[ad_1]
Photo by Melanie Heaney
Editor’s observe: The Legacy on Ice profit raised $1.2 million to be distributed equally between U.S. Figure Skating Family Support Fund, Greater Washington Community Foundation’s “DCA Together Relief Fund” and DC Fire & EMS Foundation. On March 30 at 1pm, it will likely be broadcast on NBC. An on-line public sale will stay open by April 3.
It was an emotional afternoon on Sunday, March 2 because the determine skating neighborhood, together with Washington, D.C. first responders, got here collectively to honor and bear in mind the 67 individuals, together with 28 members of the determine skating neighborhood, killed within the crash of American Airlines Flight 5342 on January 29. The present’s hosts, Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi, welcomed the near-sellout crowd, noting that “while it is important to mourn the lost lives, it is also important to celebrate them” and the impression that they had.
With every heartfelt efficiency, the skaters shared each grief and resilience with the viewers within the area and people watching on-line around the globe. Joining the skaters on the ice was an array of previous champions – Nancy Kerrigan, Paul Wylie, Scott Hamilton, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Richard Dwyer, Peggy Fleming, Michael Weiss, Johnny Weir and Nathan Chen assisted Boitano and Yamaguchi with tributes and skater introductions.
Among the notably shifting performances was Junior skater Sofia Bezkorovainaya’s swish skate to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” To honor her coach Inna Volyanskaya and coaching mates Everly Livingston and Franco Aparicio, and their households, Sofia wore the identical gown worn by Everly this season. Following her solo, Sofia was joined by Washington FSC clubmates in a bunch quantity to “You’ll Be in My Heart,” ending with Sofia holding a bouquet of flowers upward, in reminiscence of their coach and buddies.
Newly-minted Four Continents bronze medalist Jimmy Ma gave an emotional efficiency to “I’ll Fly Away,” the music Jinna Han, one of many 4 Skating Club of Boston members misplaced within the crash, skated to this season. Fellow SCOB members and U.S. pairs champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov instantly adopted Ma with a lyrical skate to “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” that had the viewers spellbound.
But the most important emotional moments got here from Max Naumov and Isabella Aparicio. Max, U.S. pewter medalist, selected to honor his dad and mom and coaches, 1994 world pairs champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadym Naumov, with a strong program to their favourite tune, “The City That Doesn’t Exist.” In his introduction, Wylie defined that at any time when the tune could be performed, Evgenia and Vadym would “jump up and slow dance together because it had such a deep emotional connection for them.” There was not a dry eye within the area as Max poured his feelings into his skating, ending on his knees wanting up towards the sky with tears in his eyes.
Franco Aparicio’s sister, Isabella, summoned unimaginable braveness to skate a shifting tribute to her father and brother. Skating to a recording of her father taking part in Pachelbel’s “Canon in D”, Isabella gave a swish efficiency whereas preventing again tears. Most within the viewers additionally had tears of their eyes as they gave her a standing ovation.
Johnny Weir’s “Memory”, in tribute to the University of Delaware FSC members – coach Sasha Kirsanov and ice dancers Sean Kay and Angela Yang and their moms – misplaced within the crash, and Ilia Kulik’s “Gabriel’s Oboe” tribute to his pupil Olivia Eve Ter of the Ion FSC, showcased their stunning skating. Sarah Everhardt’s refined program to “I’ll Take Care of You” by Beth Hart, skated in tribute to the Skating Club of Northern Virginia members misplaced within the crash – Brielle Beyer and her mom, Edward Zhou and his dad and mom, and Cory Haynos and his dad and mom – confirmed a powerful connection to the music. She ought to contemplate this style of music for a aggressive program.
Other skating highlights included Amber Glenn’s lyrical and highly effective skating to “Rise Up”, Jason Brown’s present model of “Impossible Dream”, Andrew Torgashev’s quick program to “L’Enfer” by Stromae, Alysa Liu’s “Hero” (in tribute to the primary responders), Camden Pulkinen’s “On the Nature of Daylight”, Madison Chock and Evan Bates’ “Once I Was Loved” and Ilia Malinin’s “Hope”. Group numbers “Halo”, a re-creation of Yebin Mok’s choreography class at this 12 months’s National Development Camp (NDC) and ending with a trio skate of Ashley Cain, Gracie Gold and Mok, “Imagine”, and Capital Theater on Ice’s tribute to their teammates Everly and Alydia Livingston to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and “Flying” by Cody Fry had been additionally deeply shifting.
From the present’s first notes to the finale to Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” that ended with the forged holding fingers in a coronary heart, the underlying theme was of unity and shared energy. Moments and gestures interspersed all through the present – Naumov encircled by Ma, Efimova and Mitrofanov as they raised a candle collectively, a second of silence with viewers members holding up their telephones with flashlights on, the acknowledgment and applause for the a whole bunch of first responders on the crash scene – emphasised that nobody grieves alone and people misplaced won’t ever be forgotten.
And there was additionally resilience. In a short video previous the “Halo” quantity, Kevin Coppola, director of this 12 months’s NDC, affirmed, “The 2025 National Development Team will forever have 151 members in our hearts and we will keep gliding for you.”