WASHINGTON, DC — A star-studded cast of figure skaters took to the ice in Washington on Sunday, paying tribute to those lost in the collision near Ronald Reagan National Airport in January. Just over a month after the crash claimed the lives of 67 people, including 28 members of the skating community, the “Legacy on Ice” event at Capital One Arena both honored the lives of the victims and raised money for those affected.
Olympic champions Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi served as hosts as they welcomed both current and former greats of the sport. Figure skating legends Nancy Kerrigan, Scott Hamilton, and Peggy Fleming all spoke at the event, which included performances from reigning world champion and Northern VA native Ilia Malinin, three-time US champion Johnny Weir, 2014 Olympic bronze medalist Jason Brown, and many more.
A day after both the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning wore decals in honor of those lost in the crash, several Capitals players were in attendance at the tribute, with captain Alex Ovechkin joining skaters on the ice for a group photo at the conclusion of the event.
“Sports can play this convening and healing role,” Caps owner Ted Leonsis said, per the Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno. “Our goal is to allow the community to heal, kind of a collective hug for these communities, but then we want to raise a lot of money.”
MedStar Capitals Iceplex, the Capitals’ practice facility, was the home rink for several skaters lost in January. In the hours and days after the crash, mourners erected a tribute at the rink honoring those lost, which still remains as of late February.
Although Sunday’s tribute featured some of American figure skating’s most decorated athletes, two of the most memorable performances came not from a household name but from 13-year-old Isabella Aparicio, and 23-year-old Maxim Naumov, who both had family members aboard Flight 5342.
Aparicio skated in honor of her father, Luciano, and brother, Franco, as a rendition of “Canon in D” — captured by Luciano before his death — accompanied her program. At points in the recording, young children could be heard speaking in the background as Luciano played. Aparicio was in tears as she completed her performance, crumpling to the ice before bowing to the crowd as they gave her a standing ovation.
Naumov, too, picked music with a personal connection as he paid tribute to his parents, coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, skating to a song from Belarusian composer Igor Kornelyuk.
“When thinking about what to skate to tonight, their son Max didn’t have to spend much time” recounted Paul Wylie, who won an Olympic silver medal in 1992. “He said, ‘I want to skate to this song. And why? Because whenever they heard it, they would jump up and slow dance together because it had such a deep emotional connection for them.'”
Naumov, visibly emotional throughout his performance, also wept after finishing his program. As the crowd cheered him on, he remained on his knees for more than a minute, tears streaming down his face and shoulders shaking.
Eventually, several of Naumov’s teammates joined him on the ice for a group routine. They surrounded the still-kneeling Naumov at center ice as the strains of music started to float back in. Then, as every figure skater has done hundreds of times, Naumov stood up and began to skate again.
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