By james art 
The victims of the American Airlines plane crash on Wednesday at Reagan National Airport included a group of elite figures, their coaches and family members. They flew to the east coast after a training camp after the US Figure Skill Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
It is a tragedy that has sent shock waves throughout the ice skating community around the world.
The victims included skaters from North Virginia, Delaware, Philadelphia and Boston. The tragic loss also included two highly valued Russian figure skating coaches, as well as two teenage figure skaters and their mothers.
Watch the previous coverage: Nancy Kerigan grieves after learning figure skaters were among those killed in a plane crash
“Tragic Event”: Nancy Kerigan grieves after learning the figures were among those killed in a plane crash
In the cooled lakes sports complex in Chesapik, the members gathered to talk and slide.
“I saw a few of these coaches two months ago at a Boston race,” says Jill Stewart, director of skating at Tidewater Figure Club. “I don’t know them well, but I watched their athletes skate.”
Stewart noted that the news personally affected some of her skaters, including an inspiring young man. “He is friends with many children who died on the plane … So it’s just incredibly tragic,” she explained.
Watch Previous Coverage: 28 bodies restored by a helicopter and plane crash are no expected survivors
Complete press conference: 28 bodies restored by helicopter and plane crash are not expected survivors
These athletes dedicate countless hours to their sport. As Stewart betrayed, “it’s a very passionate sport. Unlike many other sports that are seasonal, figure skating is not the case. It’s like gymnastics. You train all year long. “She added that Hampton Rhodes has a” incredible figure skating community “that will remain united at this difficult time.
This incident is not the first to affect the figure skating community. In 1961, a flight, bearing all 18 members of the American Figure Skating of the World Cup skating team, crashed near Brussels, killing everyone aboard.
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