A young figure skating star from Annandale, Virginia, and his parents were among the victims of the tragic aircraft crash at Reagan National Airport Wednesday night.
Cory Haynos, 16, and his parents, Stephanie and Roger, were returning from the U.S. Figure Skating training camp in Wichita, Kansas.
“Roger always stood out among all the cousins as just extra special,” said his cousin, Matthew LaRaviere. “You know, you always say that about people when they die, and it’s sad because we should tell them when they’re living. I can’t say enough about his dedication to his family.”
He said the entire family loved supporting Cory, and they knew early on he had a gift.
Throughout the years, he spent his life honing his craft and winning awards along the way. His talents earned him a spot at the prestigious camp in Wichita, where he landed a difficult triple axel in front of the coaches just hours before the crash.
“Just some people are naturals at that; they’re like born to do that,” LaRaviere said. “And I look at Cory much in that way. He was born, he was born to do that. Why God decided to do this, I have no idea, it’s in His hands, but our country and our communities lost, lost a good one. That’s for sure.”
Cory and his parents are survived by his sister, Emily, who was away at college.
“It was always centered around his kids,” LaRaviere said. “Always a few minutes into your conversation, it was always back to Cory and Emily. Always. I think that they were just so honored to have kids and to be able to adopt them that they never let go of that dream.”
