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Max Aaron
Max Aaron - 2016 Worlds.jpg
Aaron during the exhibition gala at the 2016 World Championships
Personal information
Full name Maxwell Theodore Aaron
Country represented  United States
Born (1992-02-25) February 25, 1992 (age 32)
Scottsdale, Arizona
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Began skating 1996
Retired April 19, 2018

Maxwell Theodore "Max" Aaron (born February 25, 1992) is an American former figure skater. 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. The second of three children born to Mindy, a nurse, and Neil, a pediatrician, he has two sisters, Madeline and Molly, both of whom have competed in pair skating. He is Jewish, and was raised in a traditionally Conservative 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 and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, 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 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. He spent four months in a body cast and another four in physical therapy, and was required to stay off the ice for a year.

Aaron later moved from Scottsdale, Arizona, where he had skated at the Ice Den, to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to train at the Broadmoor Skating Club and the World Arena. There, he picked Tom Zakrajsek as his head coach and Christy Krall 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. He then won the national junior title. He then competed in the 2011 World Junior Championships in Gangneung, 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 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.

2013–2014 season

Aaron made his Grand Prix 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 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 Jeremy Abbott'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 (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. He finished fourth at the 2015 U.S. Championships.

2015–2016 season

Aaron began his season with silver at the 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy followed by gold at a Grand Prix event, the 2015 Skate America. At the 2015 Trophée Éric 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. Later that month, he was awarded gold at the 2015 Tallinn Trophy.

Aaron won the silver medal at the 2016 U.S. Championships. At the 2016 World Championships in Boston, 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 Autumn Classic International and 2016 Lombardia Trophy. 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. He placed 7th at his other Grand Prix assignment, the 2017 Internationaux de France, and 9th at the 2018 U.S. Championships.

U.S. Figure Skating did not select Aaron for the 2018 Winter Olympics 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 and was later called up to compete in Milan, where he finished 11th. He announced his retirement from competitive skating on April 19, 2018.

2021 - 2023

Aaron currently works at Chelsea Piers in New York City as a skating coach.

Programs

Max Aaron World Championships 2018
Aaron at the 2018 World Championships
Season Short program Free skate Exhibition Ref.
2005–06 N/A N/A
2006–07
2007–08
2008–09
  • In the Stone
  • Drumline
    By Maurice White, David Foster & Allee Willis
  • "Speak Softly Love" (Love Theme from The Godfather)
    By Nino Rota
2009–10
  • Once Upon a Time
2010–11
  • "El Tango de Roxanne"
    From Moulin Rouge!
2011–12 N/A
2012–13
  • "Black Betty"
    By Ram Jam
2013–14
  • Historia de un Amor
    By Perez Prado
    Choreo. by Pasquale Camerlengo
2014–15
  • "Black Betty"
2015–16
2016–17
  • "Black Betty"
  • "Thunderstruck"
2017–18
  • Les Misérables
    By Claude-Michel Schönberg
  1. "Bring Him Home"
  2. "One Day More"
    Choreo. by Katherine Hill
 N/A

Competitive highlights

Skate America 2013 – Men
Aaron (right) at the 2013 Skate America podium.
Skate America 2015 – Men
Aaron (center) at the 2015 Skate America podium.
  • GP – Event of the Grand Prix
  • JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
  • CS – Event of the Challenger Series
  • Medals at team events are awarded for the team results only. Individual placements at team events are listed in parentheses.
Competition placements at senior level 
Season 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18
World Championships 7th 8th 8th 11th
Four Continents Championships 4th 7th 5th
U.S. Championships 8th 1st 3rd 4th 2nd 9th 9th
World Team Trophy 1st
(4th)		 1st
(8th)
GP Cup of China 4th 3rd
GP France 7th 7th
GP NHK Trophy 7th
GP Rostelecom Cup 7th 5th
GP Skate America 3rd 1st
GP Skate Canada 3rd
CS Autumn Classic 3rd
CS Lombardia Trophy 3rd
CS Nebelhorn Trophy 5th 2nd
CS Tallinn Trophy 1st
CS U.S. Classic 1st 1st 1st 2nd
Cup of Nice 2nd
Philadelphia Summer 3rd
U.S. Collegiate Championships 2nd 1st
Competition placements at junior level 
Season 2007–08 2009–10 2010–11
World Junior Championships 5th
U.S. Championships 13th 3rd 1st
Junior Grand Prix Final 4th
JGP France 3rd
JGP Japan 2nd
Gardena Spring Trophy 2nd

Detailed results

ISU personal best scores in the +3/-3 GOE system 
Segment Type Score Event
Total TSS 261.56 2017 CS U.S. International Classic
Short program TSS 87.03 2015 CS Tallinn Trophy
TES 48.41 2017 CS U.S. International Classic
PCS 40.71 2018 Four Continents Championships
Free skating TSS 176.58 2017 Cup of China
TES 96.60 2017 Cup of China
PCS 81.30 2015 Skate America
  • Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships.
  • At national events in the United States, pewter medals are awarded for fourth place.
  • Medals at team events are awarded for the team results only. Individual placements at team events are listed in parentheses.

Senior level

Results in the 2011–12 season 
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 21–24, 2011 Germany 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy 8 65.64 3 138.53 5 204.17
Jan 22–29, 2012 United States 2012 U.S. Championships 6 76.01 13 135.14 8 211.15
Results in the 2012–13 season 
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 13–16, 2012 United States 2012 U.S. International Classic 1 74.69 1 156.58 1 231.27
Oct 24–28, 2012 France 2012 International Cup of Nice 2 75.95 3 143.67 2 219.62
Jan 19–27, 2013 United States 2013 U.S. Championships 4 79.13 1 175.87 1 255.00
Feb 8–11, 2013 Japan 2013 Four Continents Championships 10 72.46 2 162.19 4 234.65
Mar 11–17, 2013 Canada 2013 World Championships 8 78.20 6 160.16 7 238.36
Apr 11–14, 2013 Japan 2013 World Team Trophy 6 77.38 3 159.24 1 (4) 236.62
Results in the 2013–14 season 
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 12–14, 2013 United States 2013 U.S. International Classic 1 81.49 1 157.72 1 239.21
Oct 17–20, 2013 United States 2013 Skate America 6 75.91 2 162.45 3 238.36
Nov 8–10, 2013 Japan 2013 NHK Trophy 8 76.21 7 147.14 7 223.35
Jan 5–12, 2014 United States 2014 U.S. Championships 4 86.95 3 173.49 3 260.44
Mar 24–30, 2014 Japan 2014 World Championships 9 78.32 8 147.34 8 225.66
Results in the 2014–15 season 
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 11–14, 2014 United States 2014 CS U.S. International Classic 1 78.96 1 161.26 1 240.22
Oct 31 – Nov 2, 2014 Canada 2014 Skate Canada International 5 76.50 3 155.27 3 231.77
Nov 14–16, 2014 Russia 2014 Rostelecom Cup 6 77.09 6 135.51 7 212.60
Jan 18–25, 2015 United States 2015 U.S. Championships 4 85.78 4 173.41 4 259.19
Apr 16–19, 2015 Japan 2015 World Team Trophy 7 76.08 8 151.43 1 (8) 227.51
Results in the 2015–16 season 
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 24–26, 2015 Germany 2015 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 1 83.46 3 139.48 2 222.94
Oct 23–25, 2015 United States 2015 Skate America 1 86.67 2 172.28 1 258.95
Nov 13, 2015 France 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard 7 72.91 – – 7 –
Nov 18–22, 2015 Estonia 2015 CS Tallinn Trophy 1 87.03 1 165.13 1 252.16
Jan 16–24, 2016 United States 2016 U.S. Championships 1 91.83 3 177.72 2 269.55
Feb 16–21, 2016 Taiwan 2016 Four Continents Championships 8 69.48 6 151.46 7 220.94
Mar 28 – Apr 3, 2016 United States 2016 World Championships 8 81.28 7 172.86 8 254.14

Note: The 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard was cancelled after the November 2015 Paris attacks. The short programs had been completed on November 13, but the free skating was to be held the next day. On November 23, the International Skating Union announced that the short program results would be considered as the final results for the competition.

Results in the 2016–17 season 
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 8–11, 2016 Italy 2016 CS Lombardia Trophy 3 72.93 3 145.80 3 218.73
Sep 29 – Oct 1, 2016 Canada 2016 CS Autumn Classic International 5 70.74 2 155.39 3 226.13
Nov 4–6, 2016 Russia 2016 Rostelecom Cup 8 73.64 4 161.94 5 235.58
Nov 18–20, 2016 China 2016 Cup of China 5 81.67 3 161.07 4 242.74
Jan 14–22, 2017 United States 2017 U.S. Championships 12 72.54 6 155.26 9 227.80
Results in the 2017–18 season 
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Aug 3–5, 2017 United States 2017 Philadelphia Summer International 3 74.00 4 135.37 3 209.37
Sep 13–17, 2017 United States 2017 CS U.S. International Classic 2 86.06 2 175.50 2 261.56
Nov 3–5, 2017 China 2017 Cup of China 5 83.11 1 176.58 3 259.69
Nov 17–19, 2017 France 2017 Internationaux de France 8 78.64 6 158.56 7 237.20
Dec 29, 2017 – Jan 8, 2018 United States 2018 U.S. Championships 12 74.95 10 149.25 9 224.20
Jan 22–28, 2018 Taiwan 2018 Four Continents Championships 6 84.15 4 171.30 5 255.45
Mar 19–25, 2018 Italy 2018 World Championships 15 79.78 10 161.71 11 241.40

Junior level

Results in the 2007–08 season 
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Jan 20–27, 2008 United States 2008 U.S. Championships (Junior) 13 49.52 14 97.46 13 146.98
Results in the 2009–10 season 
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Jan 14–24, 2010 United States 2010 U.S. Championships (Junior) 1 62.17 3 129.69 3 191.86
Apr 1–3, 2010 Italy 2010 Gardena Spring Trophy 3 53.84 2 105.03 2 158.87
Results in the 2010–11 season 
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Aug 25–28, 2010 France 2010 JGP France 2 64.31 3 113.69 3 178.00
Sep 22–26, 2010 Japan 2010 JGP Japan 1 66.28 5 113.54 2 179.82
Dec 8–12, 2010 China 2010–11 JGP Final 5 63.78 4 117.50 4 181.28
Jan 22–30, 2011 United States 2011 U.S. Championships (Junior) 2 62.95 1 125.72 1 188.67
Feb 28 – Mar 6, 2011 South Korea 2011 World Junior Championships 5 66.96 4 126.96 5 193.92

See also

  • List of select Jewish figure skaters
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