Ice skating community mourns figure skaters in deadly plane crash
"When I saw his name on there, my heart dropped. He was one of my skating role models."
NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY)–There’s a Carolina connection to the worst deadly crash involving a commercial airliner in the United States since 2009. Inside Odgen Business Park, at Polar Ice Wilmington, the figure skating community mourns.
“I used to follow this guy on TikTok. His name was Spencer Lane. When I saw his name on there, my heart dropped. He was one of my skating role models,” said figure skater Chloe Pearson.
Imagine being on earth one minute, and within a flash, you’re gone the next.
“That can happen to anyone,” figure skater Alysa Escalera expressed.
It’s what these young skaters, Chloe Pearson and Alysa Escalera, said after seeing flight 5342 crash Wednesday night.
“It’s not fun to hear about. I’m definitely upset about it,” Escalera shared.
Sober filled the ice rink- not just for the crash itself but also for the 67 lives lost, including well-known figure skaters aboard.
“I think of people I know, like my coach. She’s so amazing and so talented. I think about her, like what if she was on that plane,” Escalera shared.
A candlelit vigil stands in the lobby, shining a light on the lives lost.
Wednesday night, a disastrous crash happened mid-air between American Eagle Flight 53-42 and a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching a runway at Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC.
The plane was coming from Wichita, Kansas. 67 people died. On board were two well-known Russian figure skaters returning from a development camp.
“You look online, and there’s the U.S. figure skating posting – everyone’s posting just offering their condolences the best way they can, for the time being. It’s impacting everyone,” figure skater Courtney Coons said.
So, for now, the skating world continues to mourn, holding on to the twirling memories of those who left us too soon. The light of their legacy will continue to shine, both in the rink and in the hearts of those who loved them.
It’s an echo of an earlier horror. All members of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating team — headed to the world championships in Prague — died in a plane crash in Belgium.
