NORWOOD, Mass. — Less than 48 hours after losing six of their own in a tragic plane crash in Washington D.C., athletes at the Skating Club of Boston returned to the ice on Friday.
The club decided not to train at the rink on Thursday, when local skating legend Nancy Kerrigan joined others at the skating club to mourn the loss of the victims killed after an American Airlines passenger jet collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River on Wednesday.
The athletes returned to the ice rink on Friday, just two days after losing two of their coaches, two of their teenage skaters, and the skaters’ two mothers.
Team USA skater Jimmy Ma was one of the few who practiced through his pain.
“It was a great way to get my mind off things,” said Ma. “You don’t wake up to awful news. You’re just expecting it.”
A flower memorial grew for the six victims connected to the club inside their main entrance.
Coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were two of the coaches killed in the Wednesday night crash. Teenage skaters Jinna Han, 13, of Mansfield and Spencer Lane, 16, of Barrington, Rhode Island died alongside their two mothers, Jin Han and Christine Lane, onboard.
Jinna’s coach tearfully remembered one of her most talented students.
“She was our little superstar,” said coach Olga Ganichera.
Ganichera said both Spencer and Jinna dreamed of being champions – and were on the path to getting there.
She said Jinna’s father came to the rink Wednesday night immediately after hearing of the crash.
Ganichera continued, “He was standing outside and screaming. We picked him up and brought him to our house.”
CEO and President of the Skating Club of Boston Doug Zeghibe mentioned the possibility of naming part of the rink after the victims who died on Wednesday.
He added, “I think it’s sinking in that this is reality and we’re not going to see these folks again.”
Zeghibe also hopes to hold several private events for the club to begin the healing process.
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