Figure skating legends and Olympic medalists Tenley Albright (left) and Nancy Kerrigan (right)Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
NORWOOD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Figure skating legend Nancy Kerrigan spoke to members of the media Thursday in the wake of a deadly plane crash that killed members of Boston's figure skating community.
On Wednesday night, an American Airlines flight collided in mid-air with an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. and crashed into the Potomac River.
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Authorities said all 67 people aboard the two aircraft were killed, including six people associated with the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood: coaches and former skating pair Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, 16-year-old skaters Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, and their mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Han.
The group was returning from the National Development Camp after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
"I just feel for the athletes, the skaters and their families, but anyone that was on that plane, not just the skaters," a tearful Kerrigan told reporters, "because it's just such a tragic event, and we've been through tragedies before as Americans, as people, and we are strong, and I guess it's how we respond to it. So my response was to be with people I care about and I love and I needed support, so that's why I'm here."
Kerrigan said the community is grieving, but will eventually recover.
"The main lesson, I think, learned in skating is you get back up," Kerrigan said. "Keep on trying, and even when it's hard, get back up. Even when you're crying, hurt, pain, you get back up."
Kerrigan was joined by Skating Club of Boston's executive director Doug Zeghibe, Olympic Gold Medalist and Chestnut Hill native Tenley Albright, longtime club member and former U.S. Figure Skating Federation president Paul George, and Elin Schran, founder of Joy Skate Productions.
"We're family, and it's a community, and the skaters, the people who were on that plane, they're our family too," Albright said. "And our community means so much to us, we're also here to encourage the skaters who have been aiming to reach the world championships. It's important for them to know we're all together. I certainly don't have any answers. I really can't believe that it happened."
Wednesday night's crash was not the first tragedy of its kind to impact the Skating Club of Boston. In 1961, a plane carrying members of the U.S. figure skating team crashed in Belgium, killing everyone onboard. Almost half of the victims were connected to the Skating Club of Boston, Zeghibe said.
"Like today, 1961 was a tragic moment, it was the day the music stopped," said George, who was a young figure skater at the time of the Belgium crash. "I think it made us more resolute though, as we moved forward as skaters. I was 19 at the time. It took time, but we came back, I think stronger, better. This is a club of excellence, it has been for over 100 years. We have produced countless talented skaters. You have some right here in Nancy, in Tenley, and Elin. I think we will continue to do it. We, of course, today think of the families, think of the athletes, and that's as it should be."
Schran said Spencer Lane, who is from Barrington, Rhode Island, took part in an outdoor show in Cambridge for Joy Skate this past December.
"He had never done a professional show before, it was a new experience for him, he was nervous, and then after the show ended, he came over and he was just beaming," Lane said. "This kid was so talented, he only started skating a few years ago. He came to me smiling ear-to-ear saying, 'I get it now, I understand.' He started to understand this connection with the audience and that joy that he was giving to other people through his gift."
The Skating Club of Boston is set to host the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in March.
WBZ’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.