The young figure skaters whose lives were cut tragically short Wednesday night when an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River were just beginning their journeys to stardom.
They were learning how to perfect toe loops and axels, sit spins and step sequences. They had just been to a development camp after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where they had been learning how to skate with grace and flair.
Some, like Spencer Lane, had built substantial followings on social media, giving their fans an inside look at the life of an aspiring Olympian. Others, like Jinna Han, dazzled even experienced figure skaters with her preternatural ability.
“We’re such a tight-knit community — the skating community — that, you know, everybody knows each other in some way or another, or connected in some way,” said Melissa Gregory, a former Olympic ice dancer with her …