CHICAGO (WLS) — After a midair collision with a U.S. Army helicopter, some passengers on the American Eagle flight tragically crashed into the Potomac River. Among them were individuals who had recently participated in a figure skating competition in Kansas, competing against skaters from the Chicago area.
The figure skating community, known for its close bonds, is now mourning the loss of the athletes and coaches who were on board the ill-fated flight.
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At Twin Rinks in Buffalo Grove, a sense of sadness looms. Lorenzo Elano from Chicago, who had recently emerged victorious in the national junior championship in Wichita, found himself unable to celebrate as he processed the tragic events. Alongside him, the entire skating community is collectively grieving the loss of many of their own in the Washington D.C. accident.
“It’s still heartbreaking cuz we see them often and we know about them and it’s just horrible,” he said.
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A number of other skaters who train at Twin Rinks also competed in Wichita, but are now back home. Many of those on the ill-fated flight stayed on for an extra few days to attend a development camp. Jiaying Johnson was close with several of them.
“I was literally talking with some of them before take-off, and it was just a huge shock,” she said.
There were no survivors after a collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C.
Alexa Gasparatto should also be celebrating landing a rare triple axel in practice, but she is grief stricken. The skating community is like family, she said, and the athletes get to know each other well after spending a huge chunk of their lives at ice rinks.
“I can’t even get the words out,” she said. “There’s just so many thoughts going through my head.”
Coach Jeremy Allen has been around the sport for most of his life and grew up hearing about the tragic plane crash in 1961 that killed members of the U.S. National Team.
“It’s such a tragedy. this is something that’s gonna take a long time or our community to get over,” he said.
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