As Sofia Bezkorovainaya glides across the ice each move brings with it a memory of her beloved coach, Inna Volyanskaya, who was on flight 5342 when it plunged into the Potomac in January.
“Usually my coach would be standing right there,” Sofia said. “She always believed in me and always worked with me, and I loved her a lot.”
On Monday, Sofia and other local skaters came together for a powerful performance to honor their coaches and friends who are no longer here.
Sofia’s best friend, 14-year-old Everly Livingston, was also killed in the crash.
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“Flies, they would drop because it's so cold at the rink. She would scoop them up, put them next to the heater and release them outside,” Sofia said. “And she was just one of the sweetest people I know.”
Another young life honored was 14-year-old Franco Aparicio, who had dreams of being an Olympian.
“Such a hard worker, oh he was such a hard worker,” said Aurore Michel, coach at the Cabin John Ice Rink in Rockville, Maryland. “He would do one jump over here and fall, then get back up and do another jump over here and fall, then get back up and do it and land it again. Leading up to nationals, you could tell what kind of skater he was.”
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You could tell that about Brielle Beyer, too. She had survived childhood cancer and loved choreographing her own routines.
“Little Brielle, she was always so, so sweet to everyone,” Sofia said. “She was super funny. She was so, so talented as well.”
These skaters plan to attend the big Legacy on Ice event in two weeks at Capital One Arena.
Former Olympians will perform to raise money for first responders and families of the victims.
“They were just great people,” said Emmy Gehrt, a skater at Ashburn Ice House. “They had great futures, and it’s just a shame what happened to them, but I think they’re just great people.”
