Olympic hopeful figure skaters in Colorado Springs move through grief, push ahead with training
Many athletes are in Colorado training for the chance to compete in the Winter Olympics in Italy next February, and among those are a pair of figure skaters in Colorado Springs who had never planned to be a team. They're now leaning on each other as they honor the memory of fellow skaters lost during a tragic passenger jet crash in Washington D.C. a few weeks ago.
Six days a week, Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea can be found practicing at the World Arena Ice Hall at the Broadmoor and making sure every toss, jump and spin is fit for the world stage.
"It's one of the things you dream about when you're a little kid," O'Shea said.
"That's like, really what we want, but it's also terrifying," Kam said.
Two years ago, Kam and O'Shea were looking at retiring from the sport when Kam's coach called O'Shea with an opportunity.
"He was like, 'would you like work with Ellie a little bit? And I was like, 'Actually Drew, no I don't want to coach Ellie. How about we try it a different way?'" O'Shea said.
So at 34 and 20 years old, the two have changed course and become a team. They're now competing in U.S. Figure Skating and Four Continents championships, and with each finish they get one step closer to an Olympic ticket.
"I've attempted a few times already and and failed," O'Shea said. "As you get closer and closer to be considered it is, it is really an honor."
But on their journey, their tight-knit skating community was rocked when American Eagle Flight No. 5342 crashed, killing coaches and young skaters on board.
"We had just come from nationals and we had just seen everybody on that flight, and we had seen the coaches, and ... it was so heartbreaking," Kam said.
Since the crash, many skaters have looked towards one another for support in their Colorado Springs community. They've been moving through grief as they continue to train together.
"This one happened to hit home for us in a way that ... made you grateful for the opportunities that you have and try to carry them with us as we go through the rest of our season and career," O'Shea said.
The next step for Kam and O'Shea is the figure skating world championships later this month.
"We hope that we can still keep coming together, and the skating community is also growing smaller, so I hope that we can grow it and just make it bigger and stronger," Kam said.
O'Shea said their "real goal is to step off the ice feeling like we gave this program all that it's due."
"When you do that, you'll get the results you want, right?" O'Shea said.
