Each of the young figure skaters killed in D.C. plane crash had a story waiting to be told

The young figure skaters whose lives were cut tragically short Wednesday night when an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River were just beginning their journeys to stardom.

They were learning how to perfect toe loops and axels, sit spins and step sequences. They had just been to a development camp after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where they had been learning how to skate with grace and flair.

Some, like Spencer Lane, had built substantial followings on social media, giving their fans an inside look at the life of an aspiring Olympian. Others, like Jinna Han, dazzled even experienced figure skaters with her preternatural ability.

"We're such a tight-knit community — the skating community — that, you know, everybody knows each other in some way or another, or connected in some way," said Melissa Gregory, a former Olympic ice dancer with her husband, Dennis Petukhov.

As friends, family and fans continued to mourn Friday, stories and pictures began to emerge of those killed in the crash.

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He was a late bloomer when it came to figure skating, embarking on his competitive journey just a few years ago, yet Lane had made such rapid progress that those at his training base at the Skating Club of Boston marveled at his untapped potential.

He was able to conquer big jumps faster than anyone could recall, and he skated with unbridled joy.

"You simply could not stop him if he decided he wanted to do something," Lane's family said in a statement. "There is no better example of this than his