The Skating Club of Boston to honor plane crash victims with memorial, renamed rink
The Skating Club of Boston on Monday announced new initiatives to honor the six community members killed in a deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C. earlier this year.
Two club skaters, 16-year-old Spencer Lane and 13-year-old Jinna Han, died in the crash, as well as coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. Lane and Han's mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Han, also died when American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter on January 29.
The tributes include renaming a rink and creating a memorial at the Norwood club, as well as setting up an annual scholarship fund and awards program. The club called it the "Always Champions" campaign, which will "honor their lives and create a permanent place of remembrance at the Club for their families, friends and visiting members of the public."
"We developed this campaign to honor the memories of these six individuals, and to ensure that their personal legacies will forever be a part of the Club's legacy," the CEO of The Skating Club of Boston, Doug Zeghibe, said in a statement.
Remembering the six people lost
There will be a permanent memorial at The Skating Club of Boston, which will include three benches, each with a bronze plaque with the victims' names. They will also place four pairs of ice skates at the foot of the benches to remember Shishkova, Naumov, Lane and Han.
The west rink at the club will be renamed to the "Always Champions Training Rink" and will feature a wall filled with stories and photos of the victims. The west rink was where the coaches held their training program for skaters, including Lane and Han.
Two weeping cherry trees will be planted at the front of the facility, accompanied by memorial plaques, to create a "space for reflection."
"I'm incredibly grateful to this community for honoring the six amazing people we lost, and for ensuring that their spirit continues to inspire others to chase their dreams," Spencer's dad Doug Lane said in a press release.
The club said that it will also launch two scholarships to honor Han and Lane. They said that their families will manage the scholarships, but they will help skaters "pursue their skating dreams at the Club." They will also dedicate four awards in the coaches' and skaters' honor, which will be given out at the annual banquet every June.
"Their commitment to the sport and spirit of excellence will continue to inspire today's and future generations of our community. For all of us, they are Always Champions who will never be forgotten," Zeghibe said.
The Skating Club will raise money for these memorials with a fundraising race on August 21. The Frozen 5K Fundraiser will have people skate or walk 28 laps around an Olympic-sized skating rink.
Washington D.C. plane crash
All the victims were onboard a flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with them. Both aircrafts crashed into the Potomac River. There were no survivors.
The Massachusetts skating community gathered at The Skating Club of Boston's rink in the following days to mourn Han, Lane, Shishkova, and Naumov. Stoneham native Nancy Kerrigan was among those who stopped by the memorial to pay their respects.
"We just wanted to be here and be part of our community," Kerrigan said.
Skaters gradually returned to the rink after the crash. Zeghibe said that the community became a second family for many of its members.
"I don't want to lose the energy or the dedication or the spirit of these kids and just the phenomenal talent of these two coaches," said Zeghibe. "I have to say, personally, I'm gonna just personally miss them all."
A private memorial service was held at the club in January.
