'Beloved' members of Philadelphia Skating Club killed in DC plane crash, club says

A national tragedy is hitting close to home for a local ice skating club as they mourn the devastating loss of fellow athletes, along with their own members, who were all on their way home from doing what they loved when the unthinkable happened.

What we know:

In a statement to FOX 29, the Philadelphia Ice Skating Club and Humane Society said that "beloved" members were among those killed when an American Airlines plane collided with an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday night:

"The Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society is devastated to learn of the crash in Washington D.C. that took the lives of several members of the figure skating community, including beloved members of our club. We feel immense grief at the loss of so many talented skaters, their coaches and families. Sadly, one of the families lost just became members of our club and another shared his talent with us at our recent 175th Anniversary Gala. We share this loss and grief with the entire USFS Community. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone during this tragic time."

Meanwhile, three other individuals in the Delaware figure skating community were named as victims of the doomed flight. Delaware Senator Chris Coons stated a former coach at the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club, Alexandr "Sasha" Kirsanov, a fixture at the High Performance Training Center on the university's campus was traveling with two young skaters, ice dance partners Angela Yang and Sean Kay. 

What we don't know:

The identities of those members lost by the Philadelphia Ice Skating Club and Humane Society have yet to be released.

The club says they will not be releasing any additional information at this time as we await updates from US Figure Skating.

Related

DC plane crash victims: What we know so far

Officials say no survivors are expected after an American Airlines flight with 64 people onboard collided mid-air with a military helicopter Wednesday evening.

The backstory:

There were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the American Airlines flight and three people aboard the Black Hawk at the time of the crash. 

Officials do not believe anyone survived the midair collision with at least 28 bodies already pulled from the Icy Potomac River as of Thursday afternoon.

U.S. Figure Skating confirmed several members were aboard the American Airlines flight.

"These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas," the organization said in a statement.

Two coaches, two young skaters and their mothers from the Skating Club Boston are confirmed to have been aboard the flight, along with Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and her husband Vadim Naumov.

What they're saying:

Skating Director and coach at Philadelphia Ice Skating Club and Humane Society says the tight-knit community in Ardmore is devastated.

"It's definitely shocking and everyone's still processing," said Barr. "It's a very small community as far as skating, even though it's nationwide, everyone has kind of crossed paths with everyone that's been lost so that's been hard."

She says athletes and their loved ones spend hours training together, so they do become family.

In Aston, Delaware County, Lisa Shaw has 25 years of history at IceWorks. She's currently the Skating Director and President of the club.

She read a brief statement to FOX 29, but would not comment further.

"The figure skating community is a small, tight-knit group, and even though many of these skaters were not club members at our rink, they all spent time training here and competing in our events," she said.

Other ice skating clubs across the Delaware Valley have offered their condolences following the tragic loss felt by their entire community.

"This is a very difficult time for us right now since we have lost so many close friends in this tragedy… we do share our prayers for the families that have been affected," said Yulia, coach of Mt. Laurel skater Isabeau Levito.

Igloo Ice Rink in Mount Laurel said they are "heartbroken" in a statement posted to social media.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident involving an American Airlines flight in Washington, D.C., last night. We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their coaches, families and friends, are understood to be among those onboard. Our thoughts are with anyone affected by this tragedy."

The Source: Information from the article was provided by the Philadelphia Ice Skating Club and Humane Society, U.S. Figure Skating and reporting by sister-station WTTG.

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