Nancy Kerrigan reacted to the “tragic” plane crash that killed 14 figure skaters and more American Airlines passengers.
“[I’m] not sure how to process it, which is why I’m here. Many of you may know that my husband is my agent. He keeps getting calls to do interviews, and I thought that was weird,” Kerrigan, 55, tearfully said during a Thursday, January 30, press conference held at the Skating Club of Boston rink. “I didn’t feel like it was right to be home and doing interviews for this … I think we all just need to go together. We just wanted to be here and be part of our community.”
News broke late on Wednesday, January 29, that a commercial American Airlines flight traveling from Wichita, Kansas, crashed into a military helicopter and landed in the Potomac River. A handful of the passengers were young athletes who trained at the Skating Club of Boston. (The skaters had participated in a U.S. Figure Skating–helmed camp in Kansas earlier this month.)
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“Any time I’ve been able to be here and watch them grow. The kids here really work hard, their parents work hard to be here,” Kerrigan said of the Boston organization. “I just feel for the athletes, the skaters, their families and anyone who was on that plane — not just the skaters because it’s just such a tragic event. We’ve been through tragedies before as Americans, as people and we are strong. So, my response is to be with people I care about and I love; I wanted to support. That’s why I’m here.”
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According to Kerrigan, it was a “shock” when she first learned of the plane crash fatalities.
“When you find out you know some of the people on the plane, it’s even a bigger blow,” the Olympian said. “We just wish them well, and [wish] the families the courage and the strength to make the next steps.”
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She continued, “You look at people who go through tragedies, and you wonder, ‘How do they do it?’ I don’t know, but we’re so strong. Somehow, we have a reservoir to dig from, and each one of them is strong enough to get through this somehow. It will take time, but look beside you [is] somebody that cares.”
Two of the crash victims, coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, had previously competed against Kerrigan at the 1994 Olympics.
“I’ve seen them a lot of times over the years, but everything I’ve heard of them was maybe they’re a little tough, but with a smile on their faces,” she recalled. “Any time I walked [into a room], it was, ‘Oh, hi, it’s so good to see you,’ and [they were] welcoming and happy to see one another. To walk into here and not see that, I think would be very strange for anyone that comes here day in and day out.”
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