icenetwork.com

Christopher Nolan holds up one of his grandfather's world championship bronze medals. (Jo Ann Schneider Farris)

By Jo Ann Schneider Farris, special to icenetwork.com

(01/12/2009) - On February 15, 1961, a tragic plane crash killed all the members of the U.S. Figure Skating World Team, as well as friends, family, judges, officials and coaches. The plane crash occurred in Brussels, Belgium, as the group was traveling to the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

One of the U.S. coaches killed was Daniel "Danny" Ryan, the coach of ice dancers Diane Sherbloom and Larry Pierce. Ryan was 32 years old at the time of his death. He had a young wife: Canadian figure skater RoseAnne Paquette Ryan. The couple had five young children -- three boys and two girls (ages 5, 4, 2 1/2, 1 1/2, and 2 weeks).

Paquette Ryan was also an active figure skating coach, but she did not travel on the plane since she had just given birth to her last child only two weeks before.

After recovering from the shock of the crash, the young widow was forced to support her young family by continuing to teach skating. She taught figure skating for a year in Indianapolis, then moved to Ottawa, Canada, then Lake Placid, N.Y., then back to Canada, and eventually to Atlanta.

Her two daughters, Terri and Sheryl, became figure skaters. Sheryl was one-and-a-half years old at the time of her father's death.

Today, Sheryl Ryan Nolan is a figure skating coach in Atlanta. Her son, Ryan Christopher Nolan (known as Chris or Christopher), will continue the Ryan figure skating legacy and will be competing in the novice pairs event with his partner, Marissa Spector, of Birmingham, Ala., in the upcoming 2009 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland.

Although Christopher will be competing in pair skating and his grandfather competed and coached in ice dancing, Christopher says that he feels a strong link to his grandfather's skating legacy since the two branches of skating both involve a partner. (Young Christopher has done some ice dancing but prefers pair skating.)

Christopher's grandfather won the ice dancing event at the 1953 U.S. Championships. Before winning that title, he and his partner, Carol Ann Peters, were the first U.S. figure skaters to earn world medals in ice dancing, taking the bronze at the 1952 and '53 World Figure Skating Championships.

"A few years ago, my mom gave Christopher one of my dad's world bronze medals," explained Sheryl Nolan. "She hoped it would bring Christopher good luck. We take the medal with us to most competitions."

In October of 2001, Danny Ryan's family, along with other family members of the 1961 plane crash victims, were guests of honor at a special memorial event held in Madison Square Garden. The event not only honored those who died in the crash, but it was also a time to reflect on the events of September 11, 2001.

"The event was very moving for the family, and especially for Christopher," said Sheryl Nolan. "Since then, when he skates, Christopher feels like his grandfather is perhaps looking down at him from heaven."

Christopher Nolan loves to skate. The 19-year-old trains six days a week, attends the University of Delaware full-time through an online program, and works as many hours as possible at The Cheesecake Factory to help pay for his skating. He also is interested in the guitar and plays the alto saxophone.

"We are thrilled with the third-place finish that Marissa and Christopher received at the 2009 Pacific Coast Championships and are so excited about the pair qualifying for the U.S. Championships," says Sheryl Nolan. "I was only one-and-a-half years old when my dad died. Since I was so young at the time of his death, I don't remember him, but I am so glad that my son can continue my father's figure skating legacy. Our entire family is beaming with pride!"