BOSTON (AP) — Before the skaters in their sequins and brightly coloured costumes took the ice at the world figure skating championships on Wednesday night, a choir dressed all in black sang a solemn hymn for those who died in a plane crash on their way back from a camp for up-and-coming skaters this winter.
Boston's Coro Allegro performed “Precious Lord” to close an emotional ceremony before the pairs competition at the TD Garden in Boston, about a half-hour's drive from the home club for six people who were killed in the crash.
“Tonight we honour those members of our skating community who are no longer with us,” said emcee Ben Agosto, an Olympic ice dance silver medallist. “Their spirit remains in every edge traced on this ice, in every moment of triumph, and every heart that beats for this sport."
Sixty-seven people died Jan. 29 when American Airlines Flight 5342 crashed into a military helicopter on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and fell into the icy Potomac River. Among those killed were more than two dozen members of the skating community returning from a national development camp after the U.S. championships in Wichita, Kansas.
“For many of us, it feels like we are frozen in time,” International Skating Union president Jae Youl Kim said. “We see their spirit in the skaters who would take to the ice today. … Their legacy will continue to shine, inspiring young skaters around the world, fuelling dreams and reminding us this sport is so much more than what happens on the ice.”
A benefit earlier this month in Washington, where many of the victims lived, included skating performances and raised more than $1.2 million for their families. The Boston ceremony featured speakers who encouraged the crowd to remember those who never got a chance to skate in a competition like the one taking place at the TD Garden this week.
“The world figure skating championships is an event to which they aspired,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said. “While they may not be here in person, in body, their spirit, their passion, their love for the sport, the relationships they built and the memories they created will never fade.”
The victims’ names were shown on the dasher boards and scoreboards during the tribute, along with their home clubs in Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, Delaware and Virginia. Videos and photos showed the young skaters practising the jumps they were still perfecting.
“They will live in every title that’s achieved in their name,” U.S. Figure Skating interim CEO Samuel Auxier said, reading a poem he composed. “True skaters never die, we just adopt the passion of their flame.”
Among those who died were two skaters, their mothers, and two coaches from the Skating Club of Boston, a prestigious rink where Olympians and recreational skaters alike have trained for more than a century.
The club is also the home of reigning U.S. pairs champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, who took the ice less than an hour after the ceremony. After their performance, they brought pictures of the Boston victims to the kiss and cry couch while they waited for their scores.
When their marks placed them first — still early in the night — they received another large ovation from the hometown crowd.
“I feel like the impact they had in the relatively short time we knew them was immense,” Efimova said. “I think they played a big role in getting us here. I feel their strength and love every day.”
Doug Lane, whose wife and son died in the crash, was the final speaker, and he asked the skating fans as they remember those who were lost to "Take extra care to lift up the young skaters that are still here.
“They’re hurting,” he said. “I hope we can support them in their skating journeys, but I also hope we can help them find happiness off the ice as well.”
His final hope was that people work to prevent similar accidents in the future.
“Some accidents are avoidable. This one was not,” Lane said. "Even a lay person like me can easily identify the systematic breakdowns that allowed this to happen. But rather than looking to place blame, I hope that we can work with our elected officials to make air travel safer for everyone and for all of our families.”
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AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed to this report.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
Jimmy Golen, The Associated Press
