Maxwell Theodore "Max" Aaron (born February 25, 1992) is an American former

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are m ...

. He is the 2013 U.S. national champion, the 2015 Skate America champion, the 2011 U.S. national junior champion, and a three-time U.S. International Classic champion (2012, 2013, and 2014). Aaron announced his retirement from figure skating on April 19, 2018.

Personal life

Maxwell Theodore Aaron was born in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

. The second of three children born to Mindy, a nurse, and Neil, a

pediatrician Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...

, he has two sisters, Madeline and Molly, both of whom have competed in

pair skating 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 Jewish, and was raised in a traditionally

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Jewish home. He said:

I grew up looking to all those Jewish athletes for inspiration. I always thought the list needed to be longer. We needed to have a stronger representation of Jewish athletes, and I’m so happy that I’m part of them now.

Aaron attended Chaparral High School in Scottsdale and later Cheyenne Mountain High School, graduating in 2010. He received the Principal's List Award and was on the honor roll for four years. He then began studying at

Pikes Peak Community College Pikes Peak State College is a public community college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is the largest institution of higher education in the Pikes Peak region. PPSC offers more than 150 programs in liberal arts and sciences transfer and care ...

and the

University of Colorado Colorado Springs The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) is a public research university in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is one of four campuses that make up the University of Colorado system. As of Fall 2017, UCCS had over 12,400 undergraduate a ...

, where he majors in finance with a minor in communication.

Career

Early years

Aaron began skating as a hockey player at age four, and took up

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics, 1908 Olympics ...

at age nine to improve his skating skills. He competed in the USA Hockey nationals in 2006 and 2007. In 2007, he played U16 AAA hockey and was chosen for the US National Team Development Program. He led his league in goals and penalties for two years. In the US Championships for figure skating, Aaron finished in 5th in the novice category in 2007 and 13th in the junior category in 2008. He continued to compete in both sports until he fractured the right and left of his L5

lumbar vertebrae The lumbar vertebrae are, in human anatomy, the five vertebrae between the rib cage and the pelvis. They are the largest segments of the vertebral column and are characterized by the absence of the foramen transversarium within the transverse ...

. He spent four months in a

body cast An orthopedic cast, or simply cast, is a shell, frequently made from plaster or fiberglass, that encases a limb (or, in some cases, large portions of the body) to stabilize and hold anatomical structures—most often a broken bone (or bones), in ...

and another four in physical therapy, and was required to stay off the ice for a year. Aaron later moved from

, where he had skated at the Ice Den, to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to train at the

Broadmoor Skating Club The Broadmoor Skating Club is a figure skating club based in Colorado Springs, Colorado that has long been a major training center for the sport of figure skating. Founded in 1939, it was originally known as the Pikes Peak Skating Club, and was ...

and the World Arena. There, he picked Tom Zakrajsek as his head coach and

Christy Krall Christine "Christy" Haigler (married name: Krall, born January 5, 1948) is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 1963 and 1965 U.S. silver medalist and 1964 bronze medalist. She represented the United States at the 1964 Winter ...

for additional technical advice.

2009–2010 to 2010–2011

Aaron won the bronze medal at the U.S. national junior championships. The following season, he won a silver medal at the SBC Cup in

Karuizawa, Japan is a resort town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,323 in 9897 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Karuizawa is one of the oldest and most ...

. He then won the national junior title. He then competed in the 2011 World Junior Championships in

Gangneung Gangneung () is a municipal city in the province of Gangwon-do, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved January 14, 2006. Gangneung is the economic ...

, South Korea, and placed 5th.

2012–2013 season

Aaron won gold at the 2012 U.S. International Classic. He took silver at the 2012 Cup of Nice. At the age of 20, Aaron won the 2013 U.S. Championships. His ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid- ...

'' free skate helped him score a total of 255 points to win the gold, ahead of silver medalist Ross Miner and three-time winner

Jeremy Abbott Jeremy Abbott (born June 5, 1985) is a former American figure skater. He is the 2008 Grand Prix Final champion, a two-time (2007, 2011) Four Continents bronze medalist, and a four-time (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014) U.S. national champion. He repr ...

2013–2014 season

Aaron made his

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

debut at the 2013 Skate America. In sixth place after the short, he placed second in the free and pulled up to win the bronze medal behind winner

Tatsuki Machida (born March 9, 1990) is a Japanese retired figure skater. He is the 2014 World silver medalist, the 2010 Four Continents silver medalist, and the 2013–14 Japanese national silver medalist. Machida is the winner of four Grand Prix events � ...

and silver medalist Adam Rippon. He placed 7th at the NHK Trophy. At the 2014 U. Championships, he took the bronze medal and was named to the 2014 World Championships. His 8th-place result at Worlds with

's 5th-place finish allowed the U.S. to regain its third spot in the men's event.

2014–2015 season

Aaron won gold at his first

ISU Challenger Series The ISU Challenger Series is a series of international figure skating competitions. Established by the International Skating Union in the 2014–15 season, it is a group of senior-level events ranked below the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. ...

(CS) event, the 2014 U.S. International Classic. Turning to the Grand Prix series, he won the bronze medal at the 2014 Skate Canada International and placed 7th at the

2014 Rostelecom Cup The 2014 Rostelecom Cup was the fourth event of six in the 2014–15 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Luzhniki Small Sports Arena in Moscow on November 14–16. Meda ...

. He finished fourth at the 2015 U.S. Championships.

2015–2016 season

Aaron began his season with silver at the

2015 CS Nebelhorn Trophy The 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy was a senior international figure skating competition in the 2015–16 season. Part of the 2015–16 ISU Challenger Series, it was held on September 24–26, 2015 at the Eislaufzentrum Oberstdorf. Medals were awarded in ...

followed by gold at a Grand Prix event, the 2015 Skate America. At the 2015 Trophee Eric Bompard, he placed 7th in the short program, which became the final result after the event was cancelled due to the

November 2015 Paris attacks The November 2015 Paris attacks () were a series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks that took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 9:15p.m., three suicide bomber ...

. Later that month, he was awarded gold at the 2015 CS Tallinn Trophy. Aaron won the silver medal at the 2016 U.S. Championships. At the 2016 World Championships in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

, he ranked 8th in the short program and went on to set a new record for a United States male skater in the free skate, earning a total of 254.14 points, although this was broken a few minutes later by his teammate Adam Rippon. Aaron finished in eighth place.

2016–2017 season

Aaron decided to modify his approach to quad jumps, stating in August 2016: "I'm using an inside three turn (entrance). ..It's kind of old school in a way, but it's been working. I wanted to try something new because obviously the three-turn wasn't working under pressure." Aaron began his season with a pair of bronze medals, earned at the 2016 CS Autumn Classic International and

2016 CS Lombardia Trophy The 2016 CS Lombardia Trophy was a senior international figure skating competition held in September 2016 in Bergamo, Italy. It was part of the 2016–17 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' sing ...

. He finished 4th at the 2016 Cup of China, 5th at the 2016 Rostelecom Cup, and 9th at the 2017 U.S. Championships.

2017–2018 season

Aaron won silver at the 2017 U.S. International Classic and bronze at a Grand Prix event, the

2017 Cup of China The 2017 Audi Cup of China was the 3rd event of six in the 2017–18 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Capital Gymnasium in Beijing on 3–5 November. Medals were aw ...

. He placed 7th at his other Grand Prix assignment, the

2017 Internationaux de France The 2017 Internationaux de France was the 5th event of six in the 2017–18 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Patinoire Polesud in Grenoble on November 17–19. Medals ...

, and 9th at the 2018 U.S. Championships. U.S. Figure Skating did not select Aaron for the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics ( ko, 2018년 동계 올림픽, Icheon sip-pal nyeon Donggye Ollimpik), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (french: Les XXIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; ko, 제23회 동계 올림픽, Jeisipsamhoe Donggye Ollimpi ...

but chose him for the 2018 Four Continents Championships and named him as a third alternate for the 2018 World Championships. He placed 5th in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

and was later called up to compete in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

, where he finished 11th. He announced his retirement from competitive skating on April 19, 2018.

2021 - 2023

Aaron currently works at

Chelsea Piers Chelsea Piers is a series of piers in Chelsea, Manhattan, Chelsea, on the West Side (Manhattan), West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located to the west of the West Side Highway (Eleventh Avenue (Manhattan), Eleventh Avenue) and Hudson Ri ...

in New York City as a skating coach.

Programs

Competitive highlights

''GP:

; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix''

2009–2010 to present

2003–2004 to 2008–2009

Detailed results

''Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. Pewter medals for fourth-place finishes awarded only at U.S. national and regional events. At team events, medals awarded for team results only.''

Senior career

Junior career

References

External links

* *
Max Aaron
at IceNetwork.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aaron, Max 1992 births American male single skaters Sportspeople from Scottsdale, Arizona Figure skaters from Colorado Springs, Colorado Living people Jewish American sportspeople University of Colorado Colorado Springs alumni 21st-century American Jews