Massachusetts skaters heartbroken after losing 6 community members in D.C. plane crash
NORWOOD - It was an emotional day Thursday at the Skating Club of Boston, as members mourned the loss of six members of the community in a plane crash near Washington, D.C.
Skaters and coaches among victims
"Being on the ice just isn't the same, we need all these people in the building to look up to, to continue to inspire us," said competitive figure skater Nicole Buddie.
Club CEO Doug Zeghibe identified the victims killed in the crash as 16-year-old Spencer Lane and 13-year-old Jinna Han, both skaters at the club. Lane's mother Christine Lane and Han's mother Jin Han were also on the plane, along with coaches were Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova. They had been attending a development camp in Wichita, Kansas.
"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."
Zeghibe said the Skating Club of Boston isn't just a training facility but a second family for its members, where skaters devote hours and hours each and every day to the sport.
"It is a second home to these skaters, it's a second family to these skaters," said Zeghibe.
"We're just trying to lift each other up"
Olympic skater and Stoneham native Nancy Kerrigan was among the skating club alumni who dropped by Thursday to offer support to members.
"We just wanted to be here and be part of our community," said Kerrigan.
Skaters who train at the club are still trying to process the incredible loss.
"It's a sad day, it's heavy, but we're just trying to lift each other up and be here for our community," said competitive figure skater Ana Valdez.
"Falling over and over and somehow picking yourself back up, which is, I think, the main lesson learned in skating, is you get back up," said Kerrigan.
The skating club is it will be up to individual skaters to decide when they're comfortable returning to the ice.