Boston – It is impossible to understand what Doug Lane felt in the seconds before taking the microphone Wednesday, before the start of the World Figure Skating Championships.
At one point, the crowd of TD Garden and the skating community would look at him to say something moving. Not only to remember his wife Christine and his son SpencerWHO died at the fall of the Washington DC plane who killed 28 members of the Figure Skating Community, But being the face and voice of those bad people when they met on the larger Olympic stage in the sport.
Lane followed a video tribute and emphasized by the governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healy and the mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, as well as Sam Auxier, the President of the Skating of North Figures -Americans and Jae Youul Kim, the President of the International Skating Union.
Few things define greatness in the figure skating more than strength and grace under intense pressure and scrutiny. Lane’s son, Spencer, a 16 -year -old young man with a promising future skating, showed him on the ice. While talking to the crowd and all those who still cry, Doug Lane, a cybersecurity marketing consultant, embodied these shots.
“They have not invented the vocabulary to explain the penalty that we all feel, so I thought I would use my time to share some thoughts of hope today,” began Lane.
It shows a memory of Jinna Han, who died at the fall of the American Airlines plane in January, in which 28 people associated with the Figure Skating Community were killed at the national championship championship championship championship championships, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupe)Ap
He asked the community to think not only of the one who had been lost, but also cared for the athletes who are still here.
“I hope we can support them and their journeys of skating and paths to happiness outside the ice,” he said. “They are hurting.”
He encouraged listeners to support killings in the fall that did not have the skating community in the figure to cry too.
“It expands love and support for people beyond the skating community that have been affected,” he said. “People like Christopher Collins, a business man, adventurer and dog compassioner from the north road of Dighton, Massachusetts.”
He thanked the first who responded to the scarce scene and then challenged elected officials to use the tragedy as impetus to improve aerial travel safety.
“Some accidents were inevitable. This was not,” he said.
The 28 members of the skating community, including Six connected to the Boston Figure Skating ClubThey were among the 67 people who died in the accident. Both his absence and the spirit felt Wednesday when his memory filled the building.
While waiting for the wardrobe, seeing the tribute to the screen, Gabriella Izzo of Austria fought tears while she and her partner Luc Maierhofer prepared to start the short program on the first night of competition.
The challenge of being first after the Memorial would have been difficult for anyone, but Izzo lives with Max Naumov, a North -American skater whose parents were coaches of the skating club in the figure of Boston and died on the flight. Wednesday was in the crowd and wished Izzo long before he took the ice.
“It’s hard to put emotions into words,” he said. “We appreciate everything much more. The way the Boston skating club met is the personification of what we want our sport to be.”
Shortly afterwards, when the North -Americans Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitofanov finished their routines, they took pictures of some of the victims of the plane as a memory gesture.
“They have played a great role in being here today, all their support and love every day,” said Efimova. “I feel that the impact they have had on the very short time we have known is huge.”
Danny O’Shea, who was part of the second North team -American to compete, said he was expecting to skate in his memories.
“It was a terrible tragedy. You will never go over,” he said. “We will take it with us through all the performances, probably for the rest of our careers.”