World champion Russian skaters on American Airlines jet built a new life as coaches in the US
Updated: 2:21 PM CST Jan 30, 2025
I鈥橫 ANTOINETTE ANTONIO. WE INTERRUPT PROGRAMING TO BRING YOU ANOTHER UPDATE ON THAT PLANE CRASH OUTSIDE REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT. AND AS WE鈥橵E LEARNED, THIS HAS IMPACTED OUR LOCAL FIGURE SKATING COMMUNITY. LET鈥橲 GO AHEAD AND LISTEN IN TO A PRESS CONFERENCE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. I AM THE CEO OF THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON. AND LAST NIGHT AND INTO THIS MORNING, WE WERE INFORMED OF A PRETTY HORRIFIC TRAGEDY. TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, 14 SKATERS RETURNING HOME FROM THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAMP AT WICHITA, KANSAS, PUT ON BY U.S. FIGURE SKATING, WERE LOST IN THE PLANE CRASH AT WASHINGTON, D.C., OF THOSE, 14 SKATERS, SIX WERE FROM THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON. TWO COACHES, TWO TEENAGE ATHLETES, AND THE ATHLETES MOMS. SKATING IS A VERY CLOSE AND TIGHT KNIT COMMUNITY. THESE KIDS AND THEIR PARENTS, THEY鈥橰E HERE AT OUR FACILITY IN NORWOOD SIX, SOMETIMES SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. IT鈥橲 A CLOSE, TIGHT BOND, AND I THINK FOR ALL OF US, WE HAVE LOST FAMILY. WE SENT HERE AT THIS CLUB, 18 SKATERS TO WICHITA TO COMPETE AT THE U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS, AND 12 SKATERS WERE AT THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAMP. SIX IS A HORRIFIC NUMBER FOR US, BUT WE鈥橰E WE鈥橰E FORTUNATE AND GRATEFUL. IT WASN鈥橳 MORE THAN SIX. THIS WILL HAVE LONG REACHING IMPACTS FOR OUR SKATING COMMUNITY. THE TWO COACHES, JENNA SHISHKOVA AND VADIM NAUMOV, TOP COACHES. THEY WERE THE 1994 WORLD PAIR CHAMPIONS, WORLD PAIR CHAMPIONS, AND THEY CAME TO US IN 2017 AND WERE VERY MUCH A PART OF OUR BUILDING. THE COMPETITIVE SKATING PROGRAM HERE AT THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON, ORIGINATING A GROUP CLASS. TOMORROW鈥橲 CHAMPIONS SUBSCRIPTION BASED, VERY INNOVATIVE IN THE U.S. AND BASED ON WHAT THEY LEARNED AND HOW THEY DEVELOPED IN SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA. VERY POPULAR WITH FAMILIES, PROVEN SUCCESS, WHICH IS WHY I THINK THEY HAD SO MANY KIDS AT THE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND AT THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAMP. SO IT鈥橲 IT鈥橲 A MAJOR PERSONAL LOSS, BUT IT鈥橲 ALSO A LOSS TO OUR SKATING COMMUNITY. I THINK THE FINAL THING I WANT TO SAY THAT, SADLY, THIS ISN鈥橳 THE FIRST TIME THIS CLUB HAS EXPERIENCED A TRAGEDY LIKE THIS. IT鈥橲 NOW A WAYS BACK. BUT IN 1961, THE ENTIRE WORLD TEAM OF U.S. FIGURE SKATING AND ROUTE TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PRAGUE WAS LOST IN A PLANE CRASH IN BELGIUM. ALMOST HALF OF EVERYBODY ON BOARD THAT PLANE WERE FROM THIS CLUB. IT HAD LONG, LONG REACHING IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SKATING CLUB AND FOR THE SPORT IN THIS COUNTRY, BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOSE COACHES LIKE THIS, YOU LOSE THE FUTURE OF THE SPORT AS WELL. IT鈥橲 BEEN A LONG TIME IN REDEVELOPING IT, AND I PERSONALLY FEEL THAT THIS CLUB, THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON, HAS JUST NOW, ALMOST 60 YEARS LATER, BEEN COMING OUT OF THE SHADOW OF THAT 1961 CRASH. SO THIS IS PARTICULARLY DEVASTATING. DOUG, VADIM AND GINA WERE MARRIED. YES. THEY HAVE A SON NAMED MAX. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HIM AND ABOUT HOW HE GOT OUT AND WAS NOT ON THAT PLANE? SO MAX WAS COMPETING AT THE U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE SENIOR MEN鈥橲 EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP. MEN. HE PLACED FOURTH, WHICH IS A MEDALING SPOT, AND HIS TIME IN WICHITA CONCLUDED ON SUNDAY WITH THE MEN鈥橲 EVENT. HE WAS ACTUALLY ON A PLANE ON MONDAY. I CAME BACK WITH HIM. HE HAD NO REASON TO STAY AT THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAMP. BOTH OF HIS PARENTS WERE WITH HIM WHILE HE WAS COMPETING. IT鈥橲 WELL KNOWN. MOM WAS ALWAYS TOO NERVOUS TO WATCH HIM SKATE, BUT HIS DAD WAS WITH HIM AND DAD WAS IN THE KISS AND CRY, SHARING HIS GREAT PERFORMANCE. AND MAX, I DON鈥橳 KNOW WHAT HIS NEXT STEPS ARE FOR COMPETITION, BUT HE WAS PLANNED TO COMPETE IN THE FOUR CONTINENTS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER NEXT WEEK, AND THEN HE IS A FIRST OR SECOND ALTERNATE TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, WHICH WE鈥橰E HOSTING AT TD GARDEN AT THE END OF MARCH. MARCH 25TH THROUGH 30TH. SO. AND MAX IS MAX HAS BEEN WITH US SINCE 2017 AS WELL. WELL DECORATED SKATER, NOVICE MEN鈥橲 CHAMPION, JUNIOR MEN鈥橲 CHAMPION, TWO TIME CHAMPIONSHIP MEN MEDALIST. VERY CLOSE WITH HIS PARENTS. OBVIOUSLY, AS FAR AS YOU KNOW, HE鈥橲 FLOWN TO WASHINGTON. YEAH, THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE. MAX IS ENROUTE TO WASHINGTON, ALONG WITH THE DADS OF SPENCER AND GINA. DID ANY OTHER MEMBERS HERE HAVE A REASON TO FLY TO DC, OR IS IT YOUR UNDERSTANDING THEY WERE EVENTUALLY SUPPOSED TO COME TO BOSTON? I BELIEVE THEY WERE ALL ENROUTE BACK TO BOSTON. THERE鈥橲 NO DIRECT FLIGHTS BETWEEN BOSTON AND WICHITA. HAVING WORKED ON THAT ONE MYSELF. SO YOU HAVE TO CONNECT. DESCRIBE THE NATURE OF THE OF THE COMPETITION. SO ESSENTIALLY, SPENCER AND GINA WERE I MEAN, THEY WERE IN THE BIGGEST PART OF THAT COMPETITION. THEY WERE THERE THE LAST DAY. SO THEY WERE IN THE CAMP. SO THE CAMP FOLLOWS THE COMPETITION. IT鈥橲 FOR YOUNGER SKATERS, YOUNGER SKATERS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED WITH PROMISE BY US FIGURE SKATING, HIGH DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS COMMITTEE, DEPARTMENT, IF YOU WILL. SO U.S. FIGURE SKATING WAS LOOKING TO EVERYBODY IN THAT HIGH DEVELOPMENT NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAMP AS THE FUTURE OF THE SPORT. SO THEY WEREN鈥橳 COMPETING AT THE US CHAMPIONSHIPS BECAUSE THEY WERE AT THE NOVICE LEVEL. US CHAMPIONSHIPS IS FOR JUNIOR AND SENIOR ONLY. CAN YOU TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT ANY OF THE VICTIMS? WHAT WAS THAT? TELL US THE NAMES OF EACH VICTIM, HOW OLD THEY WERE, WHAT THEIR ROLE WAS. SPENCER LANE AND HIS MOM, MOLLY SPENCER, WAS ABOUT 16, I THINK. I BELIEVE TURNING 17 EARLY NEXT YEAR. GINA HAHN, ABOUT THE SAME AGE AND HER MOM, JEN, AND THEN VADIM AND GINA, THE COACHES THAT WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT. CAN YOU HAVE ANY MEMORIES? TALK ABOUT SPENCER AND GINA, BASED ON WHAT YOU JUST SAID ABOUT THEIR SKILL LEVEL, WERE THEY LEADERS AROUND HERE? DEFINITELY, VERY MUCH. AND I WOULD SAY BOTH FAMILIES VERY MUCH EMBEDDED IN OUR OUR COMMUNITY JUST FOR THE SHEER AMOUNT OF TIME THEY鈥橰E HERE. AND, YOU KNOW, PERSONALLY, I鈥橪L JUST SAY WONDERFUL PEOPLE. AND THE YOUNGER SKATERS HERE, SPENCER OR GINA HERE SKATING AT THE CLUB OR TALKING TO THEM. SPENCER, IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE WAS A CRAZY KID, HIGHLY TALENTED, LIKE INCREDIBLY TALENTED, HAS NOT BEEN SKATING THAT LONG AND JUST ROCKETING TO THE TOP OF THE SPORT. VERY FUN, VERY CEREBRAL, A GOOD THINKER, THINKER. SORRY ABOUT MY BEST BOSTON ACCENT, GINA. JUST A WONDERFUL KID. WONDERFUL PARENTS, GREAT ATHLETE, GREAT COMPETITOR, LOVED BY ALL. YOU TALKED TO THE PARENTS, TO THE FATHERS. HOW WAS THAT CONVERSATION LIKE? WHEN DID YOU TALK TO THEM AND JUST KIND OF WALK ME? I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO THE DADS. YOU HAVEN鈥橳 TALKED TO ANY. OKAY. NO, I HAVE SPOKEN TO FOLKS THAT WERE WITH THE DADS. AND I CAN SAY WHEN THIS STORY STARTED TO BREAK IN, THE NEWS OF THIS CAME OUT LAST NIGHT. IT WAS A LONG NIGHT FOR US ALL. JUST TRYING TO GET ACCURATE INFORMATION. WHO WAS ON THE PLANE, WHO WASN鈥橳 ON THE PLANE, WHERE ARE THE DADS? ARE THERE ANY SURVIVORS? THAT SORT OF THING. WE鈥橵E SEEN SOME PEOPLE, PRESUMABLY SKATERS, SHOW UP THIS MORNING. HOW ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO BELONG TO THE CLUB PROCESSING THIS? I THINK A LOT ARE TRYING TO PROCESS. SOME OF OUR MEMBERS HAVE WRITTEN ME SAYING THE 1961 PLANE CRASH, BECAUSE THAT鈥橲 CLEARLY A REFERENCE POINT FOR THEM. HAVING LIVED THROUGH IT, I THINK OUR CURRENT MEMBERS, LEADERS, MANAGEMENT TEAM, I DON鈥橳 KNOW WHAT THE WORD IS. IS IT WRECKED? IS IT DEVASTATED? FOLKS ARE JUST STUNNED BY THIS. I YOU KNOW, MY PHONE IS JUST BLOWING UP WITH EMAILS AND TEXTS OF FOLKS, YOU KNOW, OFFERING TO SUPPORT IN ANY WAY THEY CAN, EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES AND, AND JUST HOW STUNNED THEY ARE BY IT. COULD YOU TELL US WHAT鈥橲 NEXT FOR THE CLUB IMMEDIATELY? LIKE, ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO BE OPEN THIS WEEK? WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS HERE? THAT鈥橲 A GOOD QUESTION. I HAVEN鈥橳 THOUGHT THAT FAR. I WOULD ASSUME WE WILL BE OPEN JUST BECAUSE SKATERS ARE RESILIENT AND THEY WANT TO SKATE. I THINK ALSO THEY COME TO THE CLUB AND WILL COME TO THE CLUB AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER AND TO GRIEVE TOGETHER. WE ARE. THERE鈥橲 NEVER, EVER A GOOD TIME FOR A TRAGEDY LIKE THIS, BUT WE鈥橰E A SMALL ORGANIZATION. WE HAVE A LARGE FACILITY. WE鈥橰E ALSO THE LOCAL HOST FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS COMING UP AT THE END OF MARCH. SO WE鈥橰E PRETTY BUSY AND WE CAN鈥橳 TAKE A BREAK. WE NEED TO KEEP MOVING. HOW DO YOU HOW SHAUN HOW SELF REBUILDING AFTER THIS? YOU REBUILD OVER TIME. IT鈥橲 TOO SOON TO SAY, BUT OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE A HOLE IN OUR COACHING STAFF. A GIANT HOLE LEFT BY VADIM AND JENNA. I鈥橫 NOT QUITE SURE HOW WE鈥橰E GOING TO FILL THAT DOUG GIVEN HOW SAFE AIR TRAVEL IS IN THE WORLD AND THE FACT THAT YOUR CLUB HAS BEEN PERSONALLY IMPACTED NOW BY TWO TRAGEDIES, 1961 AND AND 2025, DOES IT STRIKE YOU AS BAD LUCK OR WHAT? WHAT CAN YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THAT? IT STRIKES ME AS LIFE. YOU KNOW, IT鈥橲 IT鈥橲 SENSELESS, BUT ACCIDENTS HAPPEN. I THINK FOR ME PERSONALLY, I鈥橠 RATHER HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN IN AN ACCIDENT THAN A TERRORIST ACTIVITY OR SOMETHING. YOU KNOW, WHERE SOMEBODY WAS DELIBERATELY TRYING TO CAUSE HARM. IT SOMEHOW MAKES IT EASIER TO ACCEPT THAT IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. HOW? I WANT TO ASK THE CLUB, THE NUMBER OF THE VICTIMS WERE COMING DAYS. WELL, I DON鈥橳 THINK WE鈥橰E EVER GOING TO FORGET THEM. THAT IS CERTAINLY HOW WE COMMEMORATE THEM HERE. WE HAVEN鈥橳 GOTTEN TO THAT POINT TO DISCUSS, BUT WE CERTAINLY WILL JUST DEFINITELY VERY IMPORTANT AND WELL LOVED MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. WHAT WAS THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CRASH? WHAT WENT THROUGH MY MIND? IT WAS THE BIGGEST THING WAS HOW CAN WE GET ACCURATE INFORMATION? AT ONE POINT WE THOUGHT WE HAD 12 SKATERS THAT WERE ON 12 SKATERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. THEN IT WAS 8 TO 10. AND NOW, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS CRAZY TO BE BELIEVED. OH MY GOSH, IT鈥橲 ONLY SIX. BUT IN SOME WAYS I AM RELIEVED IT鈥橲 ONLY SIX, BUT IT鈥橲 A DEVASTATING SIX. I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD. I KNOW WE SPENT TIME TALKING ABOUT THE TWO SKATERS, BUT HAD YOU EVER RUN INTO MOLLY, HAD YOU EVER RUN INTO JEN? AND KIND OF JUST TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THEM AS WELL? YES, DEFINITELY. IN WICHITA, SPENT TIME WITH THEM. SO DEDICATED MOMS MAKING SACRIFICES. THE LANES LIVED IN PROVIDENCE OR I SHOULD SAY RHODE ISLAND OUTSIDE OF PROVIDENCE, SPENT A LOT OF TIME COMMUTING A REAL COMMITMENT TO BE HERE FOR SPENCER TO SKATE. AS I SAID, SPENCER WAS A PRETTY YOUNG PHENOM, HAS ONLY BEEN WITH THE SPORT A COUPLE OF YEARS AND WAS JUST ROCKETING TO THE TOP, AND HIS PARENTS WERE WORKING TO SUPPORT THAT. THE HAHN FAMILY HAS BEEN WITH US FOR A WHILE, CERTAINLY SINCE WE OPENED THIS FACILITY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2020, AND THEY ARE DEFINITELY A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY. AND I WOULD SAY, JEN, ONE OF THE MOST WONDERFUL, PLEASANT, POLITE, SMILING, JUST FANTASTIC. FANTASTIC MEMBER OF THE CLUB. NEVER A DISCOURAGING WORD, ALWAYS APPRECIATIVE, ALWAYS SUPPORTIVE OF NOT JUST JEN AND HER DAUGHTER, BUT EVERY ATHLETE. JUST ROLE MODEL PARENTS IN YOUTH SPORT. AND YOU DON鈥橳 ALWAYS GET THAT RIGHT. AND I WILL SAY OUR KIDS COMPETE HARD ON THE ICE AGAINST EACH OTHER, BUT WHEN THEY STEP OFF THE ICE, IT鈥橲 A PRETTY TIGHT KNIT GROUP. THE PARENTS AS WELL. BUT THESE KIDS ALSO FROM NORWOOD OR IN THE AREA, MAX WAS FROM NORWOOD. I FORGET THE TOWN WHERE GINA AND HER MOM LIVED NEARBY AND SPENCER SPENCER WAS RHODE ISLAND. DO THEY PRACTICE SO MUCH? ARE THEY ABLE TO GO TO HIGH SCHOOL, OR DO THEY END UP MAYBE DOING SOME? THEY DO A MIX OF HIGH SCHOOL AND HOMESCHOOL. I BELIEVE GINA WAS HOMESCHOOLED, AND I BELIEVE SPENCER IS IN SCHOOL, WAS IN SCHOOL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT ABOUT THIS INCIDENT? I DON鈥橳 KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO THAT. INFORMATION IS STILL BREAKING. I MEAN, I THINK WE鈥橵E GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING WE KNOW. IT鈥橲 OBVIOUSLY A VERY EMOTIONAL THING FOR US BECAUSE AS I SAID, THEY ARE LIKE FAMILY TO US. AND THE TWO DADS REMAINING. I HAVEN鈥橳 SPOKEN TO THEM YET, BUT THERE鈥橲 NO DOUBT THEY鈥橰E DEVASTATED. I KNOW MAX, OBVIOUSLY DEVASTATED AND SKATERS HERE AT THE CLUB, SENIOR LEVEL SKATERS THAT ALL TRAVELED TO BE WITH HIM LAST NIGHT AS MORE INFORMATION WAS BREAKING. I THINK THE ONLY IF YOU LOOK FOR A SILVER LINING IN SOMETHING THAT鈥橲 HORRIBLE, IT鈥橲 TO SEE THE HUMANITY OF HOW FOLKS COME TOGETHER TO SUPPORT THOSE THAT WERE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THAT. AND THAT REALLY IS HEARTWARMING AND ENCOURAGING. I鈥橫 SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. OH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE YOUR INTEREST. AND THESE FAMILIES AND THESE KIDS. COURTNEY, IS YOUR POINT OF CONTACT MOVING FORWARD? I鈥橫 AVAILABLE FOR WHATEVER. MAYBE AS MORE INFORMATION COMES IN, THAT SORT OF THING. ZHENYA AND VADIM, I ASSUME YOU MUST HAVE SPOKEN TO THEM MANY TIMES. OH, GOSH. YES. DO YOU HAVE ANY MEMORY THAT REALLY STICKS OUT OF THE TWO OF THEM? OR ABOUT THEM? VADIM I WOULD DESCRIBE AS AN OLD SCHOOL COACH. I GREW UP IN THE SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA SCHOOL OF SKATING, WHICH PRODUCED MANY, MANY CHAMPIONS. I THINK HE WAS A GOOD ROLE MODEL FOR OUR KIDS HERE, LOVED YOUNG KIDS, BUT HE WAS ALSO A FIRM DISCIPLINARIAN IN NOT IN A PUNISHMENT WAY BY ANY MEANS, BUT IN BOUNDARIES AND TRAINING. AND HE MADE THE KIDS KEEP TO THE PROPER STANDARDS VERY MUCH IN A RUSSIAN METHOD, WHICH, YOU KNOW, RUSSIAN METHOD CAN BE ARGUED, PRODUCES MORE CHAMPIONS BECAUSE IT IS SO STRICT. GREAT FOLKS, GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR. JENNA. THE WOMEN IN OUR PRAYER TEAM ARE INCREDIBLY TOUGH. THEY HAVE TO LOOK, YOU KNOW, LIKE THEY鈥橰E MAKING IT EASY. THEY鈥橰E GETTING CHUCKED THROUGH THE AIR. THEY鈥橰E GETTING TOSSED UP IN THE AIR, AND THEIR JOB IS TO LAND ON ONE FOOT, MAKE IT LOOK EASY, ALWAYS BE PRETTY, BUT THEY ARE TOUGH. AND JENNA WAS INCREDIBLY RESILIENT. AND I THINK JUST A FABULOUS ADDITION TO THIS COMMUNITY. YOU COULDN鈥橳 SEE JENNA AND NOT JUST BREAK INTO A SMILE. HAD THEY KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE THEY WERE CHILDREN? I THINK SO, YES. TRAINING TOGETHER. BUT I THINK THEIR ROMANCE CAME LATER IN LIFE. HOW DID THEY END UP HERE AND WHY DID THEY END UP HERE? THEY WERE IN A TRAINING CAMP IN CONNECTICUT AND WE SOUGHT THEM OUT TO BUILD THE COACHING IN OUR OWN PROGRAM. THAT WAS A DELIBERATE MOVE. SO WE SORT OF STOLE THEM FROM CONNECTICUT. HOW TOUGH WAS IT TO CONVINCE THEM TO MOVE HERE? IT WASN鈥橳 IMPOSSIBLE. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE WE MADE IT WORK FOR THEM. WE MADE IT WORK FOR THEM. AND THEY鈥橵E JUST I HAVE NO REGRETS. I鈥橫 JUST GOING TO MISS THEM TERRIBLY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU EVERYBODY. YEAH. YOU鈥橵E JUST BEEN LISTENING TO AN INCREDIBLY HEARTBREAKING UPDATE FROM HERE IN NORWOOD FROM THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON, WHICH HAS LOST SIX MEMBERS OF THEIR WHAT IS CALLED A TIGHT KNIT U.S. FIGURE SKATING COMMUNITY. THOSE SIX MEMBERS WERE ON BOARD THE FLIGHT. THE AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT THAT CRASHED MID-AIR WITH A BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER JUST OUTSIDE WASHINGTON, DC, AS IT WAS ON APPROACH TO REAGAN AIRPORT. IT WAS COMING BACK FROM WICHITA WHERE YOU JUST HEARD THE CEO THERE OF THE SKATING CLUB IN BOSTON SAY THAT THEY WERE IN WICHITA FOR A COMBINATION OF DEVELOPMENT CAMPS AS WELL AS SKATING COMPETITIONS. THE SIX MEMBERS OF THE CLUB INCLUDE TWO SKATERS, SPENCER LANE, AS WELL AS JENNA HOAR, ALONG WITH THEIR MOTHERS AND THEIR TWO COACHES, VADIM NAUMOV AND ZHENYA SHISHKOVA. A MARRIED COUPLE. THEY ALSO HAVE A SON WHO IS A SKATER, AND THE CEO THERE OF THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON, SAYING THAT THEIR SON WAS ACTUALLY ALSO WITH THEM IN WICHITA, KANSAS FOR A SKATING COMPETITION, BUT HE HAD FINISHED EARLY. HE HAD DONE A SEPARATE EVENT FROM HIS PARENTS, AND HE HAD ACTUALLY CAUGHT A DIFFERENT FLIGHT HOME. BOTH THE SON OF THE COACHES, AS WELL AS THE FATHERS OF THE TWO TEENAGERS WHO WERE KILLED IN THAT CRASH, THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY TO WASHINGTON, D.C. RIGHT NOW TO RECEIVE UPDATES. SO ONCE AGAIN, THAT TRAGIC UPDATE COMING TO US FROM THE SKATING CLUB OF BOSTON IN NORWOOD, ALSO A VERY TRAGIC SENSE OF DEJA VU FOR THAT SKATING CLUB AS THEY LOST SEVERAL SKATERS IN A PLANE CRASH TO NATIONAL TO INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PRAGUE. THAT WAS BACK IN 1961. SO OF COURSE, THIS IS A TRAGEDY THEY鈥橵E DEALT WITH BEFORE AND SADLY, A TRAGEDY THEY ARE DEALING WITH ONCE AGAIN. WE ARE CONTINUING TO UPDATE YOU ON THIS PLANE CRASH, THIS MIDAIR PLANE CRASH. WE鈥橰E GOING TO HAVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE MORNING AND WE WILL BREAK INTO PROGRAMING AS WARRANTED. WE WILL ALSO HAVE THE VERY LATEST FOR YOU COMING UP TODAY ON NEWS CENTER FIVE AT NOON. FOR NO
World champion Russian skaters on American Airlines jet built a new life as coaches in the US
Updated: 2:21 PM CST Jan 30, 2025
The two Russian figure skating coaches killed in the American Airlines crash were two-time Olympians and former world champions in the pairs event.They were also a married couple with a son who finished fourth last week at the U.S. national championships in Wichita, Kansas. Their son was not on the same flight.Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov won a world championship title together in pairs skating in 1994 and narrowly missed out on Olympic medals that year at the Lillehammer Games before moving to the U.S. and coaching generations of young skaters in New England.After their son Maxim Naumov skated at the national championships, the 52-year-old Shishkova and her 55-year-old husband stayed in Wichita for a development camp for some of the most promising young skaters in the country.On Wednesday night, the American Airlines jet they were on collided with an Army helicopter near Washington and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River. There were 60 passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines flight and three soldiers aboard the Blackhawk helicopter. The hope of rescuing any survivors evaporated by daybreak.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Thursday morning that the pair had been on board the plane, and the Skating Club of Boston, where they coached, said Shishkova and Naumov had been killed."We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash," Peskov said.Two teenage figure skaters and their mothers who were affiliated with the Boston club were also on the flight.Lyudmila Velikova, the former coach of Shishkova and Naumov, told Russian state news agency Tass she had been in touch with Shishkova and Naumov regularly and that they had spoken shortly before last week's event in Kansas."Everything was going well for them. They traveled to the main competitions in America and they had very good, worthy students," Velikova said. "Many people wanted to work with them."Shishkova and Naumov started skating together in the 1980s in the Soviet Union and were two-time Olympians, but the peak of their career came in 1994 when they won a world championship gold medal together in Chiba, Japan. It was just over a month after they had narrowly missed out on medals at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.Shishkova and Naumov were among many Russian skaters who sought a new life as coaches in the U.S. following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Their profiles on the Skating Club of Boston website stated that each had qualified as sports instructors in St. Petersburg, Russia, and that each had at least 20 years of coaching experience. They had also coached at the International Skating Center of Connecticut.One of their top students was their own son, who won the U.S. junior men's title in 2020. He was named last week on the U.S. team to compete at next month's Four Continents Championships in South Korea and as an alternate for the world championships in Boston in March.The Russian Skating Federation issued a statement of condolences Thursday."The Russian Figure Skating Federation, Russian skaters, coaches, judges and experts are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy which has occurred in Washington," the federation said in a statement. "All of us express our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have died, and also to the U.S. Figure Skating Association, which has lost talented junior athletes and qualified coaches in this air disaster. Some of them were our compatriots and had made a significant contribution to (Russian) figure skating."
TALLINN, Estonia — The two Russian figure skating coaches killed in the American Airlines crash were two-time Olympians and former world champions in the pairs event.
They were also a married couple with a son who finished fourth last week at the U.S. national championships in Wichita, Kansas. Their son was not on the same flight.
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov won a world championship title together in pairs skating in 1994 and narrowly missed out on Olympic medals that year at the Lillehammer Games before moving to the U.S. and coaching generations of young skaters in New England.
After their son Maxim Naumov skated at the national championships, the 52-year-old Shishkova and her 55-year-old husband stayed in Wichita for a development camp for some of the most promising young skaters in the country.
On Wednesday night, the American Airlines jet they were on collided with an Army helicopter near Washington and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River. There were 60 passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines flight and three soldiers aboard the Blackhawk helicopter. The hope of rescuing any survivors evaporated by daybreak.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Thursday morning that the pair had been on board the plane, and the Skating Club of Boston, where they coached, said Shishkova and Naumov had been killed.
Chris Cole
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov of Russia perform their pairs free skating routine during the World Figure Skating Championships at the national indoor arena in Birmingham, England on March 8, 1995. (Allsport)
"We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash," Peskov said.
Two teenage figure skaters and their mothers who were affiliated with the Boston club were also on the flight.
Lyudmila Velikova, the former coach of Shishkova and Naumov, told Russian state news agency Tass she had been in touch with Shishkova and Naumov regularly and that they had spoken shortly before last week's event in Kansas.
"Everything was going well for them. They traveled to the main competitions in America and they had very good, worthy students," Velikova said. "Many people wanted to work with them."
Shishkova and Naumov started skating together in the 1980s in the Soviet Union and were two-time Olympians, but the peak of their career came in 1994 when they won a world championship gold medal together in Chiba, Japan. It was just over a month after they had narrowly missed out on medals at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.
Shishkova and Naumov were among many Russian skaters who sought a new life as coaches in the U.S. following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Their profiles on the Skating Club of Boston website stated that each had qualified as sports instructors in St. Petersburg, Russia, and that each had at least 20 years of coaching experience. They had also coached at the International Skating Center of Connecticut.
One of their top students was their own son, who won the U.S. junior men's title in 2020. He was named last week on the U.S. team to compete at next month's Four Continents Championships in South Korea and as an alternate for the world championships in Boston in March.
The Russian Skating Federation issued a statement of condolences Thursday.
"The Russian Figure Skating Federation, Russian skaters, coaches, judges and experts are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy which has occurred in Washington," the federation said in a statement. "All of us express our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have died, and also to the U.S. Figure Skating Association, which has lost talented junior athletes and qualified coaches in this air disaster. Some of them were our compatriots and had made a significant contribution to (Russian) figure skating."