Christine Lane, left and son Spencer lost their lives in the collision of a commerical airliner and Black Hawk helicopter. Photo:
Courtesy Lane Family
Spencer Lane was a promising figure skating talent with Olympic dreams.
The Barrington, R.I. teen had gained a following on his TikTok account and often posted about his progress in the sport, excitedly telling his followers about how he had been chosen for a prestigious spot at the National Development Camp in Wichita, Kan., for up-and-coming skaters.
“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!” Lane posted on Instagram as the camp wrapped.
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, Spencer posted a photo of the airplane wing noting his departure from Kansas and arrival in Washington D.C. When news hit that a commercial plane out of Wichita had collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter in D.C., his friends and followers became concerned.
They posted, hoping he would reply that he was safe.
Spencer, his mom Christine and 65 others, perished in the fiery collision, leaving behind his father Doug and his younger brother Milo, who was also adopted from South Korea.
Spencer Lane. Courtesy Lane Family
“We’re still in a state of shock down here,” his grandfather, Wayne Conrad of Easton, Pa., told PEOPLE. “They were greatly appreciated when we had them with us and there were lovely people, creative forces in their own way, Christine in photography and graphic arts and Spencer and creative endeavors as in figure skating competitively.”
Spencer’s mom Christine had accompanied him to the camp. In 2022, he announced his plans to become an ice skater hoping to compete in the Olympics. Spencer attended Barrington High School during his freshman year before he left to dedicate more time to skating. Most Olympic hopefuls begin their training much earlier, but Spencer was undeterred.
“Both parents really supported him a hundred percent in this endeavor,” Conrad says. “So you can’t ask for more than that when you pick a goal and you get everybody in the family behind you saying go for it, which everybody did.”
A distraught Doug Lane wrote a statement about the family’s loss.
“Our family is devastated by the loss of Christine and Spencer. Christine exuded creativity throughout her life, using her formal graphic design training as a jumping-off point for seemingly endless creative pursuits across areas such as photography, quilting, knitting, and more,” the statement reads.
“She brought even greater passion to her role as a mother to Spencer and his brother Milo,” the statement continues. “She was also a lover of animals, and we lost track of how many dogs she helped place in loving adoptive homes.
“Spencer can only be described as a force of nature. You simply could not stop him if he decided he wanted to do something. There is no better example of this than his remarkable skating journey, which we are heartbroken to see end too soon. He truly loved it, and his ascent from basic Learn to Skate classes to U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Team in just a few short years was unprecedented.
“We are so grateful that his last week was filled with joy and surrounded by his beloved Skating Club of Boston and the U.S. Figure Skating family. We are also hurting so much from the loss of Spencer’s talented and kind coaches, Genia and Vadim, and all of the wonderful friends Christine and Spencer were sharing their journey with.”
“Spencer, in the best way possible, was a crazy kid,” Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe said in a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 30. “Highly talented, like incredibly talented. Has not been skating that long and was rocketing to the top of the sport.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
But his grandfather said it best when he told PEOPLE Spencer was “very energetic and really focused on making this a professional endeavor with the Olympics in mind. And he was going for it. And of course, it’s a life cut too short.”
