A coach is remembering the loss of their 16-year-old figure skating student who sadly died in the DC plane crash at the end of January along with his parents.
16-year-old figure skater Edward Zhou was on the doomed flight with his mom and dad. They were among the many people who perished with an Army helicopter struck the plane. Now, Edward's coach, Sandra Sparger, is remembering the team following the deadly plane crash. She was one of several coaches who helped teach Edward. The 16-year-old and several other teens had traveled to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Kansas.
He was on his way back on American Airlines Flight 5342 with his parents when the plane crashed.
"He's such a compassionate kid, such a loving child, a big hugger," she told People. "He just loved skating."
She learned that he died in the middle of the night.
Mourning After Deadly Plane Crash
"All of a sudden at 1:30-ish in the morning, I just kept hearing my phone dinging me," she recalls. "So, I went down to get it and my first text message was, 'Sandy, turn on the TV.' That's when I heard and I lost it."
"They were our great kids," she adds. "They were everybody's kids."
Meanwhile, Brian McMurry, whose son skated with Edward, remembered the teen.
"You would not know that [Edward was] on the verge of making the Olympic team," McMurry says. "[He would] put his head down ... and stayed humble. An amazing kid. His parents supported Eddie every step of the way."
"The whole immediate family was gone in a flash and their extended family had little or no relationship with the skating community," McMurry said. Meanwhile, Sparger reflected on her loss.
"The whole family is tragically lost," says Sparger. "We have such a great community. Everybody has been so helpful and supportive through this whole horrible experience — this nightmare. It's not just me, it's the whole skating community."
