A somber ceremony was held Tuesday morning at the Ashburn Ice House. That’s where a small sculpture was unveiled in memory of the local skaters and families lost in the crash of American Airlines Flight 5342 a year ago this week.
General Manager Brad Surdam spoke briefly and mentioned the names of all the people connected to the Ashburn Ice House and its sister property, the Medstar Iceplex, who were on the flight.
This includes the Livingston family of Ashburn – Donna and Peter Livingston and their daughters, Alydia and Everly.
Brielle Beyer and her mother, Justyna Beyer, of Aldie were also remembered as was Franco Aparicio and his father, Luciano Aparicio. All the young people trained in Ashburn.
Ashburn Ice House coach Inna Volyanskaya also perished in the crash.
On January 29, 2025 – the group was returning from events surrounding the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas when an Army helicopter collided with the American jet as it was landing at Reagan International Airport.
Surdam says the sculpture – which shows two skaters reaching and leaping upwards – reflects how all the skaters and their supportive families were reaching to be the best that they could be.
The sculpture was created by artist Zachary Oxman, a Reston native. Oxman’s father was the original architect who designed the Ashburn Ice House.
During the ceremony, a handful of young skaters performed in the background in memory of their friends.