APPLETON (NBC 26) — Shock is the word used to describe the tragedy by the vice president of the Valley Skating Club in Appleton. She was just in Wichita and is now grappling with the loss of a friend and what’s happened to their tight-knit community.
"It’s going to go down as one of the dark days of figure skating," said Valley Figure Skating Club Vice President Emma McTague.
Last weekend, McTague was at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita with her daughter and friends.
"We were inspired, we were in awe," McTague said of the event.
McTague said her daughter is a competitive skater in the club, and they enjoyed the competition with fellow competitors and coaches.
"And then you learn about this today," she said. "It’s unreal."
Watch: 'I cried. It was tough': A figure skating mother reacts to the death of a friend
Coaches, including Sasha Kirsanov, a friend and dance coach who was on the passenger jet, are among the victims. The University of Delaware confirmed his death, saying he was a former university skating club coach and used their facilities to train skaters.
"I cried. It was tough," McTague said. "He’s somebody who dedicated his career to figure skating."
Beyond the Fox Valley, others in the area are also mourning the loss. The Fond du Lac Blades Figure Skating Club is currently representing the U.S. in France.
"Our hearts are breaking after the tragic crash that took the lives of Team USA athletes and friends," they said in a statement. "We are dedicating our long program to the victims."
McTague says the challenge now is for skaters to continue after what she calls one of the darkest days in skating.
"We’re going to tell our figure skaters to skate harder," she said. "To remember and talk about coaches like Sasha and continue to be the strong community that we know and love."
Emma told me that everyone in the skating community is one degree of separation from someone at the national event. She added that the Valley Skating Club will now persevere through tragedy for their next competition in March.
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