Maxim Naumov stopped in the middle of the ice, looked up at the sky and patted his heart. He then put some words in his mouth to his parents in Russian.
“This is for you. You are with me. I love both of you.”
Former world pair champions Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova died in January when the plane crashed into a military helicopter on an approach to Washington, DC, and fell into the ice Potomac River. A total of 67 people have been killed, including more than two dozen who have returned from development camps, following the US figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas.
Maxim Naumov, who finished fourth in the Nationals, had already returned home. Since the crash, he has become a tragic face in many ways. At least it was influenced by the skating community.
“I don’t think I’ve been walking down the hallway and hugging me ever since, and I feel the support and love,” he said Sunday. “It went beyond anything I could have imagined before, and it really helps me get through this day.
“It’s overwhelming,” he said. “But it fills my heart very much.”
Naumov, 23, skated in Washington with benefits earlier this month, raising more than $1.2 million for the victim’s families. Speaking to reporters on Sunday after performing at the World Championships gala, Naumov said he would give his heart the opportunity to escape the tragedy when he was on the ice.
“As soon as you hit the ice, your brain doesn’t know if it’s focused, or calm or quiet, or what, but it feels like it’s all adjusting,” he said. “And I’m just talking to them and they’re helping me.
“There’s no crowd, I can’t hear the announcer. I can’t hear anything. Just having this internal dialogue gives me a sense of calm and in my mind,” Naumov said. “And they’re always there too. And whenever I think about them, it really really helps me get through.”
The World Championship, previously scheduled for the Celtics and Bruins homes in Boston, has brought new attention to plane crashes and the Century Skate Club in Boston, home to Olympic and recreational skaters.
On Wednesday there was a compliment stuck between two sessions of the day and frequent reminders of the tragedy.
Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, who finished sixth in the pair this weekend, have posted photos of the members of the Boston Club who died in the crash: two young skaters, their mothers and two coaches. Monarch champion Amber Glenn wore a T-shirt honoring the memories of all the young skaters that were lost.
Doug Zegibe, owner of a Boston skate club, said the crash would have “long reach effects” on the community, saying the club previously lost dozens of members in a 1961 plane crash.
Ilia Marinin, the “quad god” who won the World Championships, which he won two consecutive Saturday night, finished the show on Sunday with a performance that he said was dedicated to the victims of a plane crash crash. He came to the end, choking tears with red eyes.
Naumov’s introduction on Sunday identified him as a member of the Boston Club and included his three fourth-place finishes with the Nationals. Although he didn’t mention the crash, many of the crowd certainly knew his connection. He received a second wave of polite applause that greeted most of the other skaters, as well as some standing there to cheer him on.
Wearing unadorned black pants and a sparkling black top, he slides across the ice and bumps into his neck. Naumov gave Gala’s performances that aimed more emotionally than proof of athletic ability.
Musical choice, the 2020 release “That’s On Me” was intentional after Mac Miller’s death. Miller passed away in 2018 from an accidental drug overdose.
“For some reason recently – well, not for any reason, but recently I’ve been listening to Mac Miller’s album Circles. Again and again,” Naumov said. “And it is very relevant to him knowing his unfortunate stories as an artist.
“I have something to do with it and I feel really deeply emotional about what he’s talking about in those songs. It’s also really helpful for me to get rid of my feelings personally.”
When he finished skating, Naumov took a deep breath, tapped him again on the heart and shook him in each direction. His bow was deep and heartbreaking. Leave ice after a minute of standing ovation, he made a sign of the cross.
“There are so many emotions right now, and it’s hard to even name what I feel right now,” he said. “I feel so much support and it is so overwhelming.
“I’m very grateful,” Naumov said. “And I’m grateful to each and every one of those fans.”
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