Trading skates for sneakers
In January 2025, six members of the Skating Club of md传媒国产剧 died after their airplane collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., killing everyone on board. From her dorm on the Heights, finance major Jasmine Lanata 鈥�28 watched the names of her friends and mentors appear in the news: 13-year-old Jinna Han, with whom she鈥檇 competed for years, and Han鈥檚 mother, Jin; 16-year-old Spencer Lane, a powerful jumper with a contagious smile, and his mother, Christine; and coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, former Olympic pair skaters who had taught at the club for decades. To Lanata, it felt like losing members of an extended family.聽
鈥淚t was devastating,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淲e鈥檙e such a tight-knit community鈥攊t touched everyone at the club.鈥�
Lanata started skating at the age of six, and spent 11 years on the Skating Club鈥檚 Theatre on Ice team, where she won three world championships while representing Team USA. In the months following the tragedy, she started thinking about ways to honor her friends鈥� memories while giving back to the club that had shaped much of her adolescence. In May, she met with the club鈥檚 membership services director Katharine Steeger and director Mia Bailey to pitch an ambitious idea: entering the Skating Club of md传媒国产剧 for a spot in the md传媒国产剧 Marathon鈥檚 prestigious charity program.聽 Steeger was enthusiastic, so Lanata called the md传媒国产剧 Athletic Association and got to work.聽聽
Jasmine (left) with Jinna Han
鈥淚 was nervous because it鈥檚 really competitive to get a charity,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here were two rounds of applications, and then in September we found out that we got two bibs, which was honestly a huge surprise.鈥澛�
In addition to skating, Lanata ran cross country in high school and 鈥渁lways dreamed of running md传媒国产剧.鈥� She and Steeger decided that Lanata would take one entry, and the club would offer the second to a member of its community. In the fall, they selected Jing Tu, whose daughter Iris was coached by Shishkova and Naumov at the time of their passing.聽
鈥淲hen Jasmine first shared her idea on how it could support [the club], it truly moved me,鈥� said Bailey. 鈥淪he鈥檚 been part of our club family for years, so when we received two entries, it was clear she would take one, and we wanted the second to go to someone who may be beyond our skating family, but who feels connected to this cause.鈥�
This winter, Lanata ramped up her training, as well as her聽. By three months before Marathon Monday, she鈥檇 raised more than $6,000 to support the skating club鈥檚 Always Champions campaign, which will fund two permanent scholarships for promising young skaters. Although she鈥檚 no longer a member of Theater on Ice (Lanata skates in BC鈥檚 synchronized skating program), the club will always be a source of happy memories.聽
鈥淲e were always there for each other,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ot just my teammates, but also the coaches, the team moms, the managers鈥攅veryone at the club was just super supportive. The six community members we lost really embodied the spirit, dedication, and warmth that make The Skating Club of md传媒国产剧 such a special place.鈥�