Boston-based figure skaters prepare for world stage as their community grapples with tragedy

Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov glided around the rink at the Skating Club of Boston for their usual run-through on a recent morning. Mitrofanov lifted Efimova high above his head as they continued to spin across the ice.

They are preparing for the biggest competition of their partnership: the World Figure Skating Championships, which are being held in Boston this week. But their road to Worlds has been especially hard this year.

Two months ago, six members of their Norwood-based skating club were aboard the American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter in Washington D.C. Among the 67 people who died were two skaters, two parents and two coaches from the club.

“We are used to seeing them every day. We're used to, you know, waving to them, talking to them,” said Mitrofanov. “ It'll always be different from now until forever.”

The tragedy was only days after Efimova, 25, and Mitrofanov, 27, won their first national title together.

It was “the top of our moment to the lowest that we've ever felt in life,” Mitrofanov said.

Mitrofanov, who is from Texas, moved to Massachusetts to join the skating club five years ago. Efimova, who was born in Finland, came to the area in 2023 after Mitrofanov asked her to be his skating partner.

Mitrofanov remembers his younger clubmates, Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, as passionate “superstars.” He said they were picked for the development camp in Wichita, where the downed flight was bringing them home from, because of how “mature their skating was.”

He said the late Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were “amazing” coaches that “treated their students as if they were their own kids.”

The Skating Club of Boston felt like a family to him.

After losing their club members, Efimova and Mitrofanov said they have tried to take care of their community — organizing memorials and performing at benefit events.

But with the world championships only a few short weeks away, the pair also had to focus on practicing. Two days after the tragic loss, Mitrofanov said they were back on the ice to not lose the precise timing and feel of skating with a partner.

Mitrofanov said remembering his clubmates and their unwavering support motivates him to lace up his skates every day.

“They wouldn't have wanted us to stop what we're doing because they have, they had the same passion that we have for the sport,” he said. “We try to, you know, come back to the rink every day and be like, OK, this is what we love … we love what we're doing, and we're gonna take every moment of it, and we're not gonna take it for granted.”

Efimova said as hard as it was to keep training, skating has been an escape.

“As soon as we step on the ice, the boards just limit us from the outside world,” she said.

The small successes during practice — nailing a jump or a lift — “charge” her and give her the strength to support the victims’ families.

Efimova and Mitrofanov hope their performance at the world championships can be a moment of light and joy for the skating community.

The victims of the crash “lived in figure skating in the best way,” said Efimova. “As long as we can carry them on ice and in figure skating, I hope that will keep some of their legacy alive.”

The recently crowned national champions will skate in the pairs short program and, if they qualify, the pairs free skate program.

The World Figure Skating Championships run from March 25 to 30 at TD Garden. There will be a tribute to the victims of the crash on Wednesday at 6:15 p.m.