Living Vibrantly

July 18, 2026

There are times in life where you get the chance to meet someone living so vibrantly—their energy so infectious—you can’t help but cheer for them.

Spencer was one of those people. Although we never got to meet each other in person, his skating journey has undoubtedly created a lasting impact on mine. He radiated with passion in the sport of figure skating, and progressed faster than anyone I’ve ever met. To say he was a miracle athlete would be an understatement, as he speedily accelerated from being a complete beginner to finding himself in the national ranks of competitions within the short span of 3-4 years. This feat takes most skaters a decade, if at all! Beyond being an amazing skater, though, he was a wonderful person and friend. In our online skating communities, he carried with him uplifting aphorisms, always ready to cheer up others in need. Because of him, skaters from the circles he integrated himself into—both in person and online—dared to dream bigger, fall in love with skating that much more, and felt inspired to befriend and reach out to other skaters from many different parts of the world; the same way Spencer did.

The loss of Spencer and all the other dear members of my skating community still feel surreal and unfair. They were so loved, gave so much love, and had the entire world waiting for them to explore. They deserved to be given the opportunity to chase their skating and career dreams, and inspire many others as they did for me. I have no doubt that they would have lived life more joyously than I do today.

But like Spencer’s dad had said: when you find yourself missing Spencer, others on that flight, or anyone whom you’ve lost a little more, an infallible way to see them again is in the way you continue to carry yourself. Somewhere in the collage that is your soul—you will find vibrant parts that exist because of the wonderful people you’ve loved.

Happy 18th birthday, Spencer <3