The emotions ran at the Boston skating club on Thursday after six people with ties with the organization died in a plane crash near the Reagan International Airport on Wednesday night.
Among those who spoke were the Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan, who could not contain the tears while talking about the accident.
President Donald Trump said there were no survivors after an American Airlines plane collided with a Black Hawk helicopter from the US Army.
The plane transported 64 people, including adolescent skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, their Jin Han and Christine Lane mothers and their Evgenia trainers Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
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Spencer Lane was an artistic skater at the Boston skating club. (IMAGN)
Three members of the Boston skating club, Misha Mitrofanov, Jimmy Ma and Alisa Efimova, also talked about their peers, who say they were the next generation of American hopeful Olympic hopes.
“The potential they showed on the ice and the capabilities they had at such an early age showed that they were promising for the future of this sport,” said Mitrofanov, whose partner is Efimova, to journalists on Thursday.
Mitrofanov and Efimova had just won the 2025 artistic skating championships in Wichita, Kansas, in the couples discipline. From there came the American Airlines flight. Han and Lane returned from a development camp over the weekend.
The great Olympic Nancy Kerrigan fights through tears while talking about victims in a tragic plane crash
“The camp basically brings them to the championships so that they can see, for example, Jimmy, or at least one skate of ice at the championship level,” Mitrofanov said. “Subsequently, they are part of a rather strict routine … a lot of training, many exercises and exercises that the artistic skating of the United States wants to see.”
Han, 13, and Lane, 16, were chosen for the development camp due to the promise they showed, and was overwhelmed about how promising these two skaters were.
“Absolutely phenomenal,” said Ma. “If I was old when I was old, they would let me get out of the water. Even Jinna, at age 13, could not do anything. It was already 10 times better than me at such an early age.
Jimmy Ma Patina during the 2025 artistic skating championships in the United States at Intrust Bank Arena. (William Purnell.imagn images)
“They showed skating at the championship level. They would take time to develop to maximize their maximum potential. But the amount they could achieve in such a short time was absolutely remarkable.”
Efimova said that the campers were seen in the crowd in the red jackets they would use, and while working with Mitrofanov to win in pairs, he used their cheers as motivation.
“Everyone has these red jackets, so you can really identify this community during the competition, which personally helps me to bring a lot of joy to skating,” said Efimova.
Ma also pointed out how the great Shishkova and Naumov, the winners of the 1994 World Championship in couples while competing in two Olympic Games, were like coaches.
“His meticulousness in the development of young skaters is almost incomparable,” Ma. ” , I have to do better. ‘
Shishkova Evgenia (left), Vadim Naumov (center) and Spencer Lane (right) were victims of the collision between an American Airlines jet and a American black hawk helicopter. (Instagram/Annehgoldbergbaldwin)
The Boston skating club was not the only artistic skating community that was beaten by this. The Philadelphia Skating Club & Humane Society published on social networks that the “beloved members” of his team were on the flight. The skating coach Alexandr Kirsanov and two of his youth skaters were also aboard the fight, according to Kirsanov’s wife, per abc News.
“The artistic skating of the United States can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard the 5342 flight of American Airlines, which collided with a helicopter last night in Washington, DC,” said the American figurative skating in A statement. “We are devastated by this indescribable tragedy and keep close to the families of the victims in our hearts.”
While the world of figurative skating and others affected by the clash cry the losses of loved ones, Mitrofanov said that skaters will continue to train and compete with their “family” in mind.
Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov receive scores during the 2025 figurative skating championship in the USA. In Intrust Bank Arena. (William Purnell/Imagn images)
“Seeing these children skating and seeing their fire and love for sport, that is what helped us honestly, to continue training,” Mitrofanov said. “Seeing these children develops helps us to push us too. It is a two -way street that admires us, but we also admire them.”
