Max Aaron: "I'm shooting for Olympic gold" (per IN, May 21)

pangtongfan · May 26, 2013

There is nothing wrong with having huge dreams. I mean he is clearly delusional for the moment, but sometimes you have to reach for the moon just to hit the stars, and in order to climb to top 5 or maybe a bronze, he has to have the mindset he is going for something like the gold, in order to have the incentive to make the huge improvements he needs to even reach the former.

karne · May 26, 2013

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pangtongfan said:
There is nothing wrong with having huge dreams. I mean he is clearly delusional for the moment, but sometimes you have to reach for the moon just to hit the stars, and in order to climb to top 5 or maybe a bronze, he has to have the mindset he is going for something like the gold, in order to have the incentive to make the huge improvements he needs to even reach the former.

Is he? He's planning five quads and in spite of the hysteria he's not completely lacking in the PCS department. (Certainly he'll always have speed covered.) He's solid in competition and doesn't seem to buckle under pressure. Sure, he's no super-favourite-with-a-squillion-fall-cushion like Chan or even Hanyu, but who says he couldn't come out on top if he blew it out of the ballpark?

Mathman · May 26, 2013

If Aaron lands five quality quads and doesn't give anything back on his other jumps, his PCS will automatically rise whether he improves his choreography and interpretation or not.

Still, others do have that cushion and will have to make lots of mistakes for Aaron to have a chance at the top prize, IMHO.

FSGMT · May 26, 2013

Well, "I'm shooting for the gold" seems too much: we have to remember that there is still Fernandez, who plans 3 quads in the FS as well and has far better PCS, and, if Aaron makes even one mistake (when you plan 5 quads, making a mistake is more than probable!), Javier can outscore him, and so do Chan, Hanyu and Plushenko, even making mistakes (because of the PCS obviously). Ans notice that at 4CC he skates a clean FS (just a couple of minor mistakes) with two quads and two 3As: his score was 162.19; that score would have been out of the top3 at Worlds, even adding 3-4 points for a third quad's BV... A top5 finish is absolutely possible, but the gold... :rolleye:

ice coverage · May 26, 2013

pangtongfan said:
There is nothing wrong with having huge dreams. I mean he is clearly delusional for the moment, but sometimes you have to reach for the moon just to hit the stars, and in order to climb to top 5 or maybe a bronze, he has to have the mindset he is going for something like the gold, in order to have the incentive to make the huge improvements he needs to even reach the former.

Aaron has spoken before about believing in himself when few others did. Would be wonderful for him to reach the podium in Sochi along with his friend Chan. (And/or with Ten and/or with Reynolds.)

I would call Aaron's goal of Olympic gold ambitious, not delusional. Just ask Sarah Hughes. :yes:

silverlake22 · May 26, 2013

Aaron winning gold is highly unlikely, but I wouldn't say it's delusional. He realistically has a chance at bronze, his PCS aren't great, but they aren't so low that with a great performance they couldn't go up enough to give him a chance at a medal, maybe even gold. I mean look at Kevin Reynolds! Also 2 years ago Javi had PCS in the 6s, then at the start of the 2011-2012 season when he started hitting the quad consistently and performing well in competition, all of a sudden his marks jumped into the 8s. Yes, his skating improved, but I think also moving from a relatively unknown status to a big jumper and thus contender status helped the marks go up. Reynolds beat 2 primary medal contenders for Sochi (Hanyu and Dai) at 4CC this year, sure, he had the skate of his life while the other two did not skate well by their standards, but the point is that Reynolds still won. If he can why not Max? They are actually pretty comparable from a PCS standpoint, and they both have the quads which help close the gap from the top men in the areas they aren't as strong in (artistry, spins, etc.). When Joubert was young he was the same way, not great artistic marks or programs, and while he's always been super handsome, he didn't have the confidence or entertainment factor when he was first starting out (i'm thinking 2002-2004 ish) but he was able to get to the top eventually through consistently landing hard jumps.

TontoK · May 26, 2013

We forget that Max has been on the senior circuit a very short time. He is still a developing skater, especially in terms of artistry.

His programs from last season are not likely to be of the same caliber that we'll see next season. At this age and stage of development, artistic progress can happen rapidly.

You may not agree with what he's doing... and hey, I'm skeptical about a new-age Carmen myself... but at least he's taking some action to address his self-acknowledged weak spots.

No, I don't believe we'll take a look at him next year and proclaim the second coming of John Curry. But I do think we'll see tremendous improvement in PCS, and I believe his scores will reflect that improvement.

Offtopic: These same comments can apply to Gracie Gold.

ForeverFish · May 26, 2013

pangtongfan said:
There is nothing wrong with having huge dreams. I mean he is clearly delusional for the moment, but sometimes you have to reach for the moon just to hit the stars, and in order to climb to top 5 or maybe a bronze, he has to have the mindset he is going for something like the gold, in order to have the incentive to make the huge improvements he needs to even reach the former.

:disapp: Since when did having a "pie in the sky" goal make someone delusional? A skater like Max, who's struggled to get good results his whole career and FINALLY broke through this season, is anything but unrealistic about his abilities.

snowflake · May 26, 2013

Wow, Max has high ambitions. I think he's in a good flow right now; "Everything in life is super and I can succeed with whatever I want to do." Good for him and VERY exciting to see how it works out. As for the LP music I do hope it's something different from the same old same music that sticks annoyingly to my brain after every Carmen performance :disagree:

Go Max, the new crowd pleaser :rock:

karne said:
And I'd rather see a field of individuals than a field of same-same Abbott-wannabes anyday.

LOL where are they? I admire Jeremy for his great skating skills, lovely moves and that he can really dance to any music. AND that he goes for a quad in spite of having troubles with it

I would love to see some wannabes :thumbsup:

ForeverFish · May 26, 2013

snowflake said:
LOL where are they? I admire Jeremy for his great skating skills, lovely moves and that he can really dance to any music. AND that he goes for a quad in spite of having troubles with it I would love to see some wannabes :thumbsup:

Jeremy would get better results if he landed all of his triples (including the beautiful axel) but ditched the quad. The guy will be 28 in a week. If he's not landing the quad now, after attempting it for so long, he probably never will.

snowflake · May 26, 2013

^
Maybe... but if Jeremy sees the quad as a must for Sochi I admire him for his efforts :clap:

dardar1126 · May 26, 2013

pangtongfan said:
There is nothing wrong with having huge dreams. I mean he is clearly delusional for the moment, but sometimes you have to reach for the moon just to hit the stars, and in order to climb to top 5 or maybe a bronze, he has to have the mindset he is going for something like the gold, in order to have the incentive to make the huge improvements he needs to even reach the former.

I agree (well, not with the "delusional" part

). Since Max is planning 2 quads in SP and 3 quads in LP, it'd take a strong attitude and goal to get him through the hours of practice...the sweat, the falls, the searing lungs and aching muscles. He's referred to the quad as "the beast" and has said that he likes "...to play with the beast."

TontoK said:
We forget that Max has been on the senior circuit a very short time. He is still a developing skater, especially in terms of artistry.

His programs from last season are not likely to be of the same caliber that we'll see next season. At this age and stage of development, artistic progress can happen rapidly.

You may not agree with what he's doing... and hey, I'm skeptical about a new-age Carmen myself... but at least he's taking some action to address his self-acknowledged weak spots.

No, I don't believe we'll take a look at him next year and proclaim the second coming of John Curry. But I do think we'll see tremendous improvement in PCS, and I believe his scores will reflect that improvement.

Offtopic: These same comments can apply to Gracie Gold.

Yes, absolutely. This is only his second year in senior men...and he just turned 21 in February. I think the average male skater starts out working on getting the jumps consistent, and artistry goes on the back-burner somewhat. Sure, some boys are just artistic by nature, but I think most boys have to grow and mature into becoming an artist. I remember early Boitano, Eldredge, Weiss...good jumpers, mediocre artistry...but they all grew and matured into really decent artists.

Max made a huge improvement from his first year in senior men to his second (i.e. 8th to national champion). I expect that we'll see further exciting progress next season! :yes:

Jaana · May 26, 2013

golden411 said:
I would call Aaron's goal of Olympic gold ambitious, not delusional. Just ask Sarah Hughes. :yes:

Aaron has not stood on Worlds podium before the Olympics, but Sarah had. That´s the big difference and that lack makes Aaron´s goal unrealistic, in my opinion. A bronze medal might be realistic, but still unlikely for a guy who has skated only one season as a senior.

ice coverage · May 26, 2013

dardar1126 said:
.... Max made a huge improvement from his first year in senior men to his second (i.e. 8th to national champion). I expect that we'll see further exciting progress next season! :yes:

Jaana said:
Aaron has not stood on Worlds podium before the Olympics, but Sarah had. That´s the big difference and that lack makes Aaron´s goal unrealistic, in my opinion. A bronze medal might be realistic, but still unlikely for a guy who has skated only one season as a senior.

Jaana, true about Hughes and her world medal. Good point.

[Footnote: As dardar noted above, Aaron just finished his second season as a senior.]

I myself still would not bet against Aaron for gold.

dardar1126 · May 26, 2013

golden411 said:
I myself still would not bet against Aaron for gold.

^^Yeah THAT!^^ :agree: Nobody knows how this will all shake out in the end. But we do know that Max will work his butt off, give everything he has, and will do his very best. :yes:

Skater Boy · May 26, 2013

I appreciate his ambition. I wish would have that ambition to increase his content and artistry. I don't think Chan has enough to win at the same time a lot of people talk the quad or quads but can they deliver???Takahashi isn't that consisgtent with the quad now is he? Chan won't win unless he gets a coach; he is crazy and it might be too late to add an other quad. Lots of talk from skaters but we'll see. In the old days and even now a quad filled routine or difficult jump doesn't translae into medals necessarily. Look at slow Jennifer Robinson with seven triples and in I think 14th.As for Carmen I love the hype it is like to try to get him extra marks butt he moednern or new Carmen has been done by the Canadian dance duo Virtue and Moir aready. Sometimes I think this is all chit chat I am in a new stage of mind, I am practicing harder than ever, my jups and spins are beter - but often not delivered. Aaron maybe shooting for gold and I am dreaming of beign skinny but can it be done or is it likely to be done???

aftertherain · May 27, 2013

Jaana said:
Aaron has not stood on Worlds podium before the Olympics, but Sarah had. That´s the big difference and that lack makes Aaron´s goal unrealistic, in my opinion. A bronze medal might be realistic, but still unlikely for a guy who has skated only one season as a senior.

If you're talking in terms of Olympic medals of any color: Paul Wylie.

Went to Worlds three times, didn't medal at a single one. Wasn't even close.

But I get your point.

ice coverage · May 27, 2013

Skater Boy said:
I appreciate his ambition. I wish would have that ambition to increase his content and artistry.

... Aaron maybe shooting for gold and I am dreaming of beign skinny but can it be done or is it likely to be done???

Your last sentence just might be the funniest line that I have ever read on GS.
I too am dreaming of being svelte.

[ Meanwhile, I think that Aaron does have the ambition to improve his artistry as well as his jumps.

]

aftertherain said:
If you're talking in terms of Olympic medals of any color: Paul Wylie.

Went to Worlds three times, didn't medal at a single one. Wasn't even close.

But I get your point.

Thanks, ATR. Agree that Jaana's point still is worthy, but I like your Wylie example.

karne · May 27, 2013

Skater Boy said:
I wish would have that ambition to increase his content and artistry.

Gosh, Max is going to have to repeat himself until he goes hoarse before the haters will listen, won't he?

He has SAID, MULTIPLE TIMES, that he knows the artistry is his weak point and that HE IS WORKING ON IT. One day, maybe, you'll actually listen to him.

Jaana · May 27, 2013

aftertherain said:
If you're talking in terms of Olympic medals of any color: Paul Wylie.

But I get your point.

Not in the terms of any Olympic medal, this thread is about the Olympic gold medal goal. I have watched figure skating since early sixties and cannot remember that any singles skater has won the Olympic gold medal without having stood on the Worlds podium earlier.

Max Aaron: "I'm shooting for Olympic gold" (per IN, May 21)

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