Teen skater posted final words from Wichita before plane crash: ‘See yall next year’
After last week’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, some of the young, promising competitors stayed in town to sharpen their skating at National Development Camp.
Teenager Franco Aparicio stayed for camp, which ended Wednesday at the Wichita Ice Center.
One of his skating buddies posted a video on Instagram of the last day. It showed a string of young boys gliding across the ice, one after the other, jumping into the air and twisting their bodies into tricky double axles. Franco nailed his.
“See yall next year,” Franco wrote on his friend’s post, adding a peace sign emoji.
Those appear to be his last words on social media.
As of Friday, Franco, and his father, Luciano (Lucho) Aparicio, from Fairfax County, Virginia, remained officially unconfirmed as victims of the American flight 5342 crash in D.C. Franco’s coach, Inna Volyanskaya, was also on the plane.
But Franco’s Instagram page, Francoskates, where he reposted that video, is now a guest book where members of the skating community are leaving condolences and lots of white dove and broken heart emojis.
His older sister said good-bye to him there, too.
“To the best brother ever, thank you for being you and for being my best friend. You don’t deserve this and you have the sweetest soul. I love you so much,” wrote Isabella Aparicio, who also skates.
As of Friday morning a GoFundMe effort for the family had raised $125,000 of a $160,00 goal.
Families at the two rinks in the Washington, D.C. area where Franco skated shared their grief and launched a meal train drive for Franco’s surviving family in a Facebook post Thursday.
“Dear Friends,” it began. “The figure skating community is sad to share the heartbreaking loss of Franco and his devoted father, Luciano, who were on board American Airlines Flight 5342.
“They leave behind a grieving mother and wife, Barbara, as well as two loving daughters and sisters, Isabella and Antonella.
“Franco will always be remembered as a gracious, disciplined and kind-hearted figure skater who pursued excellence in everything he did. His dedication, work ethic, and unwavering support for his fellow skaters made him a cherished friend and role model in our skating community. His smile — bright, infectious, and full of warmth — lit up every rink he stepped into.
“Luciano was the embodiment of a true skating dad — always present, always cheering, always offering encouragement to his children and their friends. His love and dedication to his family and the skating community were unmatched. Together, Franco and Luciano were pillars of strength, kindness, and inspiration to so many of us.”
The president of Franco’s skating club, the Washington Figure Skating Club — said to be the largest figure skating club in the country with more than 1,400 members in the D.C., Maryland, Virginia (DMV) region — took calls from the media Thursday with tears in her voice.
Heather Neimer politely declined comment until victims had been officially identified. In the meantime, she said, she’s trying to help the members of the club who are struggling.
Such big grief for such young kids.
Just last week, the club’s junior board featured Franco on its Instagram page. It included a photo of Franco, a slender boy with a shock of thick, dark hair and a wide smile, standing on a bridge in New York City where he competed in the Middle Atlantic Figure Skating Championships in September.
“Our January 2025 Youth Volunteer Spotlight is Franco Aparicio!” the club’s post said. “Franco skates at Medstar Capitals Iceplex and Ashburn Ice House, competing as a figure skater at the intermediate level.
“His favorite skating moves are the butterfly and the Y spin. Franco loves volunteering because its another way for him to stay connected with his skating community and meet new skaters for the first time.”
Last year was full of travel for Franco. Europe in April. The beach at Ocean City, Maryland, in the summer.
“I think London and Edinburgh earned the title for one of my favorite vacation spots!” he wrote on Instagram. “This was my very first time in Europe, however I hope to return there soon!”
“The Skating Lesson,” an online community and YouTube channel for figure skaters, parents and fans run by enthusiast Dave Lease and former top-tier figure skater Jenny Kirk, began profiling crash victims from the skating community on Thursday.
On Facebook, where “The Skating Lesson” has 421,000 followers, they wrote of Franco.
“Franco Aparicio of Washington FSC earned a trip to the developmental camp by placing fourth in the intermediate division at Eastern Sectionals,” they wrote.
“He followed an older sister onto the ice and was said to be a very quiet, hardworking skater whose face would light up with the warmest smile whenever he was on the ice.”
In the video of Franco and his friends on the last day of camp in Wichita Wednesday, a day that would end in tragedy, a voice over the P.A. system can be heard telling the skaters that “it’s time to get off the ice.”
But the kids kept skating.
And the announcer gently prodded.
“It’s time to go home. Travel safe.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2025 at 12:16 PM.
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