Aaron Van Cleave
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Aaron Van Cleave (born 14 March 1987) is a German
pair skater Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...
. He is best known for his partnership with
Mari Vartmann Mari-Doris Vartmann (born 25 December 1988) is a German pair skater. With Ruben Blommaert, she won four ISU Challenger Series medals. With Aaron Van Cleave, she is the 2015 German national champion, the 2011 NRW Trophy champion, and 2010 Warsa ...
for Germany. They won the 2015 German national title, the
2011 NRW Trophy The NRW Trophy (also known as the NRW Summer Trophy or the NRW Autumn Trophy) is an annual international figure skating competition organized by the Skating Union of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 2007, it has been sanctioned by the Deutsche Eisla ...
, and 2010
Warsaw Cup The Warsaw Cup is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Polish Figure Skating Association () and held in Warsaw, Poland. The Warsaw Cup debuted in 2002 as a junior-l ...
. After they parted ways, he teamed up with Tatiana Domracheva.


Personal life

Van Cleave was born on 14 March 1987 in
Comox, British Columbia Comox () is a town on the southern coast of the Comox Peninsula in the Strait of Georgia on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Thousands of years ago, the warm dry summers, mild winters, fertile soil, and abundant sea life ...
, Canada. He was born both a Canadian and American citizen. He became a German citizen in January 2014.


Career


In North America

Van Cleave first competed with Lauren Cowley at the Canadian Junior Championships, appearing on the juvenile level in 2002 and pre-novice in 2003. With Sarah McCoy, he represented Canada on the
ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international figure skating competition, junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded ...
series. They were assigned to Norway in 2006 and the United States in 2007. Van Cleave then teamed up with Ameena Sheikh where they represented the United States. The team trained in Detroit, Michigan at the Detroit Skating Club under Yuka Sato and Jason Dunjeon. Van Cleave and Sheikh Competed on the junior level and senior level at the 2009 U.S. Championships and the 2010 U.S. Championships


In Germany

In 2010, Van Cleave teamed up with
Mari Vartmann Mari-Doris Vartmann (born 25 December 1988) is a German pair skater. With Ruben Blommaert, she won four ISU Challenger Series medals. With Aaron Van Cleave, she is the 2015 German national champion, the 2011 NRW Trophy champion, and 2010 Warsa ...
to compete for Germany. The pair made their international debut at the 2010
Warsaw Cup The Warsaw Cup is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Polish Figure Skating Association () and held in Warsaw, Poland. The Warsaw Cup debuted in 2002 as a junior-l ...
where they won the gold medal. Their first major international event was the 2012 European Championships. On 26 January, during the morning practice before the long programs, Vartmann collided with
Daniel Wende Daniel Wende (born 24 July 1984) is a German pair skater. With Maylin Wende, he is the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard bronze medalist, the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy silver medalist, and a two-time German national champion. They have competed twice at t ...
while they were attempting to avoid a French couple. Vartmann and Van Cleave finished 5th at the event. They were coached by Knut Schubert in Berlin. Vartmann and Van Cleave withdrew from the
2012 Nebelhorn Trophy The 2012 Nebelhorn Trophy was held on September 27–29, 2012 at the Eislaufzentrum Oberstdorf. The event is held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany and is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain. It is one of the first international senior com ...
following the short program – Vartmann picked into her right foot when she fell on a throw triple loop during the short and was unable to put on her skate the next day due to swelling. They withdrew from the 2012
Coupe de Nice A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and typically with two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the Fr ...
and their first assigned Grand Prix event, the 2012 Cup of Russia, after Van Cleave sustained a broken cheekbone while catching Vartmann on a triple
twist Twist may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage * ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...
. They later withdrew from their second GP, the
2012 NHK Trophy The 2012 NHK Trophy was the final event of six in the 2012–13 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Miyagi on November 22–25. Medals we ...
. The pair was coached by Knut Schubert and
Stefan Lindemann Stefan Lindemann (born 30 September 1980) is a German retired figure skater. He is the 2004 World bronze medalist, 2005 European bronze medalist, 2000 World Junior champion, and a seven-time (2000, 2002, 2004–2007, 2010) German national cha ...
in Berlin in the first half of the 2014–15 season. In December 2014, they joined Maylin Wende and
Daniel Wende Daniel Wende (born 24 July 1984) is a German pair skater. With Maylin Wende, he is the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard bronze medalist, the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy silver medalist, and a two-time German national champion. They have competed twice at t ...
in
Oberstdorf Oberstdorf (Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Oberschdorf'') is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality and skiing and hiking town in Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. It is the southernmost settlement in German ...
. They won the pairs title at the 2015 German Championships. His new partner is Tatiana Domracheva from Russia.


Programs

(with Vartmann)


Competitive highlights

''GP:
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
; JGP:
Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
''


With Vartmann


With Sheikh


With McCoy


With Cowley


References


External links

*
Paarlauf-Fanclub: Mari Vartmann / Aaron Van Cleave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleave, Aaron Van 1987 births Living people Sportspeople from Comox, British Columbia Canadian male pair skaters American male pair skaters German male pair skaters Canadian emigrants to Germany Naturalized citizens of Germany Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Germany 21st-century Canadian sportsmen 21st-century German sportsmen