The young figure skaters whose lives were cut tragically short Wednesday night when an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River were just beginning their journeys to stardom.
They were learning how to perfect toe loops and axels, sit spins and step sequences. They had just been to a development camp after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where they had been learning how to skate with grace and flair.
Some, like Spencer Lane, had built substantial followings on social media, giving their fans an inside look at the life of an aspiring Olympian. Others, like Jinna Han, dazzled even experienced figure skaters with her preternatural ability.
“We’re such a tight-knit community — the skating community — that, you know, everybody knows each other in some way or another, or connected in some way,” said Melissa Gregory, a former Olympic ice dancer with her husband, Dennis Petukhov.
“It’s just hard, you know? To the family — the skating family — that all these people have been harmed in some way by this tragedy,” Gregory continued. “There were so many young, up-and-coming, bright stars that were on that plane, and amazing coaches that were coaching bright stars. We’re going to be feeling this for a long time.”
As friends, family and fans continued to mourn Friday, stories and pictures began to emerge of those killed in the crash.
Spencer Lane
He was a late bloomer when it came to figure skating, embarking on his competitive journey just a few years ago, yet Lane had made such rapid progress that those at his training base at the Skating Club of Boston marveled at his untapped potential.
He was able to conquer big jumps faster than anyone could recall, and he skated with unbridled joy.
“You simply could not stop him if he decided he wanted to do something,” Lane’s family said in a statement. “There is no better example of this than his remarkable skating journey, which we are heartbroken to see end too soon. He truly loved it.”
Lane had been at the national development camp with his mother, Christine, and were on their way home Wednesday. He was coached by Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the former pairs world champions that also were aboard Flight 5342.
“Christine and Spencer were doing something that they both truly loved, which was the skating, which Spencer had pretty much devoted his life to,” said Ken Block, a friend of the family. “From adults running the club to smaller skaters to the people that are competing for a shot at the Olympics, they all adored him.”
Elin Schran, who founded Joy Skate Productions, said Lane took part in his first professional show with her company.
“It was a new experience for him. He was nervous. And then after the show ended, he came over and he was just beaming,” Schran said. “He came to me and smiling ear to ear, saying. I get it now. I understand he started to discover this connection with the audience and that joy that he was giving to other people through his gift.”
Jinna Han
She was just 13 years old and already turning heads at the Skating Club of Boston, which has produced such champions as Tenley Albright and Nancy Kerrigan. Misha Mitrofanov, who just won the U.S. pairs championship in Wichita, recalled her smile, the way that it popped from ear to ear when she did something marvelous on the ice.
“Every time you’d say her name, she’d immediately give you a smile,” Mitrofanov said.
Jimmy Ma, one of the members of the U.S. national team, has seen plenty of young talents come through their prestigious club in Norwood, Massachusetts, over more than 20 years spent competing on the ice. But something about Han was different.
“Back when I was their age, they would blow me out of the water, even Jinna (Han),” said Ma, who finished fifth at nationals last week in Wichita. ”At 13 years old, I couldn’t do anything and she was already 10 times better than me.”
