BRENTWOOD, Mo. – Hearts were heavy Thursday night across the figure skating community.
Coaches and skaters with the St. Louis Skating Club held a practice at the Brentwood Ice Rink Thursday night, where we learned multiple coaches and skaters competed and interacted with several victims from Wednesday’s deadly plane collision near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
The plane was headed to D.C. from Wichita, Kansas, where the U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held over the weekend. The tournament is set to be hosted here in St. Louis next year.
The St. Louis Sports Commission sent the following statement regarding the tragic incident, which was attributed to the commission’s president, Marc Schreiber:
“Like so many, we are saddened by the tragic incident that occurred in Washington, D.C., last night, and we are heartbroken over the loss being felt by U.S. Figure Skating, the global skating community, and all who have been impacted. For the Sports Commission, this hits close to home with our ties to the sport and having been in Wichita for this year’s Championships. It is very upsetting, and our hearts and thoughts are with our colleagues at U.S. Figure Skating and everyone affected by this awful tragedy.”