Our condolences to the Messing family on the death of Keegan's younger brother, Paxon, in a motorcycle accident in Alaska

[Lanie]

Oh, no. My prayers to the family. This is so awful.

 

[mjb52]

Really sad, so sorry to hear this.

 

[Carina]

Sad news. Condolences to Keegan and his family

 

[lauravvv]

This is too sad . Condolences to Keegan, his family and everyone who was close to him.

 

[paskatefan]

So horrible. My condolences to Keegan & his family.

 

[synchrogirl17]

Oh how awful So young and three little boys have lost their dad

 

[Frau Muller]

So sorry about this. Condolences to Keegan & family.

 

[Lacey]

Tragic. Three boys.

 

[LilJen]

Such sad news

 

[aftershocks]

Words are so inadequate. Hearing about this is so heartwrenching. My deepest condolences to Keegan and his family, and especially to his brother's widow and three young children. ❤

 

[DreamSkates]

Sad for the family. Prayers.

 

[Carolla5501]

My sympathy to the family. To sad

 

[Sylvia]

Keegan shared 10 photos and wrote a tribute to Paxon: https://www.instagram.com/p/B3C-q--JzY3/

 

[Sylvia]

KEEGAN MESSING DEDICATES SKATE AMERICA GALA PERFORMANCE TO LATE BROTHER: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/s...ng-dedicates-skate-america-gala-late-brother/
Excerpts:

Speaking about his gala tribute, Messing said: “I feel like it was very important for me to do that.
“My parents were actually in the crowd, so was my wife, and close friends. My wife knew but I kept telling my parents I was skating to ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, which was actually my second number here if I was going to have to choose between the two. I didn’t tell my parents at all."
On the choice of music, he added: “At his funeral we played a slideshow to it. One of my very good friends put the pictures all together and I did all the music. This was the keynote song in the slideshow we used.
“It’s a very powerful song, something that when I heard it really close to his time of death just seemed like it fit and that’s really just why I used it.”

“Training after he died was very difficult for me to do, especially because Ralph [Burghart, coach] went to regionals two days afterwards, so I had nobody at the rink. I had just myself.
“And to try to continue to skate, try to do it, I think I only skated two long programs since he died, just because just finding motivation to wake up to go to the rink, I mean I still made it to the rink every day but it was some of the hardest things I’ve had to go through.”
After his free skate on Saturday night, Messing said he was pleased with what he had been able to achieve.
“All in all, I didn’t stop, I kept fighting, every step and, truthfully, I can leave here being happy just because I made it here, I skated one very good program and one program where I just kept fighting so I can leave happy because I made it here and I did what I wanted to do.”

Fan cam of his lovely exhibition performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InOM752RxWg

 

[Sylvia]

Article by Beth Bragg, sports editor for Anchorage Daily News:

Inspired by love and by loss, an Alaska figure skater brings his emotions to the ice

It’s been a season of highs and lows for Anchorage’s Keegan Messing, who in the last three months has married his girlfriend and buried a brother.

www.adn.com