28 members of the figure skating community who died in the mid-air collision over the Potomac River on Jan. 29. Six of those lost were based in the Boston area, including two young skaters: Spencer Lane, 16, and Jinna Han, 13. Spencer's father, Doug Lane, was among those who addressed the crowd Wednesday during a ceremony that lasted roughly 20 minutes. While urging support for the young skaters are grieving the loss of their friends, he also offered a message of hope − including hope that the mid-air collision will lead to lasting change. "Even a layperson like me can easily identify the systematic breakdowns that allowed this to happen," Doug Lane said. "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." Doug Lane's wife, Christine, was also on board American Airlines 5342, which had been traveling to Washington from Wichita, Kansas − the site of the most recent national championships and a national development camp for talented young skaters thereafter. As a result, nearly half of the 60 passengers on the flight were members of the figure skating community. There were no survivors in the incident, in which the American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter. Eleven figure skaters, all between the ages of 11 and 16, were among the 68 people who died. "Someone once told me time is a great healer," said Jae Youl Kim, the president of the International Skating Union, which oversees international figure skating. "But for those who have experienced deep loss, we know that time does not simply erase pain. For many of us, it feels like we are frozen in time." Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also spoke during the tribute. Interim U.S. Figure Skating chief executive officer Samuel Auxier read a poem. Wednesday's memorial came three weeks after star figure skaters converged in Washington for "Legacy on Ice," a tribute show that raised money for victims' families and first responders. Multiple American skaters have said the victims of the plane crash will continue to be front of mind for them as these world championships progress. Ilia Malinin, who trained at the same rink as several of the young skaters, said last week that he will dedicate his performance in Boston to their memory. The traditional post-competition gala, meanwhile, is expected to feature an appearance from Maxim Naumov. Naumov, who is an alternate but not competing at worlds, lost both of his parents in the Jan. 29 crash. "I want to share their story as much as possible, because they never got the chance to," Naumov told NBC Sports in some of his first extensive comments since the crash. "They're not here right now, but they'll always be here. It's not just me anymore. It's our family. I have the strength of two other people with me forever." Contact Tom Schad at tschad@ or on social media @
