Max Aaron

[ice coverage]

Max did awesome in the Tallinn SP He even got a new PB SP score! I am so happy for him! Hopefully he will be able to skate even better in the long

:bmrk: 2015 TALLINN TROPHY :bmrk:

Bookmarking that our discussion of Tallinn Trophy started just above.

Very proud of Max. Way to bounce back (higher than ever) from TEB.

Copying over from the Tallinn comp thread:

New PBs for Max for SP and for SP TES:

87.03 = 48.18 +38.85 (7.90 7.40 7.90 7.75 7.90)

[86.67 at Skate America; 47.96 TES.]​

---

ETA:

Max also beat his SP PCS from Skate America (which was 38.71).

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/gpusa2015/SEG001.HTM​

His PB for SP PCS remains at 38.95 (from 2014 Salt Lake City Classic).

http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs_pb_00010531.htm​

---

SNUGGLEBAT!

Great stuff. Those jumps were absolutely tonight. And watching his interactions with Mr Mills was very cool. Very stern-faced, Mr Mills, but he pulled Max in for a hug. I'd love to know what he said in Max's ear after he got off. Or what they were talking about in the kiss'n'cry, since there was no sound.

Also in cute SnuggleBat moments: he hugs the flower girls who look like their day just got totally made.

For those who want to skip ahead to Max's SP, his name is announced at approx. 2:13:54:

https://youtu.be/Hfjs7nohBYg?t=2h13m54s [ETA, sorry: link now is dead]​

[Warm-up for Max's group starts at approx. 1:53:40: https://youtu.be/Hfjs7nohBYg?t=1h53m40s (ETA, sorry: link now is dead)]​

Just curious: does Mills has a reputation for being stern? He seemed so warm in the TSL interview.
(Not saying that warm = lenient. When working with her skaters, Kori combines warm support and strong discipline, I would say.)
Anyway, hope to see the stills that photographers were snapping of Max and Phillip. Dream team.

(The lack of Kiss and Cry audio made for more cuteness, with Max speaking to the camera, always wanting to say hello to his family, without realizing that no one could hear him.)

 

[ice coverage]

Max photos:

(A) IN's gallery "Backstage at Tallinn Trophy"

http://web.icenetwork.com/photos/157592758 (six photos so far)​

#2 Max A and Phillip

#3 Max A, Maddie, Phillip, Dalilah

#5 Max A and Phillip in the SP Kiss and Cry

#6 Maddie, Max S, Dalilah in the SP Kiss and Cry​

(B) Max at TEB in his SP starting pose

https://www.flickr.com/photos/slapongraphie/23016090896/​

 

[tulosai]

Max photos:

(A) IN's gallery "Backstage at Tallinn Trophy"

http://web.icenetwork.com/photos/157592758 (six photos so far)​

#2 Max A and Phillip

#3 Max A, Maddie, Phillip, Dalilah

#5 Max A and Phillip in the SP Kiss and Cry

#6 Maddie, Max S, Dalilah in the SP Kiss and Cry​

(B) Max at TEB in his SP starting pose

https://www.flickr.com/photos/slapongraphie/23016090896/​

Thanks for these! Just awesome!

 

[karne]

Just curious: does Mills has a reputation for being stern? He seemed so warm in the TSL interview.
(Not saying that warm = lenient. When working with her skaters, Kori combines warm support and strong discipline, I would say.)
Anyway, hope to see the stills that photographers were snapping of Max and Phillip. Dream team.

(The lack of Kiss and Cry audio made for more cuteness, with Max speaking to the camera, always wanting to say hello his family, without realizing that no one could hear him.)

It's quite possible that that was Mills' "game face", rather than anything else. For me, the body language was much more important. Mills was warm there, for sure. It's nice to see him out and about at Max's competitions!!! I hope he accompanies our SnuggleBat to Worlds, if all goes well. If he does, I shall find him and thank him most profusely.

Max talking to the camera with no sound was so cute.

Of course this means Max is skating last tonight, and it's not all karne-friendly like last night. More like 2:30am.

Updated link to SnuggleBat SP because they appear to have removed the video from last night.

 

[georgia]

Mills is a very sweet man. Students love him!

 

[karne]

Mills is a very sweet man. Students love him!

:luv17: He's also clearly a genius!

*whines* Why is it so long until the LP? I want to seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it!

 

[ice coverage]

Quote from Max re his Tallinn results:

Aaron makes quick turnaround, wins gold in Tallinn
Skater goes straight from Bompard to Estonia; Pierce takes bronze

Posted 11/19/15 by U.S. Figure Skating
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2015...n-makes-quick-turnaround-wins-gold-in-tallinn​

"This was a good competition for me here in Estonia," Aaron said. "My skates were not perfect, but with every opportunity I get to compete, I keep learning and can't wait for the U.S. championships in January."​

---

The Inside Edge: Recalling 'eerie' day at Bompard
Skaters agree with decision to cancel event; ...

Posted 11/19/15
by Sarah S. Brannen, special to icenetwork
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2015/11/19/157673964/the-inside-edge-recalling-eerie-day-at-bompard​

Excerpt:

The ladies, men's and dance practices went ahead as scheduled Saturday morning. The skaters said that after the practice, security came to the facility and did a thorough inspection of everyone who entered the building.

"The whole week we just walked in, but that day they closed all the doors, patted us down, checked every bag," Castelli said. "No spectators were allowed in, except credentialed people. Max [Aaron] was telling me that they were tying all the doors shut, even closet doors."​

 

[tulosai]

Glad to hear he views this as a positive experience, like he should! I think he should be very proud of his efforts overall, and I'm glad he had this chance to compete

 

[ice coverage]

Forgot to say that the Men's victory ceremony is included in the Ladies FS video on the Tallinn Trophy YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/6LYyCUY03_A?t=1h39m50s (Men's medal ceremony begins at approx. 1:39:50)

[Warning that this video is likely to vanish before long.]

ETA:

The full-length version of the Ladies FS video has been restored at the link above. The Men's medal ceremony now begins at approx. 4:05:40.

https://youtu.be/6LYyCUY03_A?t=4h5m40s (after the ceremony, Max leaves the ice at approx. 4:12:55)

[I still fear that the video will be taken down before long.]​

 

[karne]

Forgot to say that the Men's victory ceremony is included in the Ladies FS video on the Tallin Trophy YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/6LYyCUY03_A?t=1h39m50s (Men's medal ceremony begins at approx. 1:39:50)

[Warning that this video is likely to vanish before long.]

This video is like an overdose of SnuggleBat adorableness including lots of goofing off on the podium and Max attempting to get off the ice at least three times but Dmitri calls him back so they can take a photo together on his phone.

Proud of our SnuggleBat! :yes:

EDIT:

I'll just drop off this Lynn Rutherford tweet also.

Heard from Phillip Mills in Tallinn. He's thrilled w/@MaxTAaron's L4 steps in FS today & pleased w/choreography & spins. #TallinnTrophy

So happy that Mr Mills is happy!

But please don't be too pleased Mr Mills...I think everyone would like to see that giant pause gone by Nationals. Oh lord, can you imagine the whinging if Max wins with it in there?

EDIT2:

Even happier now because I have been officially cleared of a fracture in my wrist! :dance:

 

[iluvtodd]

Woohoo, Max!

 

[ice coverage]

Here's something cool:

None other than Max is #1 in the ISU Season's World Ranking at the moment. #1 among all men, not just U.S. men.
​

1 1183 Max AARON
2 1020 Daniel SAMOHIN
3 973 Dmitri ALIEV
4 958 Shoma UNO
5 894 Jason BROWN
6 891 Deniss VASILJEVS
7 812 Konstantin MENSHOV
8 796 Matteo RIZZO
9 662 Patrick CHAN
10 660 Maxim KOVTUN
11 651 Timothy DOLENSKY
11 651 Alexander SAMARIN
13 648 Daisuke MURAKAMI
14 616 Han YAN
15 614 Michal BREZINA
16 610 Yuzuru HANYU
17 585 Julian Zhi Jie YEE
18 562 Adam RIPPON
19 550 Artur DMITRIEV
20 545 Kevin AYMOZ ...
http://www.isuresults.com/ws/wr/wrmen.htm​

And by my quickie eyeballing, I think it's very possible that Max will remain at #1 even after Rostelecom.

(I fully realize that Max is at an advantage because he has competed in more events than other senior men. But I still am tickled to see him in the #1 position.)​

The caption of this rather cute photo of Max is what tipped me off.

https://www.facebook.com/EdeaSkates...37597.162174190590029/598546753619435/?type=3​

---

This video is like an overdose of SnuggleBat adorableness including lots of goofing off on the podium and Max attempting to get off the ice at least three times but Dmitri calls him back so they can take a photo together on his phone.

Proud of our SnuggleBat! :yes:

EDIT:

I'll just drop off this Lynn Rutherford tweet also.

So happy that Mr Mills is happy! ...

EDIT2:

Even happier now because I have been officially cleared of a fracture in my wrist! :dance:

Happy to hear about your wrist, karne.

And thx for the Lynn Rutherford tweet re Phillip Mills.

So ... at the medal ceremony, was I seeing Max trying to coax one of the flower girls to fill the empty third spot on podium (because Deniss was absent)? Cute.

 

[Skatefan15]

So, since Jason has officially withdrawn from NHK, wondering if there is any way Max could go in his place? Just a thought.

 

[ice coverage]

So, since Jason has officially withdrawn from NHK, wondering if there is any way Max could go in his place? Just a thought.

No, Max is not eligible for the NHK vacancy ... unless the existing rules are changed b/c of the unforeseen cancellation of all the TEB free skates.

According to the existing rules, a skater is not allowed to compete at more than two GPs. Max already competed at Skate America and TEB this season.

 

[karne]

So ... at the medal ceremony, was I seeing Max trying to coax one of the flower girls to fill the empty third spot on podium (because Deniss was absent)? Cute.

I think so. It was so cute. And he and Dmitri seemed to be having a joke about it too. Our SnuggleBat makes friends so easily! :yes:

So, since Jason has officially withdrawn from NHK, wondering if there is any way Max could go in his place? Just a thought.

Alas, that would be nice, but no. He's already had two GPs.

 

[ice coverage]

Just noticed a super-nice message from Vincent Zhou when Max won Skate America:

govincentzhou

I am almost in tears right now. I want to take this moment to give a huge congratulations to my training partner Max Aaron for becoming the 2015 Skate America Champion!!! What an incredible feeling! He works so hard every day, not only on his jumps, but also on his spins, artistry, and presentation. He truly deserves this victory! @maxtaaron @coachtomz @usfigureskating @isufigureskating
https://instagram.com/p/9P2vgDuuP4/ (Oct 25)​

Meanwhile, congratulations to Vincent, the new Senior Men's winner at Midwestern Sectionals.
He already had a bye to Nats, but wanted to compete again before the JGPF.
(Thanks to Mrs. P for all the news about Vincent's success at Sectionals. http://goldenskate.com/forum/showth...gure-Skating&p=1295467&viewfull=1#post1295467 )

---

BTW, after Rostelecom, Max still is #1 in the ISU Season's World Ranking (again, I do realize his advantage b/c of more comps):

1 1183 Max AARON
2 1020 Daniel SAMOHIN
3 973 Dmitri ALIEV
4 958 Shoma UNO
5 894 Jason BROWN
6 891 Deniss VASILJEVS
7 854 Adam RIPPON
8 815 Adian PITKEEV
9 812 Konstantin MENSHOV
10 800 Javier FERNANDEZ
11 796 Matteo RIZZO
12 780 Ross MINER ...
http://www.isuresults.com/ws/wr/wrmen.htm​

---

I think so. It was so cute. And he and Dmitri seemed to be having a joke about it too. Our SnuggleBat makes friends so easily! :yes: ....

Thus the :laugh15: Snuggle- in SnuggleBat.

 

[ice coverage]

A tiny consolation for Jason's withdrawal from NHK is the nice Skate America photo accompanying Hersh's article, showing our favorite gold and bronze medalists:

Injured back sidelines skater Jason Brown

By Philip Hersh
November 21, 2015, 3:21 PM
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...elines-skater-jason-brown-20151121-story.html​

Wishing Jason a quick recovery.

 

[karne]

Just noticed a super-nice message from Vincent Zhou when Max won Skate America:

govincentzhou

I am almost in tears right now. I want to take this moment to give a huge congratulations to my training partner Max Aaron for becoming the 2015 Skate America Champion!!! What an incredible feeling! He works so hard every day, not only on his jumps, but also on his spins, artistry, and presentation. He truly deserves this victory! @maxtaaron @coachtomz @usfigureskating @isufigureskating
https://instagram.com/p/9P2vgDuuP4/ (Oct 25)​

Such a sweet message from Vincent! Congratulations to him on winning his Sectionals, and I am looking forward to seeing him at Nationals.

A tiny consolation for Jason's withdrawal from NHK is the nice Skate America photo accompanying Hersh's article, showing our favorite gold and bronze medalists:

Injured back sidelines skater Jason Brown

By Philip Hersh
November 21, 2015, 3:21 PM
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...elines-skater-jason-brown-20151121-story.html​

Wishing Jason a quick recovery.

Love that picture! :yes:


First Josh and now Jason...I wanted more than anything to see Max in Boston, but if this is the price, it's not one I'm willing to pay. :sad46:

 

[musicfan80]

First Josh and now Jason...I wanted more than anything to see Max in Boston, but if this is the price, it's not one I'm willing to pay. :sad46:

Same here - not sure how good friends Max is with Jason or Josh - they seem friendly and supportive enough (which is great to see - the Evan/Johnny rivalry made me cringe to watch). I think Max also wanted to do well in a really competitive U.S. Nationals before heading to 4CCs/Worlds.

 

[ice coverage]

Couple of new-ish photos of Max:

Max at the rink in Arizona (over Thanksgiving) with Camden Pulkinen, a rising star among U.S. junior men:

https://twitter.com/Karen_Gesell/status/670731696166166528 (Nov 28)​

Aliev's on-ice "selfie" with Max after the Tallinn medal ceremony:

https://www.instagram.com/p/-TKVCaJXeL/ (Nov 20)
https://twitter.com/aliev_dmitriy/status/671083176710823936​

And below is another snapshot of ISU stats. After NHK, Max is:

#5 on the Season's Bests list for Total score http://www.isuresults.com/isujsstat/sb2015-16/sbtsmto.htm

1 322.40 Yuzuru HANYU JPN ISU GP NHK Trophy 2015 28.11.2015
2 271.43 Javier FERNANDEZ ESP ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2015 21.11.2015
3 271.14 Patrick CHAN CAN ISU GP Skate Canada International 2015 31.10.2015
4 266.43 Boyang JIN CHN ISU GP NHK Trophy 2015 28.11.2015
5 258.95 Max AARON USA ISU GP 2015 Progressive Skate America 24.10.2015
6 257.43 Shoma UNO JPN ISU GP 2015 Progressive Skate America 24.10.2015
7 252.25 Daisuke MURAKAMI JPN ISU GP Skate Canada International 2015 31.10.2015
8 250.47 Adian PITKEEV RUS ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2015 21.11.2015
9 248.92 Ross MINER USA ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2015 21.11.2015
10 248.63 Adam RIPPON USA ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2015 21.11.2015​

#7 on the Season's Bests list for SP score http://www.isuresults.com/isujsstat/sb2015-16/sbtsmsp.htm

1 322.40 Yuzuru HANYU JPN ISU GP NHK Trophy 2015 28.11.2015
2 271.43 Javier FERNANDEZ ESP ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2015 21.11.2015
3 271.14 Patrick CHAN CAN ISU GP Skate Canada International 2015 31.10.2015
4 266.43 Boyang JIN CHN ISU GP NHK Trophy 2015 28.11.2015
5 258.95 Max AARON USA ISU GP 2015 Progressive Skate America 24.10.2015
6 257.43 Shoma UNO JPN ISU GP 2015 Progressive Skate America 24.10.2015
7 252.25 Daisuke MURAKAMI JPN ISU GP Skate Canada International 2015 31.10.2015
8 250.47 Adian PITKEEV RUS ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2015 21.11.2015
9 248.92 Ross MINER USA ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2015 21.11.2015
10 248.63 Adam RIPPON USA ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2015 21.11.​

#5 on the Season's Bests list for FS score http://www.isuresults.com/isujsstat/sb2015-16/sbtsmfs.htm

1 216.07 Yuzuru HANYU JPN ISU GP NHK Trophy 2015 28.11.2015
2 190.33 Patrick CHAN CAN ISU GP Skate Canada International 2015 31.10.2015
3 184.44 Javier FERNANDEZ ESP ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2015 21.11.2015
4 176.65 Shoma UNO JPN ISU GP 2015 Progressive Skate America 24.10.2015
5 172.28 Max AARON USA ISU GP 2015 Progressive Skate America 24.10.2015
6 171.37 Daisuke MURAKAMI JPN ISU GP Skate Canada International 2015 31.10.2015
7 171.18 Boyang JIN CHN ISU GP Audi Cup of China 2015 07.11.2015
8 169.86 Adam RIPPON USA ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2015 21.11.2015
9 168.33 Mikhail KOLYADA RUS ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2015 21.11.2015
10 163.80 Elladj BALDE CAN ISU CS Nebelhorn Trophy 2015 25.09.2015
11 163.56 Ross MINER USA ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2015 21.11.2015​

#1 in Season's World Ranking http://www.isuresults.com/ws/wr/wrmen.htm

#11 in World Standings http://www.isuresults.com/ws/ws/wsmen.htm

1 4465 Yuzuru HANYU JPN
2 3800 Javier FERNANDEZ ESP
3 3680 Sergei VORONOV RUS
4 3639 Denis TEN KAZ
5 3438 Jason BROWN USA
6 3380 Maxim KOVTUN RUS
7 3051 Takahito MURA JPN
8 2896 Michal BREZINA CZE
9 2764 Shoma UNO JPN
10 2723 Nam NGUYEN CAN
11 2611 Max AARON USA
12 2606 Misha GE UZB
13 2564 Konstantin MENSHOV RUS
14 2493 Adam RIPPON USA​