ASHBURN, Va. — It was the only house in the cul-de-sac with a backyard skating rink.
When the cold set in, Peter Livingston would stake two-by-fours into the ground behind the house, flood the space with water, and create a rink where his daughters, Alydia and Everly, could practice their figure skating routines, a neighbor recalled.
Yet, their true home on the ice was the Ashburn Ice House. Their mother, Donna Livingston, was a constant presence at early-morning practices, where her daughters trained alongside world-class skaters like Inna
Volyanskaya.Known online as "The Ice Skating Sisters," Alydia and Everly traveled across the country for competitions and training camps in cities like Boston, Seattle, and Austin, Texas, always accompanied by their devoted parents, friends and neighbors said.
Their latest journey took them to Wichita, Kansas, for a prestigious training camp following the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. But the family’s return trip ended in tragedy.
On their way home, the four boarded American Eagle Flight 5342, which collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington on Wednesday night. Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the crash.
Alydia, 11, and Everly, 14, perished alongside their parents and 60 other passengers. The accident also claimed the lives of three Army soldiers aboard the helicopter.
In their cul-de-sac, grief remained raw. Thirteen-year-old Helen Li, who played with Alydia and Everly when they weren’t training or competing, mourned the loss of her friends. To her, Alydia was simply “Lydia.”
According to a tribute on the Facebook page The Skating Lesson, Everly was shy and reserved compared to her younger sister. Yet, on the ice, she flourished—winning sectional championships at the intermediate and juvenile levels. Alydia, the youngest skater on the ill-fated flight, was a rising ice dancer with a tenacious spirit and an infectious personality.
Recently, Alydia had partnered with a new skating teammate, 15-year-old Matt Jacoby. In a statement released through his mother, Liz Abercrombie, Jacoby expressed his profound sorrow.
“Alydia’s passion for skating and bubbly personality brightened the rink, and she will be greatly missed,” he said.
Abercrombie, speaking briefly to
NBC News, described the Livingstons as a “loving family who dedicated their lives to their girls and ice skating.”
In the tribute on The Skating Lesson, Donna and Peter Livingston were remembered as “among the most devoted parents” who navigated the challenges of raising two elite skaters. They spent countless nights in hotels while managing training schedules across New Jersey, Michigan, and Virginia. Peter was known for filming his daughters wherever they skated, while Donna was remembered for her optimism.
Doug Fague, a neighbor who had grown close to Peter over the past decade, spoke fondly of him.
“He had a personality that was bigger than life, hard to contain,” Fague said. “He would give me a hard time because I mowed my yard too much.”
At the Ashburn Ice House, a growing memorial of flowers, balloons, candles, and cards honored the sisters. Therapy dogs were brought in to comfort fellow skaters grappling with the loss.
Zere Scholz, whose 8-year-old daughter skates at the rink, said that while Everly and Alydia had different personalities, they shared a fierce dedication to the sport.
“Alydia was a little firecracker—funny, full of ideas, and energetic,” Scholz said. “Everly was more reserved, but she was kind, happy, and incredibly hardworking.”
Over the summer, Everly underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in her right knee. The injury threatened to end her competitive season, but she fought through rehabilitation to earn a spot on U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Team, a program for the country’s top young skaters.
She went on to win the Autumn Classic in Texas at the intermediate level in September and competed in the Eastern Sectional Singles and U.S. Pairs Final in Norwood, Massachusetts, two months later.
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