Max Aaron skates his way to a gold medal at the 2013 U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Omaha, NE, January 2013. (Courtesy USFSA)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI grew up looking to all those Jewish athletes for inspiration,\u201d Aaron told JTA. \u201cI always thought the list needed to be longer. We needed to have a stronger representation of Jewish athletes, and I\u2019m so happy that I\u2019m part of them now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Next month, Aaron will represent the United States at the World Figure Skating Championships in Canada. If he and nationals’ runner-up Ross Miner combine to finish at least among the top 13, the U.S. will be able to send three skaters to the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.<\/p>\n
While the thought of facing some of the world\u2019s top figure skaters might seem intimidating, Aaron is confident he\u2019ll be prepared. After all, he\u2019s been preparing for the competition since he was 3.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a really difficult sport because you\u2019re literally using every inch of your body,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m a little nervous to see who I\u2019m facing, but we all put our pants and skates on the same way, and I\u2019m focusing on training the hardest I can. And when I get nervous, I\u2019ll just pray.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aaron\u2019s training — and perhaps his praying — certainly paid off in Omaha. Bringing some attitude to the ice, he emptied his vault of tricks to songs from \u201cWest Side Story,\u201d snapping his fingers and making faces to the music. His twirls had the audience and judges roaring, and his final score of 225 points was enough to send three-time U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott to third place.<\/p>\n
Aaron, who was raised in a traditionally Conservative Jewish home in Scottsdale, spends numerous hours a day on the ice. As a boy his main passion was hockey; Aaron laced up his figure skates on the weekends. He would go on to join multiple hockey leagues, competing in the USA Hockey nationals in 2006 and 2007.<\/p>\n
But after suffering a back injury four years ago that nearly ended his career, Aaron realized he couldn\u2019t juggle two sports, and he decided to focus on figure skating. He went from placing 13th at the nationals in 2007 to eighth place in the Midwestern sectionals in 2008, to earning high marks in 2011 and 2012, and this year taking the national title.<\/p>\n
Aaron is smaller and younger than most of his competitors but still follows the grueling regimen of figure skaters, sometimes spending eight hours a day on the ice and sticking to a strict, protein-heavy diet. The 5-foot-7 Aaron says he was inspired by Aly Raisman, the Jewish gymnast who won a gold medal at last year’s Summer Olympics in London and led the U.S. to the team title.<\/p>\n
Aaron admits that the hard work can be disheartening some days.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are definitely times where I wish my schedule was more of an ordinary kid\u2019s,\u201d Aaron said. \u201cI miss my family in Arizona, and some days, when I\u2019m really exhausted and achy, I wish I was like everyone else my age, going to college and hanging out with friends. But I know my body can only handle this for so many years, and I have to give it my all right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aaron’s gift for skating seems to run in the family. His 18-year-old sister, Madeline, is also a professional figure skater and a 2013 U.S. junior bronze medalist. His older sister, Molly, also used to skate competitively.<\/p>\n
A few years ago, the Aaron family bought a second home in Colorado, so Max and Madeline could train together at the Broadmoor Skating Club, although the two don\u2019t perform together since Madeline is a pairs skater and Max skates solo.<\/p>\n
Gold medal skater Max Aaron at this year's U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Omaha, NE this January (Courtesy USFSA)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI wanted to become a figure skater after I saw how well Max skated,\u201d Madeline said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping we get to perform one day together, but it\u2019ll take a lot of dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aaron\u2019s mother, Mindy, said her children had always wanted to be professional ice skaters. As kids, they tried every activity to see what they liked. Max, she said, was a natural.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve put in a lot of hours for this, and while it\u2019s not something that I recommend for everyone, my husband and I always try to encourage them to live up to their potential,\u201d she said. \u201cWatching the kids from the podium is always a proud moment for me, but we\u2019ve had some disappointments in the past from scouts. Max is not a very tall boy, and scouts don\u2019t usually go for the small ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mindy says her children struggled with a packed schedule, attending public school full time and ice skating in the morning and afternoons, but they were never allowed to ditch Hebrew school, which they attended three times a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to be grounded, and we try to understand the value in Jewish traditions and hobbies,\u201d she said. \u201cIce skating was important, but they always take off for the Jewish holidays.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aaron is enrolled at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, where he takes night classes after training for the world championships. He says he wants to become a sports agent once he retires as a figure skater, but hopes he can win as many titles as possible before the time comes. He also has plans for what he’d like to do with his free time after the competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve wanted to visit Israel for a while now,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve never been to the land, even though I feel deeply connected to it. I\u2019m also hoping one day my sister and I can perform there together.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Aaron_M.jpg\" "\\"Aaron_M\\"")