Wichita, correct. – Almost two months have passed since American Airlines Flight 5342 He got up from a winter track in southeast Kansas, aimed at Washington, DC, with dozens of members of the artistic skating community on board.
They were only children, accompanied by parents and coaches, who had been attending a development camp that followed the American championship in Wichita. Many had published on social networks what they had learned, those jumps, turns and techniques that form the basis of their sport, and how anxious they were to share their new knowledge at home.
They never had that opportunity. That January night, his regional plane was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington’s national airport when He crashed with an army helicopter, Killing the 67 people aboard the two planes.
“I will always have them in my head and in my heart,” said world champion Ilia Malinin, the 20 -year -old Wunderkind, who will defend her title in Boston this week. Some of his fellow Washington Skating Club were aboard flight 5342, and many of them had encouraged him to victory in the United States championship.
“I still have some of those thoughts, thinking about it. It bothers me a little that some days I will not see them on the ice, training with me and admiring me,” Malinin continued. “In this world, I really want to dedicate everyone on that flight, and give everything to acting, and really make it special for them.”
When the World Championship begins Wednesday at TD Bank Garden, home of the Bruins and Celtics, they will be housed by Boston’s famous skating club, which produced Olympic icons such as Tenley Albright, Dick Button and Nancy Kerrigan.
He The club was shaken on January 29 When he learned that three of his own young skaters, Jinna Han, Spencer Lane and Olivia Ter, and the Shishkova and Vadim Naumov trainers were killed in the accident. The next morning, the flowers accumulated in the club’s lobby in the nearby Norwood, and a single white rose was placed on a table for each member who died.
Kerrigan and Albright were among those that appeared in the club, so they would not have to cry alone.
“You don’t have to know everyone to feel that connection,” Kerrigan said. “We have gone through the same thing: that training, that rigorous calendar of falling again and again and somehow picking up, which is the main lesson learned in skating: you go back up, keep trying. And even when it is difficult, you get back on.”
Time has begun to heal some of the wounds. Others, without a doubt, will never be completely recovered.
Healing was partially helped by A gala celebration before This month in Washington who included Malinin performances, American champion Amber Glenn and former Olympic champions such as Scott Hamilton, Brian Baitano and Kristi Yamaguchi.
It was transmitted locally and transmitted in Peacock, and NBC will issue an Encore performance next Sunday.
During the event of more than 2 hours, Isabella Aparicio, 13, skated in memory of her brother, Franco, and her father, Luciano, who were on the flight. Maxim Naumov, who lost his parents in the accident, acted in his honor. Tears flowed from the best figurative skaters of the past and the present, and more than $ 1.2 million were collected for the families of those affected.
Now, world championships provide another opportunity for the SANE skating community.
The president of the International Skating Union, Jae Yol Kim, made an crying announcement during the European championship in Estonia that those killed in the accident would be honored in Boston. The highlight comes on Wednesday, on the night of the competition, when a tribute and a memory will take place among the short programs of women and couples.
“This is almost part of a recovery process, dealing with pain and supporting families, and then focuses on competition as a way of dealing with all that,” said Sam Auxier, the interim CEO of American artistic skating. “Boston will be a bit peak of all that energy that we are seeing now around this tragedy and how it could become something very positive.”
In that sense, the skating community is increasing in mass for the world championship this week. Malinin described him as a coincidence, “an unfortunate coincidence,” he said, that the worlds would be carried out on American soil after the accident.
Unfortunate that the accident occurred. Fortuitous that can provide another opportunity to honor and remember.
“Boston is a great host,” said Evan Bates, who along with his American partner and wife, Madison Cock, will pursue his third consecutive title of the world of ice dance. “Boston’s skating club is immersed in history with artistic skating.
“We are eager for a great event,” Bates said. “I think everyone expects something to cheer up.”
___
AP Stephen Whyno sports writers in Washington and Jimmy Golen in Boston contributed to this report.
___
AP Sports: https://apnews.com/sports
