U.S. Figure Skating is confirming several skaters are among the victims of the Washington, D.C., plane crash, a news that's impacted members of the skating community across the country. One local figure skater said she knows firsthand just how much these individuals meant to the sport.

The U.S. skating community was in mourning on Thursday after learning some of the country's most promising young figure skaters, as well as parents and coaches, were aboard an American Airlines regional passenger plane that crashed near Reagan Washington National Airport.

Kim Navarro, the director of skating at Snoopy’s Home Ice who attended last week’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, knew some of the skaters killed in Wednesday’s plane crash in Washington,