14 from figure skating community killed in plane crash, six of them from Boston club

NORWOOD, Mass. (AP) — Two teenage figure skaters, their mothers, and two former world champions who were coaching at a historic Boston club were among the 14 members of the skating community killed when an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.

Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe said Thursday that skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane and their mothers were among those killed, along with 1994 pairs world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov of Russia.

In all, 14 of the victims were coming back from a national development camp for promising young skaters following the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kansas, Zeghibe said. Clubs in Philadelphia and the Washington area also expressed condolences for members of their community.

“We came here because we needed to be together,” 1956 Olympic champion Tenley Albright said while standing in a rink outside Boston that is named for her. “We’re family, and it’s a community and the skaters — the people who were on that plane — they’re our family, too.

“I certainly don’t have any answers. I really can’t believe that it happened, because I picture them right here,” Albright said, breaking into tears. “It’s just terrible, and it’s sad. And we just feel we need to be together. And that’s why you see so many hugs today.”

The Kremlin also confirmed that Shishkova and Naumov were aboard. Among their students was their 23-year-old son, Maxim, a former U.S. junior champion who has finished fourth at senior nationals the past three years and narrowly missed the podium again on Sunday while his parents watched at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita.

Maxim Naumov flew home Monday. “He had no reason to stay at the national development camp,” Zeghibe said.

“Both of his parents were with him while he was competing. It’s well-known Mom was always too nervous to watch him skate," the club official said, pausing to contain his emotions. “But his dad was with him, and Dad was in the ‘kiss-and-cry’ sharing his great performance.”

Sixty passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines plane and three soldiers aboard a training flight on the Black Hawk helicopter are presumed dead after the collision in Washington on Wednesday night. There was no immediate cause identified, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.

Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly said officials do not believe anyone survived.

“We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.

“Figure skating is more than a sport — it’s a close-knit family — and we stand together.”

One of the most prestigious training grounds in figure skating, the Skating Club of Boston produced Olympic and world champions Dick Button — who died Thursday at age 95 — and Albright, Olympic medalists Nancy Kerrigan and Paul Wylie and scores of U.S. champions — including Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, who won the pairs in Wichita last week. The club, which is getting ready to host this spring's world championships, sent 18 skaters to nationals in all.

The U.S. Figure Skating and Massachusetts flags were lowered to half-staff outside the century-old club's newly built rink on Thursday. Flower deliveries arrived at the reception desk, while visitors were greeted with long and tearful hugs.

“We’ve been through tragedies before — as Americans, as people — and we are strong. And I guess it’s how we respond to it," said Kerrigan, a two-time Olympic medalist and Skating Club of Boston alum. “And so my response is to be with people I care about, I love and need. I needed support, so that’s why I’m here.”

On the club’s two practice rinks, young skaters practiced their routines in silence.

“Skaters are resilient, and they want to skate,” Zeghibe said. “I think also they come to the club and will come to the club as an opportunity to come together and to grieve together.”

A table that had been filled with messages wishing all of the skaters luck in Wichita was replaced midday by one with framed pictures of Lane, Han and the coaches. In front of the photos were lit candles; behind them, six white roses stood in six simple vases.

“I’m heartbroken by the tragic loss of my fellow skaters in this devastating accident,” said reigning world champion Ilia Malinin, who won his third consecutive national title in Wichita. “The figure skating community is a family, and this loss is beyond words.”

Lane, 16, was a sectionals champion who had become popular among the skating community on social media, where he has thousands of TikTok followers. On Wednesday, he posted a video showing him doing a triple toe loop to wrap up the development camp.

“I am so happy to have qualified for national development camp,” Lane said in an Instagram post Wednesday. “It has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing. I learned so much new information that I can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people.”

He later posted a photo of him aboard the plane just before it departed from Wichita.

Lane’s father said Spencer had an infectious personality.

“In his home club in Boston, he was just loved by everyone from the adults running the club to the smallest skaters to the people that are competing for a shot at the Olympics,” Douglas Lane told WPRI in Providence, Rhode Island. “They just adored him.”

Naumov and Shishkova moved to the U.S. and became coaches, first at the International Skating Center of Connecticut and since 2017 at the Boston club that has trained world-class skaters since 1912. They competed together in pairs events at two Olympics, in 1992 and 1994.

"We were at the Olympics together. But in '94, I was kind of busy myself and sort of separated from a lot of what was going on,” said Kerrigan, whose attack by cronies of rival Tonya Harding dominated the news at the Lillehammer Games.

“Everything you've heard about them being a little tough — but with a smile on their face,” she said. “To walk in here and not see that would be very strange for everybody that comes here, especially those that are here day in and day out. And it’s it’s going to be hard.”

Han was only 13, but already showing Olympic potential, Zeghibe said.

“We watched Jinna just grow up here, from just a tiny little tyke into this amazingly mature 13 year old,” Zeghibe said. “A great performer, a great competitor. And off the ice, a great kid — as we would say ‘raised right.’”

For the Boston club, the accident was an eerie reminder of a 1961 plane crash that killed the entire U.S. delegation en route to the world championships in Prague. The world championships were canceled that year out of respect for the American team.

Albright said she would have gone to Europe to cheer the team on if she hadn't been in medical school at the time. She lost her coach and 22 friends on that flight.

“The day the music stopped, very much like this,” said former USOC vice president Paul George, who was the American pairs champion the following year. “It took time, but we came back — I think stronger, better.”

The club will proceed with plans to host the world championships at the TD Garden in Boston from March 25-30. Zeghibe said the plans are to have a “super, amazing event.”

“We’re pretty busy and we can’t take a break," he said. "We need to keep moving.”

The European championships are taking place this week in Tallinn, Estonia. They continued Thursday as scheduled and there was a moment of silence during the competition for the victims.

“Today, the world of figure skating is heartbroken," International Skating Union President Jae Youl Kim said. "We share our deepest, most sincere condolences with the families and friends of all those who lost their lives in this terrible crash. To lose so many members of our community in this way brings sadness beyond words.”

Skretta reported from Kansas City, Missouri.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

American figure skaters, from the left, Alisa Efimova, Misha Mitrofanov, and Jimmy Ma, speak to members of the media at the The Skating Club of Boston, where several athletes, coaches and family associated with the club are believed to have perished in the collision of a passenger aircraft and military helicopter in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Former Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan tries to hold back her emotions while addressing the media at The Skating Club of Boston, where six members of the club's community, including athletes, coaches and family, were killed in an airplane collision with a helicopter on Wednesday in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Former Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan, right, walks with fellow Olympic skater Tenley Albright, at The Skating Club of Boston, where six members of the club's community, including athletes, coaches and family, were killed in an airplane collision with a helicopter on Wednesday in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Former Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan, center, embraces fellow former Olympic skater Tenley Albright, right, and former National Champion skater Paul George at The Skating Club of Boston, where six members of the club's community, including athletes, coaches and family, were killed in an airplane collision with a helicopter on Wednesday in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Former Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan pauses while addressing the media at The Skating Club of Boston, The Skating Club of Boston, where six members of the club's community, including athletes, coaches and family, were killed in an airplane collision with a helicopter on Wednesday in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Two members of The Skating Club of Boston community embrace as flowers with condolences are delivered at the club, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Spectators observe a moment of silence for the DC aircraft crash victims, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Spectators observe a moment of silence for the DC aircraft crash victims, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Former Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan, right, is embraced while arriving at The Skating Club of Boston with fellow Olympic skater Tenley Albright, left, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Six white roses and photographs of victims are displayed at The Skating Club of Boston, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A woman brings flowers to The Skating Club of Boston, where six athletes, coaches and family associated with the club are believed to have perished in the collision of a passenger aircraft and military helicopter in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Women embrace in the reception area of The Skating Club of Boston, where six athletes, coaches and family associated with the club are believed to have perished in the collision of a passenger aircraft and military helicopter in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Journalists photograph a memorial to local skaters killed in a 1961 plane crash at The Skating Club of Boston, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

People associated with The Skating Club of Boston console each other, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

A skater checks her phone at The Skating Club of Boston, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Doug Zeghibe, CEO and Executive Director of The Skating Club of Boston, pauses while announcing that six athletes, coaches and family are believed to have perished in the collision of a passenger aircraft and military helicopter in Washington, at the club's figure skating rink, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly, speaks during a news conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday morning, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

An American Airlines plane is parked at a gate at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Search and rescue efforts are seen around a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, early Thursday morning, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Photographs of aircraft crash victims from The Skating Club of Boston rink are displayed rink side, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. From left is skater Jinna Han, skater Spencer Lane and coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The Golden Globes bill themselves as Hollywood’s booziest bash. This year, is anyone ready to party?

Political tension and industrywide uncertainty are the prevailing moods heading into Sunday night's 83rd Golden Globes. Hollywood is coming off a disappointing box-office year and now anxiously awaits the fate of one of its most storied studios, Warner Bros.

A celebratory mood might be even more elusive given that the wide majority of the performers and filmmakers congregating at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, oppose the policies of President Donald Trump. Likely to be on the minds of many attendees: the recent U.S. involvement in Venezuela and the fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother Renee Good in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But through their ups and downs, the Globes have always tried to put pomp over politics. Host Nikki Glaser has vowed as much.

“You’d be surprised that half the room had no clue why I was saying ‘Venezuela,’” Glaser told The Associated Press earlier in the week, referring to her comedy-club warm-ups. “People aren’t getting the news like we all are.”

Glaser, a comic known for her roast appearances, has promised to go after A-listers in her second time hosting.

“We’re going to hit Leo,” Glaser said. “The icebergs are coming.”

Here’s what to look for at this year’s Globes:

The Golden Globes kick off at 8 p.m. EST on CBS while streaming live for Paramount+ premium subscribers. E!’s red carpet coverage begins at 6 p.m. EST.

The Associated Press will be have a livestream show beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern with a mix of stars' arrivals, fashion shots and celebrity interviews. It will be available on YouTube and APNews.

The overwhelming Oscar favorite “One Battle After Another” comes in with a leading nine nominations. It’s competing in the Globes’ musical or comedy category, which means the drama side might be more competitive. There, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” are all in the mix.

But thus far, “One Battle After Another” has cleaned up just about everywhere. Much of Paul Thomas Anderson’s cast is nominated, including DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti and Benicio Del Toro.

If it and “Sinners” take home the two biggest prizes, it will be a banner night for Warner Bros. even as its future hangs in the balance. The studio has agreed to be acquired by Netflix is a deal worth $82.7 billion. Movie theaters have warned such a result would be “a direct and irreversible negative impact on movie theaters around the world.”

The merger awaits regulatory approval, while Paramount Skydance is still trying to convince Warner shareholders to accept its rival offer.

After an audacious promotional tour for “Marty Supreme,” Timothée Chalamet is poised to win his first Globe in five nominations. In best actor, comedy or musical, he’ll have to beat DiCaprio, a three-time Globe winner, and Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”).

In best actress, comedy or musical, Rose Byrne is the favorite for her performance in the not especially funny A24 indie “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” One prominent nominee in the category, Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked: For Good”), won’t be attending due to her schedule in the West End production “Dracula.”

Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”) is the clear front-runner in best actress, drama. In the star-studded best actor, drama, category, the Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (“The Secret Agent”) may win over Michael B. Jordan (“Sinners”) and Joel Edgerton (“Train Dreams”).

In the supporting categories, Teyana Taylor and Stellan Skarsgård come in the favorites.

The Globes, formerly presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have no overlap or direct correlation with the Academy Awards. After being sold in 2023 to Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, a part of Penske Media, the Globes are voted on by around 400 people. The Oscars are voted on by more than 10,500 professionals.

But in the fluctuating undulations of awards season, a good speech at the Globes can really boost an Oscar campaign. Last year, that seemed to be the case for Demi Moore, who won for “The Substance” and gave the night's most emotional speech. Mikey Madison (“Anora”), however, scored the upset win at the Oscars.

A few potentially good moments this year went instead in a Golden Eve ceremony earlier this week. There, the Cecil B. DeMille and Carol Burnett honorees, Helen Mirren and Sarah Jessica Parker, accepted their awards.

One to watch, if he wins, will be the Iranian director Jafar Panahi. His revenge drama “It Was Just an Accident” is up for four awards. Panahi has spent most of his career making films clandestinely, without approval of authorities, and was until recently banned from leaving the country. Last month, he was sentenced to a year in prison, which would be only his latest stint behind bars if Panahi returns home to serve it. This week, protests over Iran’s ailing economy have spread throughout the country in a new test to Iran's leaders.

For the first time, the Globes are trotting out a new podcast category. The nominees are: “Armchair Expert,” “Call Her Daddy,” “Good Hang With Amy Poehler,” “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” “SmartLess” and “Up First.”

In TV, HBO Max’s “The White Lotus” — another potential big winner for Warner Bros. — leads with six nominations. Netflix’s “Adolescence” comes in with five nods.

But the most closely watched nominee might be “The Studio.” The first season of Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire memorably included an episode devoted to drama around a night at the Globes. (Sample line: “I remember when the red carpet of the Golden Globes actually stood for something.”) “The Studio” is up for three awards, giving three chances for life to imitate art.

For more coverage of this year’s Golden Globe Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/golden-globe-awards

Audrey Nuna, from left, EJAE, and Rei Ami pose in the press room with the award for best original song – motion picture for "Golden" from "Kpop Demon Hunters" during the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Philip Barantini, from left, Owen Cooper, Erin Doherty, Hannah Walters, Stephen Graham, Andy Cooper, Ashley Walters, Jeremy Kleiner, and Jack Thorne pose in the press room with the award for best television limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television for "Adolescence" during the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Frida Perez, from left, Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, Peter Huyck, Chase Sui Wonders, Alex Gregory, and James Weaver pose in the press room with the award for best television series – musical or comedy for "The Studio" during the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Ryan Coogler, from left, Zinzi Evans, and Sev Ohanian pose in the press room with the award for cinematic and box office achievement for "Sinners" during the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Joe Alwyn, from left, Noah Jupe, Chloe Zhao, Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, and Jacobi Jupe pose in the press room with the award for best motion picture - drama for "Hamnet" during the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Sara Murphy, from left, Teyana Taylor, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Chase Infiniti pose in the press room with the award for best motion picture – musical or comedy for "One Battle After Another" during the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Seth Rogen, left, and Chase Sui Wonders pose in the press room with the award for best television series – musical or comedy for "The Studio" during the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Benicio del Toro, from left, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cassandra Kulukundis, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, and Paul Thomas Anderson accept the award for best picture for "One Battle After Another" during the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, at The Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Amy Poehler poses in the press room with the award for best podcast for "Good Hang with Amy Poehler during the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Timothee Chalamet arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Amy Poehler, left, and Joel Lovell arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Owen Cooper arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Teyana Taylor arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Teyana Taylor arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Stellan Skarsgård, left, and Megan Everett-Skarsgard arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Colman Domingo arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Selena Gomez arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Nikki Glaser arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Maura Higgins, from ledt, Gayle King, and Mona Kosar Abdi arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Derek Hough arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Tessa Thompson arrives at the Golden Globes Golden Eve on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Nikki Glaser rolls out the red carpet during the 83rd Golden Globes press preview on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)