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NBC’s Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir talk about the special connection the city of Boston has to world figure skating
“It’s like it stops being a community and becomes a family. It just hit our sport so hard, and when one of us is affected, all of us are affected."
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Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir have always had a fondness for the Skating Club of Boston and the region’s figure skating scene.
That fondness, for obvious reasons, is accompanied by deep empathy and sadness now.
Six people affiliated with the Norwood-based Skating Club of Boston were among the 28 members of the figure skating community and 67 in total who lost their lives when a helicopter collided with their plane on Jan. 29 in Washington, D.C.
When the World Figure Skating Championships commence Wednesday at TD Garden, the tragedy will not be far from anyone’s mind.
“There’s such deep history with the Skating Club of Boston,” said Lipinski, who will join Weir and play-by-play voice Terry Gannon to call NBC’s coverage of the four-day Worlds on NBC, Peacock, and USA Network. “It’s such a gorgeous rink, it feels like an honor and a privilege to skate there.
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“The figure skating community can seem so big, and then something like this happens and you realize how connected it is. It’s like it stops being a community and becomes a family. It just hit our sport so hard, and when one of us is affected, all of us are affected.
“It’s hard, because you know there’s nothing you can do to fix this, but at the same time, we want everyone to know that we care about the people we lost and the loved ones left behind, and we won’t forget them.”
Weir said via email that he has been immensely appreciative of how many people have come up to him to offer their condolences for the tragedy. “I think it’s important for me and Tara, as ambassadors of our sport and the voices that people associate with our sport, to let the skating community know that our country is mourning with us, even if they have no connection to skating,” he wrote.
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Weir, who at age 16 made his senior debut at US nationals in Boston in 2001 — “the roar from the audience inspired me for many years of my career,” he recalled — raves about the region’s commitment to figure skating.
“Boston has always been a nest of talent both in coaching and the quality of athletes the city produces. The new facility in Norwood is absolutely spectacular and they are taking the time to nurture a figure skating program,” he wrote.
“In talking to many of the Skating Club of Boston skaters, they all comment on how motivated the community is to make their rink successful at an elite level for figure skating, and that is enticing for any skater. Boston is also an inspiring city and to combine the advantages of living in a great place with the modernization of an historic skating club and top-quality facilities, Boston has done it right.”
Lipinski and Weir always do it right on the broadcasts. Their candor and banter make viewers feel like they’re invited to listen in on an authentic conversation between incredibly knowledgeable friends.
“We’re best friends and so close at this point that we’re basically family,” said Lipinski. “The three of us always feel like we can say exactly what’s on our minds, and our hope is that the viewers at home are learning about the sport but also have a little fun, because it’s entertainment, as well.”
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Weir said that they work to improve constantly as broadcasters, much in the way they did as skaters.
“I recently realized that I have been working in television since 2006 when I got my first reality show and have now worked in TV longer than I was a competitive or professional skater,” he wrote. “You learn a lot with experience and I still look at every broadcast as an opportunity to improve and grow and, of course, to promote the sport I have given my life to and the tremendous talents in it. We have refined our craft as commentators, but I can’t say we’ve changed how we approach our work. We love what we do, and because of that love, it never feels like work.
“I have been so overwhelmed by the amount of people who have come up to me over the years. I was once getting gas in LA and an entire group of motorcycle guys stopped to say hello. I was outside a restaurant near where I live recently, and a passing 18-wheeler truck made a U-turn so the driver could tell me his wife loves me. It has been a fun journey and I am so honored that people choose to spend their time with us and want to learn about our sport.”
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USA Network will carry all four days of World Figure Skating Championships coverage live in the 3-5 p.m. window, and also will have two hours on Thursday from 8-10 p.m.
NBC will have live coverage on Friday and Saturday nights from 8-10. Mike Tirico will be the host, as well as for the men’s short program coverage on USA Network Thursday. Every live skate will stream on Peacock.
Gabriella Papadakis is the new ice dance analyst for NBC. Adam Rippon will be backstage to report on pre- and post-skate routines, while Andrea Joyce will interview the competitors.
Tim Layden, the outstanding former Sports Illustrated writer, will have an essay on how the Skating Club of Boston has been devastated by two plane crashes in its history, the first in 1961.
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