Figure skaters from across the U.S. unite in Wilmette for heartwarming tribute show

The Flight 5342 Memorial Skating Performance at Wilmette Ice Skating Rink honoring the victims who died in the Jan. 29 plane crash was unlike a traditional skating performance. It offered a chance for the skating community to grieve and heal together. 

Many who skated in the event on March 8 at Centennial Ice Rinks in Wilmette were friends of those who died in the tragedy. Some participants were even with the victims just days before their passing. 

“People in this show lost their best friends and their coaches. So it’s very close to home for this group in particular,” said Amy Russell, of Wilmette, a competitive figure skater who helped organize the event. 

All 64 people aboard a commercial airliner died on Jan. 29, when the plane collided with a U.S. Army helicopter over Washington, D.C. Eleven figure skaters (age 11-16), 13 parents and four coaches — returning from a national development camp in Kansas — were among the deceased.

The memorial event in Wilmette — put on by the DuPage Figure Skating Club — was a fundraiser with proceeds to be equally divided among the families of the skating victims. Russell said that the event raised almost $35,000, with about 700 attendees at the show. 

The athletes performing represented skating clubs across the Midwest, including The DuPage Figure Skating Club, Skokie Valley Skating Club, Wagon Wheel Figure Skating Club, Skating Club of Novi, Chicago Figure Skating Club, Oklahoma City Figure Skating Club, Northern Ice Skating Club and Scott Hamilton Skating Club.

Russell said those performing were the “cream of the crop,” with skaters who qualified for national championships and participated in national development camps.

Brooke Gewalt, a Chicagoland resident and 20-year-old figure skater for Team USA, said she was eager to honor the athletes who died on Jan. 29. 

“For myself and a lot of the other skaters in the benefit, it wasn’t about who had the best jumps or the hardest technical content. It was about skating with our heart and doing it for our friends that we lost,” said Gewalt, who added that she skated with Jan. 29 victim Sean Kay at the Crystal Ice House skating rink for years, and was at an event with multiple Jan. 29 victims days prior to the crash. 

“I think it really touched close to home just to see each other again and know that the people that were skating at the memorial were OK, and it could have been any of us,” Gewalt said.

Attendees cried, smiled and cheered throughout the event, cheering louder in support if a skater fell or got emotional during their routine. 

Marlo Rosen, a 16-year-old competitive skater for Team USA, said that at the final group bow, the skaters received a standing ovation. 

“The skating community is a super tight-knit community and everyone’s super supportive of each other,” he said, adding that he was close with victims Eddie Zhou and Spencer Lane.

Jiaying Ellyse Johnson, a 14-year-old Team USA figure skater, said she knew almost everyone on the plane. 

“We stay very connected through social media, even if we live in different parts. And because of the constant competitions happening throughout the season, usually we meet up with the people at those events,” Johnson said. “It was definitely a really sad show, and everyone was grieving. But I’m really grateful that everyone came together and it helped me realize everyone is in this together and that you’re not alone.”

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