SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— The loss of the figure skating team hits close to home as well, with one skater even being born in Scranton.
28/22 News Reporter Kathryn O'Leary spoke with Kelly Rippon, the mother of Olympic medalist Adam Rippon, and she tells us the community is just heartbroken.
"Well, the skating community is devastated. Adam and I are just heartbroken over the impact that this loss has for not just the skating community, but for all the people that were on that plane and helicopter. They all belong to someone and then one more layer, they all belong to some community," explained Rippon.
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Kelly Rippon, who has been a part of the skating community for over 25 years, shared the unique bond that defines this community. Ties that make the current loss even more painful.
"For us, it's a personal experience because the skating community has a special level of empathetic camaraderie, we feel each other's experience so there's a precious solidarity between us and within our group. We understand that exhilaration, leaving an exciting competition with new dreams and new ambitions, and it's breathtakingly devastating to find out that it was washed away in a matter of seconds," expressed Rippon.
The victims were returning from a camp that coincided with the U.S. Nationals, a time typically filled with joy and new aspirations, now tragically cut short.
"These kids had their whole lives ahead of them, they loved skating, but they were going to contribute to the world in multiple ways so it's not just athletes and it's not just the future of our skating community. They were human beings that lost the chance to go on and it's really sad," added Rippon.
As this community and the nation mourn, Kelly hopes this tragedy can remind us to offer each other a bit more grace and understanding during tough times.
"Maybe we give each other a little bit more grace, so we're not so quick to judge why someone might not be full of joy and full of hugs and hellos one morning, so to maybe give each other a little bit of grace, offer a little bit more support," expressed Rippon.
28/22 News will continue to follow this devastating story and provide updates on the investigation of the crash.
