COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — After a tragedy in the skies last week when a commercial plane collided with an Army helicopter, killing 67 people, some here at home and are still trying to process, grieve and heal.
The Cottonwood Heights Figure Skating Club hosted a memorial on Monday at the Cottonwood Heights Rec Center to remember 28 lives lost who were part of the figure skating community – skaters, coaches, and families.
“A lot of our skaters, our coaches, our families, are personally very saddened by the events and we wanted to do something so everyone could come together to kind of show support and love for each other,” said Erica Brown, vice president of the Cottonwood Heights Figure Skating Board.
Katherine Nicoll has been figure skating for most of her life, and coaches students across the Salt Lake Valley.
"The joy I can bring to people's lives when they learn something new, the ability to help teach them life skills, coping skills,” said Nicoll.
She saw the news on Wednesday night after the crash.
"My heart kind of skipped a little bit of beat, hoping nothing was coming to our skaters,” she explained.
The plane was coming from Wichita, Kansas, after the U.S. Figure Skating National Championships and development camp for budding skaters. For Nicoll, this loss hits close to home.
"I was completely in shock and just started to bawl. My coaches, Vadim and Evgenia, from the Boston area, they taught me when I was a skater," she said.
Her mentors who took her in lost their lives that day.
"It’s almost like it’s not real. I think a lot of us are in denial still," she said.
The memorial included a moment of silence, placing roses on the ice, and lighting candles.
"They contributed to this sport. They were incredible, gifted athletes. They were sons, brothers, sisters,” added Brown.
“Just like realizing that could have been any of us — I think it’s given me more of a realization how much I love this sport and just like everything that it provides,” said Alicia Menchaca, a 14-year-old and U.S. Figure Skating gold medalist.
It caused her to think about the impact her coaches had and how they will be missed.
"I think that they remind us that we should stay close tour friends and just appreciate being able to share the ice together,” added Nicoll.
