Teen figure skater ‘rocketing to the top of the sport’ and his mom killed in plane crash
Spencer Lane, a 16-year-old figure skater from Rhode Island, and his mother, Christine Lane, 49, were among those killed in Wednesday night’s plane crash while en route from Wichita to Washington, D.C.
Spencer was a member of the Skating Club of Boston. He and his mother were returning from the National Development Camp, an elite training program for future Team USA prospects held in Wichita this week following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships there last week.
“Spencer, in the best way possible, was a crazy kid. Highly talented, like incredibly talented. Has not been skating that long and was rocketing to the top of the sport,” said Doug Zeghibe, executive director of the skating club based in Norwood, Massachusetts. “Very fun, very cerebral, a good thinker.”
Doug Lane, Spencer’s father and Christine’s husband, called his son a “force of nature” in an interview with Rhode Island television station WPRI.
“In his home club in Boston, he was just loved by everyone from the adults running the club to the smallest skaters, to the people that are competing for a shot at the Olympics, they all just adored him,” Lane told the news station.
He said his wife had a passion for graphic design and photography.
“For Christine, just the amount of people from the community in Rhode Island I’ve already heard from today that she’s touched,” he said. “Whether it was screening them to adopt the dog that they loved or helping them with a summer project or whatever, she was just one of those people that could just kind of plug in anywhere, connect with people and build a real bond.”
Before the flight to Washington, Spencer in an Instagram post called the training camp in Wichita “an amazing experience.”
He thanked his coaches who also died in the crash, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, and others for all their support in getting him there.
“i am so happy to have qualified for national development camp earlier in november, it has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing. I learned so much new information that i can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people!
“Thank you so much @team.genia.vadim , @annehgoldbergbaldwin , and @skatingclubbos for supporting me in achieving my goal, and always pushing me to be the best i can be. Thank you @usfigureskating and the local organizing committee for making everything happen, and lastly, huge thank you to all the amazing friends, coaches, and faculty that i have met over the last week, it was such an amazing experience.”
Spencer performed in his first professional skating show in December, said Elin Schran, founder of Joy Skate Productions and daughter of Tenley Albright, who won the Olympic gold medal in ladies’ singles skating in 1956.
“This kid was so talented,” Schran said Thursday at the Skating Club of Boston alongside her mother and former figure skater Nancy Kerrigan.
“He started skating a few years ago, and he had all of his triples, and not just that, but this natural, natural grace and beauty and understanding of ice and speed and his positions were just so gorgeous.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 1:54 PM.
