Figure skater Spencer Lane’s father, Douglas Lane, fondly remembers his 16-year-old son following his tragic death in the recent American Airlines crash.
Douglas shared with local Rhode Island news outlet WPRI 12 on Thursday, January 30, how beloved Spencer was by everyone at his home club in Boston. From adults to younger skaters and those competing for Olympic dreams, all adored him.
Spencer and his brother Milo were adopted from South Korea by Douglas and Christine Lane. Spencer developed a passion for figure skating in high school and even attended the U.S. Figure Skating team’s development camp in Wichita, Kansas, before the devastating plane crash.
Inspired by Olympian Nathan Chen, Spencer started skating just four years ago and quickly excelled, earning a spot on the National Development Team with U.S. Figure Skating. His journey from novice to training with former world champions was impressive and inspiring.
According to Douglas, Spencer had a natural talent for skating but also put in the hard work to continuously improve. Tragically, Spencer was one of six students from the Skating Club of Boston who were on the ill-fated American Airlines flight that crashed, leaving no survivors.
Spencer was mentored by renowned figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who competed in the 1994 Olympics. Nancy Kerrigan, another figure skating icon, visited the Skating Club of Boston to pay her respects and reminisce about the warm and welcoming nature of the coaching duo.
The loss of Spencer Lane, along with the other skaters and coaches on the flight, has deeply affected the figure skating community and left a void in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.