The 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, ended on an upbeat and satisfying note on Jan. 26 with the senior men’s competition. Northern Virginia’s Ilia Malinin claimed his third U.S. senior title with a quadruple filled program. Two days prior, his training mate Sarah Everhardt had earned the bronze medal in the senior women’s event. With the competition complete, the skaters and most of the coaches headed home.
On Jan. 27, young novice, juvenile and intermediate skaters, who had enjoyed being spectators for the championship events, convened at a Wichita rink for U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Camp. They were joined by coaches and family members for two days of on- and off-ice programming to help advance their skating to the next level.
“We skated with them; we talked with them; we critiqued them,” said Judy Blumberg, a five-time U.S. Ice Dance Champion, who served as a coach and advisor at the camp. “They were all so very proud and they grew at the camp. They were able to observe at a very high level. I think they took in a lot of info. It wasn’t whether or not they could do it, it was whether or not they could grasp the concepts for moving forward because they all were big dreamers.”
The parents sat in the bleachers, and Blumberg said periodically skaters would turn and wave at their parents. They all came away with life lessons and an inspired perspective on the sport.
“Those of us who were chosen to guide and mentor these kids did our job with passion, love, patience and with a sense of who knows where these kids will take their skating and their lives,” said Blumberg. “I hope they got a little bit of that enthusiasm and encouragement.”
Full of inspiration and joy, the skaters headed home on Wednesday but not everyone made it. Tragically, American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a helicopter over Washington, DC, and crashed. There were no survivors. Among the passengers were 28 skaters, parents and coaches from the Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and Delaware area as well as Boston skaters and parents who were scheduled to make a connecting flight.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” read a statement from U.S. Figure Skating.
“It’s a loss at all levels, for the families most certainly,” Blumberg said. “They had watched the championship…and [then went] on to their own adventures at the development camp. They were riding a high.”
Throughout the day and night on Jan. 30, details emerged. Eight individuals from the Skating Club of Northern Virginia (SCNV)—Brielle Beyer and her mother, Cory Haynos and his parents, and Edward Zhou and his parents—and seven from the Washington Figure Skating Club (WFSC)—Franco Aparicio and his father, Everly and Alydia Livingston and their parents, and coach Inna Volyanskaya—perished. Olivia Ter, who trained at the ION Figure Skating Club in Leesburg, and her mother were also on the fatal flight.
“The Washington Figure Skating Club and the Skating Club of Northern Virginia are devastated by the tragic mid-air collision over the Potomac River,” read a statement. “This heartbreaking accident has shaken the local skating community in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia—as well as in Boston and across the nation. Our hearts go out to families, friends and loved ones mourning this unimaginable grief.”
Six people affiliated with the Skating Club of Boston—two skaters, two parents and the married coaching team of Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, former World Champion pair skaters from Russia who moved to the U.S. in the late 1990s—were also lost in the plane crash. Five-time European Champion, three-time World medalist Surya Bonaly fondly recalled Shishkova and Naumov, who she had known for more than 35 years. In addition to competing at many of the same competitions, as a young skater in France, Bonaly’s coach would send her to Saint Petersburg, Russia, for training.
“Those two, I knew they were going to get married,” said Bonaly. “They were young, but there was a connection. They were always super sweet, gentle and kind. They were never mean to other skaters. They just were minding their business and happy to be together when we were touring.”
As time went on, Bonaly was happy to see Shishkova and Naumov married and becoming parents to son Maxim, now 23, who finished fourth in senior men at the 2025 U.S. Championships and headed back to Boston on Monday. He was coached by his parents.
“To move to another country, to live a new life and become citizens, I was so proud of them becoming great coaches,” said Bonaly. “Last year, I watched U.S. Nationals with my mother and we talked about them.”
Also among the deceased was Alexandr (Sasha) Kirsanov, who coached at the University of Delaware. Galit Chait, his long-time friend and Olympic teammate of his wife, Natalya Gudina, spoke of what an outstanding coach and person Kirsanov was.
“Sasha was a great coach, caring, a very talented person and worked very hard,” said Chait. “Above everything, just a great and caring person.”
As a skating coach, Chait, a three-time Olympian for Israel in ice dancing, knows how young athletes thrive on learning new things and accomplishing goals, like taking part in a development camp. These were kids who trained every day, parents who lovingly took them to rinks and competitions, and coaches who invested their knowledge and love for the sport in their students.
“WFSC and SCNV are deeply committed to supporting our skaters, their families and the wider figure skating community during this heartbreaking time,” wrote SCNV and WFSC in their statement. “As we continue to process this tragedy, we honor the memories of those who we have lost—their passion for the sport, the friendships they cultivated, and the joy they brought to the ice. Their presence at our rinks and in our community is deeply felt, and their absence is indescribable.”
Rinks around the country are holding vigils for the lost members of the skating community.