U.S. Figure Skating confirms that athletes, coaches, and family members were on American Airlines Flight 5342 that crashed in D.C.

Wyliefan

Ubering juniors against my will
Messages
47,744
Melanie Heaney has some lovely photos up of Eddie Zhou and Alydia Livingston that she took at various competitions.


 

ice coverage

Well-Known Member
Messages
750
"Holding Jinna and Jin Han in our Hearts and Memories" -- new GoFundMe created approx. two hours ago:

" ... This fund is dedicated to honoring their legacy and supporting their family and loved ones through this unimaginable time."​


Organizer: Eduardo Han, Canton, MA

(I saw the link on Instastory of a skater from Skating Club of Boston.)
(ETA: And since then, have seen other SCOB members sharing it as well.)​
 
Last edited:

HeatherC

Searching for Sanity
Messages
12,229
If I'm having trouble holding my emotions together just reading these articles or seeing the tributes, I cannot even imagine how horrible it is for all the families and friends who had personal relationships with all of the skating related people that were lost in the crash. I'm very glad that I didn't read that ESPN article until I was already home because it definitely hit me hard and made me cry all over again. I'm still so sad for all the friends and families left behind and for the skating community as a whole that has clearly been rocked to their core by these losses. :fragile:

Thank you for posting all of the links to the fundraising efforts. I will definitely be making some donations this week. ❤️
 

PRlady

Cowardly admin
Staff member
Messages
49,053
The ESPN article describes the skating culture so well. It’s great journalism and it also made me cry. The wounds here in DC -including people on the plane who were not skaters - are deep and it’s an awful, chaotic time here anyway.
 

Trillian

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,020
If I'm having trouble holding my emotions together just reading these articles or seeing the tributes, I cannot even imagine how horrible it is for all the families and friends who had personal relationships with all of the skating related people that were lost in the crash.

I have a good friend whose child skates at one of the impacted rinks and they’ve shared the ice with some of the people who were on the flight almost daily for years. They weren’t super close to any of them because my friend’s child is a little younger and works with different coaches, but the loss is still devastating to everyone. The tragedy hits on a lot of levels, but one thing I keep thinking about is how many young kids at these rinks are coping with a loss so profound that even as adults it’s hard for us to process it.

I’ve been very glad to hear (both in online conversations and from my friend) that the individual clubs, USFS, etc., have done so much to support the skating community in the aftermath. These organizations might not get everything right all the time, but everything I’ve heard makes me think they’re doing an incredible job of caring for their skaters and families right now.
 

Sylvia

Flight #5342: I Will Remember You
Messages
84,278
Tomorrow (Monday, Feb. 3) many clubs and ice rinks around the country will be holding a 5-minute vigil at 3:35-3:40 pm Eastern/2:35-2:40 Central/12:35-12:40 Pacific time - facing their rink's LiveBarn camera (if they have one) or sending in photos and/or video recordings from their rinks to USFS to be compiled into a montage video and shared more widely.
Just a sampling of rink tributes yesterday:

Ice House of Hackensack, NJ (1-minute video):

Oklahoma City FSC’s video:

Detroit Skating Club:
The red 2025 National Development Team jacket was Spencer Lane’s (he had traded jackets with another member of the club).

Arctic Edge in Canton, MI (acting USFS president Amanda Evora, who coaches at this rink, gave an emotional tribute speech; Charlie & Tanith can be seen standing with their hockey player son):
Full 10+ minute video of the tribute can be watched here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFoBTeRsb4j/

SC of New York at Wollmann rink in Central Park:
Kaitlyn Weaver was there: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFoP8Tiyu8E/

Elite Training Team (Mathew Gates’ group) near Charlotte, North Carolina:

Nashville FSC:

Go4Gold Skating Academy in Shakopee, MN:

Ten80 team at Great Park Ice in Irvine, CA:

Oakland, CA Ice Center & Sharks Ice San Jose:

Gloucester Skating Club (Orleans, Ontario, Canada):

Last night's vigil held at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, CO (Amber Glenn & Danny O'Shea in photo #7):
 
Last edited:

Sylvia

Flight #5342: I Will Remember You
Messages
84,278
Today USFS shared 17 photos & 1 clip from rinks’ tributes yesterday around the country ("Overwhelmed by the love shown by clubs across the country as they came together yesterday to observe a moment of silence in honor of the 28 lives we lost far too soon. ❤️⛸️"):

Ashburn (Virginia) Ice House held a private memorial service on Sunday morning (choreographer Jimmie Manners spoke on camera about the Livingston girls and Inna V. in this local news report):
Ashburn Ice House has shared 6 photos:
Awwww:

OBITUARY for Inna Volyanskaya (July 5, 1965 – January 29, 2025):
She is survived by her devoted husband, Jeremy Brent Wilson; beloved daughter, Masha Spiridonova; stepson, Keagan Eduardo Wilson; father, Vitaly Volyansky; mother, Larisa Volyanskaya; sister, Olga Raskatov; brother-in-law, Artem Raskatov; niece, Angelina Stapelmann; nephew-in-law, Niclas Stapelmann; and nephew, Alan Raskatov. [...]
A visitation for Inna will be held Friday, February 7, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at National Funeral Home, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 22042.
 
Last edited:

ice coverage

Well-Known Member
Messages
750
"Holding Jinna and Jin Han in our Hearts and Memories" -- new GoFundMe created approx. two hours ago:

" ... This fund is dedicated to honoring their legacy and supporting their family and loved ones through this unimaginable time."​


Organizer: Eduardo Han, Canton, MA

(I saw the link on Instastory of a skater from Skating Club of Boston.)
(ETA: And since then, have seen other SCOB members sharing it as well.)​

"Support the Family of Edward Zhou and his Parents" -- another new GoFundMe, created approx. eleven hours ago:

From the GFM organizer:
" ... Eddie was my son's training partner in 2017 when the boys were both 9 years old and just getting started in competitive figure skating. I spent countless hours with Kaiyan and Joe watching our boys skate together from rinkside. Eddie's gifts were easy to see ...
Eddie was more than a figure skater though. He had a gift for learning Spanish and a reputation at school as a respectful and beloved classmate and friend to all who knew him at Woodson High School.
... the extended family, including Eddie's aging grandparents, are now inconsolable. They are grappling with the unthinkable loss of their grandson, beloved daughter, and son-in-law.
This campaign is dedicated to supporting the extended Zhou family with essential expenses and the family also hopes to establish a memorial scholarship in Eddie's honor. Every donation we receive will offer comfort and relief to the Zhou family. ..."

 

Sylvia

Flight #5342: I Will Remember You
Messages
84,278
ICYMI - here again is this gifted article link from last week on the Zhou family (thank you so much for sharing, @zebobes!) - by Amy Qin who "writes about Asian American communities for The Times" and Juliet Macur who previously covered figure skating and "often writes about America through the lens of sports":
The NY Times has been writing beautiful pieces in memory of the families.

My heart goes out to Mr. Strid, I can’t imagine the shock of losing three of his students all in one go.

Coach Kalle Strid spoke to Jake Tapper yesterday about Zhou, Cory Haynos and Brielle Beyer:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/03/us/v...e-crash-victims-ice-skating-coach-jake-tapper

Kaitlan Collins couldn't hold back her tears yesterday while talking to Andy Beyer, who lost his daughter Brielle and wife Justyna, and was at the airport that night with his 6-year-old son: https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/03/us/video/andy-beyer-dc-crash-kaitlan-collins-src-digvid

Last night's vigil held at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, CO (Amber Glenn & Danny O'Shea are in photo #7): https://www.instagram.com/p/DFownB3Jo6e/
More photos from last night's Colorado Springs vigil are in this article:
Excerpts:
“It makes me really grateful to have the opportunity to still skate, especially with the parents being lost,” said Victoria Alcantara, a 19-year-old who has been training in Colorado Springs since the summer and is originally from Australia.
“It made me think about how much [parents] sacrificed for us, and every skater should be super grateful that they’re still here. And how quickly life can go and how much we have to cherish those around us,” Alcantara added through tears.
Their extended stay in Wichita included a camp experience with drills, and time to train together and inspire one another, said Justin Dillon, senior director of athlete high performance for U.S. Figure Skating.
“The energy, excitement and joy was felt by everyone,” Dillon said during the vigil in Colorado Springs. “The only thing we heard throughout the camp… was that it was not long enough. These athletes loved to skate.”
Christy Krall, who competed in the 1964 Winter Olympics, compared the feeling of sorrow among the figure skating community to the pain following a 1961 plane crash that killed the U.S. Figure Skating team in Belgium.
“It’s the same gut-wrenching stomach ache, tight throat,” Krall said Monday.
Krall was 13 years old then, and lost 10 people out of her Colorado Springs rink, including her coach.
 
Last edited:

bardtoob

Well-Known Member
Messages
14,677
Christy Krall, who competed in the 1964 Winter Olympics, compared the feeling of sorrow among the figure skating community to the pain following a 1961 plane crash that killed the U.S. Figure Skating team in Belgium.
“It’s the same gut-wrenching stomach ache, tight throat,” Krall said Monday.
Krall was 13 years old then, and lost 10 people out of her Colorado Springs rink, including her coach.

This is the first time I heard of Christy Krall (Christine Haigler) speaking of the 1961 crash, although I knew she was on the 1964 Olympic Team
 
Last edited:

victorskid

Happily ignoring ultracrepidarians (& trolls)!
Messages
13,159
From today's Boston Globe -
"
On Wednesday morning, a group of the sport’s best and brightest announced a tribute show to to benefit the families of all 67 victims of the crash, which included six from The Skating Club of Boston in Norwood.

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and US Figure Skating are joining with producer Michael Burg to organize the show, which will be held March 2 at Washington’s Capital One Arena.

The event, fueled by in-kind donations by the groups involved, will benefit the individual families, the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s “DCA Together Relief Fund,” and the DC Fire & EMS Foundation."


 

ice coverage

Well-Known Member
Messages
750
... Monumental Sports & Entertainment and US Figure Skating are joining with producer Michael Burg to organize the show, which will be held March 2 at Washington’s Capital One Arena.

The event, fueled by in-kind donations by the groups involved, will benefit the individual families, the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s “DCA Together Relief Fund,” and the DC Fire & EMS Foundation."


Today's press release from Monumental Sports & Entertainment (excerpts below):


“Legacy on Ice” Benefit at Capital One Arena to Support Victims of the Tragedy at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

The event will be co-hosted by 1988 Olympic champion Brian Boitano and will include:
Ilia Malinin ... Amber Glenn ... Madison Chock & Evan Bates ... Alysa Liu ... Tara Lipinski ... Kristi Yamaguchi ... Scott Hamilton ... Johnny Weir … And many more to be announced.

This event is made possible through in-kind contributions. Monumental Sports & Entertainment is donating all services and event costs. For those interested in contributing directly, please visit: www.MonumentalSports.com/LegacyOnIce

Event Details

Date: Sunday, March 2, 2025
Time: 3:00pm – 5:00pm ET
Location: Capital One Arena, 601 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Participating groups to honor the families of the fallen and the first responders:
Members of the Men’s, Women’s, Ice Dance and Pairs US National Figure Skating Teams
Figure Skating Legends and Icons
Members of DMV Skating Clubs
Members of the Skating Club of Boston
NHL’s Washington Capitals
NBA’s Washington Wizards
WNBA’s Washington Mystics
NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go
MLB’s Washington Nationals
MLS’ D.C. United
NFL’s Washington Commanders
NWSL’s Washington Spirit​
Additional event dynamics will be announced once confirmed.

Tickets

Tickets will go on sale starting Monday, February 10th at 10:00am ET on the Ticketmaster website for Capital One Arena. Ticketmaster, official partner of Capital One Arena, has agreed to waive all ticketing fees for this event. ...
Supporters will also have the ability to make tax deductible donations directly to a joint fund supporting the participating causes through the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation. To contribute, please visit: www.MonumentalSports.com/LegacyOnIce.
 

Karen-W

YMCA is such a catchy tune!
Messages
48,313
It would be really wonderful if the performing artists whose music is used by the skaters exhibitions would be willing to allow their music to be used without copyright restriction to allow for a paid stream. I would certainly donate $5 or $10 to watch a live stream.
 
Last edited:

Sylvia

Flight #5342: I Will Remember You
Messages
84,278
I saw on Facebook that Richard Dywer, "Mr Debonaire", attended the session at Pickwick arena in LA that observed the minute of silence. Given his long history in the sport (he competed against Dick Button) that was very thoughtful of him to be there.
I saw Richard Dwyer at Wichita Nationals and he was looking very spry at 89 years old! :respec:
Thanks for posting - I found Mr. Debonair's photo (#10 of 10) in this Instagram post about the Los Angeles FSC's Monday vigil at the Pickwick Ice Arena in Burbank, CA: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFoG0Svpjd2/
This is the first time I heard of Christy Krall (Christine Haigler) speaking of the 1961 crash, although I knew she was on the 1964 Olympic Team
Krall was interviewed for Patricia Shelley Bushman's 2010 book Indelible Tracings about the 1961 plane crash: https://www.usfigureskating.org/news/article/author-shares-details-writing-indelible-tracings
Besides culling information from the museum, I had my first interview with Christy Haigler Krall. I chose Christy because she knew a lot of the team members and would have many stories, but also because I was nervous starting out and I knew she would be kind. She was the perfect first interview.
2002 Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes has written this piece for Time - A Plane Crash Devastates The Figure Skating Community—Again (Feb. 4) that includes a short video excerpt from the Jan. 30th press conference at the Skating Club of Boston with Nancy Kerrigan, Paul George and Dr. Tenley Albright:
An excerpt that rings especially true for me:
The camp, held in conjunction with the National Championships, gives young skaters quality time together through on-ice practices and classes off the ice related to being an elite athlete. As many who participated in sports as a young person can attest, you may remember practices, but years later, the most vivid memories are the shared bus rides, laughing over pizza dinners, or getting together to watch a movie. These are the kinds of memories the kids were forming.
This joy is part of why it is so hard to grasp the extent of this tragedy. I went to the highest competitive level in skating, and when I think back on my fondest memories, many are from that stage of my career—when I got a glimpse of the mountain and established bonds that have lasted a lifetime. The skating friends I made during this time and I could not have been more excited to embark on the adventure ahead of us. I qualified for my first National Championships when I was 12-years-old, around the same age of some of the skaters at the camp, and getting to watch the skaters I saw on TV perform, walking around the same hotel they were, riding in the same elevators, getting to be part of the competitions I aspired to be in—it was the greatest feeling I could imagine. These kinds of “firsts”—the first sectionals, the first chance at an international competition, —are what these kids were experiencing together. For these young lives to have been cut short just as they were experiencing these firsts seems unfathomable. My thoughts are with everyone grieving this tragedy.
Outsiders might see the DC crash and understand that figure skating may have lost a future Olympic Champion. But the skating community knows it’s so much more than that. What makes our sport special is the people—our friends, relationships, and shared experiences. Now, for many, memories of an indelible time in their lives has forever changed.
 
Last edited:

ignosk8er

Still keeping casual fans' ignorance.
Messages
97
2002 Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes has written this piece for Time - A Plane Crash Devastates The Figure Skating Community—Again (Feb. 4) that includes a short video excerpt from the Jan. 30th press conference at the Skating Club of Boston with Nancy Kerrigan, Paul George and Dr. Tenley Albright:
An excerpt that rings especially true for me:
De-lurking to thank you for sharing Sarah's description of the close-knit connections that form among competitors, even at very young ages.

I competed in synchro (sorry, artistic swimming). I reached only higher-level regional placements before I quit, but I made friends who I still love and share my life with - from 60 years ago.

Sarah's explanation of the deep devastation among the FS community hits, hard.

Thanks for all you do, Sylvia.
 

mtnskater

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,395
Tuesday morning is my adult skaters “coffee club” skating session at my rink. The session is for all adults who like to skate at all levels, including hockey skaters. We’ve been skating together for several years and have developed camraderie and community. At the end of the session, the skating director came out on the ice and we all formed a circle, held hands and observed a minute of silence at center ice. A few of us said words of support and remembrance. It was really lovely. I felt a release of emotions that had been bottled up for days. What a beautiful moment that brought us all together in common spirit. I’ll always remember it.
 

Sylvia

Flight #5342: I Will Remember You
Messages
84,278
@bardtoob I just came across Brent Briggeman's 2021 article that was re-published in the Colorado Springs Gazette on Jan. 30, 2025 & updated on Feb. 3 -- following last Wednesday's plane/helicopter crash into the Potomac River -- that quoted Christy Krall extensively:
Excerpt from the beginning:
Here is The Gazette's look-back coverage from 2021 — 60 years after the crash.
The tone of her father's voice remains seared in Christy Krall's memory, even after 60 years.
“’What do you mean there’s been a big fire?’” the then-13-year-old Christy heard her father tersely ask during a 4 a.m. phone call to their Colorado Springs home Feb. 15, 1961. “'What do you mean they’re all gone?’”
“I sat up in bed instantly and knew something terrible had happened.”
Just two weeks earlier, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships had taken place at The Broadmoor. Krall had trained there with some of the nation’s top skaters and was herself an emerging force in the sport at the junior level. But to absorb this collection of talent in her home arena was awe inspiring.
“Oh my gosh, these were our heroes,” Krall said. “These were the people we wanted to be like. These were the most amazing athletes in the United States.”
Then, they were gone.
 

Sylvia

Flight #5342: I Will Remember You
Messages
84,278
Melanie Heaney has some lovely photos up of Eddie Zhou and Alydia Livingston that she took at various competitions.


Note: Heaney's photos of Alydia in the 2nd link were compiled into a video by Katrina Shalin who coaches at the Ashburn Ice House (her video documenting some of the tributes (flowers, stuffed animals, photos, drawings, etc.) left at the rink):

Melanie Heaney continues her beautiful photo tribute series:

Brielle Beyer (photo #3 of 6 is with her surviving coach, Kalle Strid):

Franco Aparicio (6 photos):
 
Last edited:

marshallpond

Well-Known Member
Messages
209
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Top
Do Not Sell My Personal Information