I want to thank everyone at Temple Beth Elohim for the compassion and care they showed to the Skating Club of Boston community who are mourning the loss of six members who died in the January 29 plane crash in Washington, D.C. Two individuals who died were long-time coaches at the Club, two were young, talented skaters who had just participated in the National Development Camp in Wichita, KS, and two were the skaters’ mothers. I delivered the snacks and card from TBE to the Skating Club of Boston in the aftermath of the crash. The snacks were placed in the coaches’ room, and they were very appreciative of TBE’s thoughtfulness (see photo gallery below).

I grieve alongside my skating family. I started skating at a young age and joined the Skating Club of Boston as a competitive skater in the early 1980s and I have been a member ever since, representing the Club on the national stage. After graduating college and entering the workforce, I started judging ice skating to stay connected to the sport I had been devoted to in my youth. Rising through the judging ranks, I judged my first national championships in 1998. Every few years (we rotate judging regionally, sectionally, and nationally in the U.S.), I have the honor of judging the national championships. I had just returned from seven days of judging the U.S. Figure Skating National Championships in Wichita. I had seen the coaches at the rink that week during the competition in Wichita, and I had recently judged the skaters who perished at local competitions.

Lutz. Salchow. Axel. Bracket. Rocker. Counter. Patch. Scribe. Loops. Short Program. Free Skate. SCOB. This lingo is skater language. In the skating world, we have our own extensive vocabulary. The words flow from our mouths with ease. We speak in our own tongue, which is one of the most beautiful things that ties the skating family together. It’s that acknowledgment that we each know what it is like to get up in the dark and head to the rink to train. We share a passion and a love for a sport that combines athleticism and artistry. The glide on the ice awakens our spirit and provides freedom and abandon to explore and create. We stay for long hours in cold rinks. Skaters hurl themselves into the air, landing on a blade of steel less than an inch in width. We appreciate the coaching, music, choreography, costumes, family, and friends, i.e., the entire team that goes into an achievement or performance. Yet, we often stand alone on center ice to compete.

My primary coach was the late Paul McGrath. Growing up, I spent more time in the rink with him each day than almost anyone else. He was a key figure in my formative years, and I still hear his daily lessons and critiques. This recent tragedy is the second plane crash to impact the Skating Club of Boston. Paul coached me in the aftermath of the 1961 plane crash that killed the entire U.S. Figure Skating team headed to the World Championships. His coach, Maribel Vinson-Owen, was among those killed in Brussels. She was the ghost that taught me as her legacy lived on in Paul.

As figure skaters, we are trained to get up after each of the many, sometimes painful, falls we take. As a skating community, we are rising and coming together to help honor the 28 members of our skating family who were taken tragically taken on January 29. If you would like to support the loved ones affected by this unimaginable tragedy, please visit www.usfigureskatingsupport.org.

Thank you again for your kindness and compassion.