Figure skater Maxim Naumov opens up before ‘Rock Stars on Ice’

Maxim Naumov, a national figure skating medalist who lives in Norwood, Massachusetts, is performing this weekend in front of a home crowd alongside some of the biggest names in the sport.

He opened up to NBC10 Boston about the challenging few months since the deaths of his parents in January's midair collision over the Potomac River.

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Naumov explained that the only way to move forward is to go through the ups and downs.

It's been four months since the crash, and now, Naumov is ready to show audiences a side of him few have seen.

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"It feels good to smile," he said. "I try to do it as often as I can."

Doug Lane and Matthew Collins, who both lost family members when a military helicopter collided with a passenger flight over Washington in January, are pushing to make sure something like this never happens again.

The 23-year-old Connecticut native is no stranger to adversity, and this weekend, he's stepping onto the ice again and outside of his comfort zone.

Naumov is joining some of the top figure skaters in the country as a special guest on "Rock Stars on Ice."

"I think it's really important to step out of your comfort zone, especially when it comes to choreography," he said. "That's kind of where you grow."

The growth is coming through grief. Naumov not only endured the loss of his mother, Evgenia Shishkova, and his father, Vadim Naumov — both coaches at the Skating Club of Boston — but also four other members. Skater Jinna Han and her mother, Jin, and skater Spencer Lane and his mother, Christine, were also killed.

NBC10 Boston interviewed Jinna Han during the 2022 Olympics. The skater, who hoped to make the Games herself, is one of six members of the Skating Club of Boston who was killed in the midair collision in Washington.

When asked about putting on his skates for the first time since the crash, he said, "My approach, really, has just been to take it one day at a time."

"I remember with every lace and hook that I did, it got better and better as I walked out on the ice. I remember I was greeted by every single coach in that facility, not to mention the management and everybody there, too," he continued. "The community has really helped me get through that moment."

A month after that, Naumov pulled off an emotional routine in front of thousands of spectators at the sold out "Legacy on Ice" tribute show at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

"It was a beautiful moment. It wasn't sad, it wasn't happy, it was just raw and pure emotion during that moment," he said. "At the end of that, when I dropped to my knees, it was — it just came out."

Maxim Naumov, the son of 1994 figure skating World Champions Evgenia “Zhenya” Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, is speaking out on the tragic passing of both his parents in the American Airlines D.C. plane crash.

Naumov uttered some words in Russian in that moment. He explained that he was saying, "This is for you, Mom and Dad."

Naumov's parents have been with him since, and along with the skating community, they've helped carry him through his training and his performances, allowing him to shine under the limelight again.

"I'm just walking forward. That's all I'm doing, one foot in front of the other, just walking forward," he said. "And as for the show, it's such a staple in this skating community, the 'Stars on Ice' tour, just in general … It is so awesome to be part of that, honestly."

Naumov said he often turns to rock music for motivation, and audiences should expect a powerful, energetic performance this Saturday and Sunday at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood.