Max Aaron | Page 42 | Golden Skate

Max Aaron

Sidebar: Are those Edea skates they are promoting the brand that Dave Lease went on a RANT about on TSL with Papadakis and how ugly the boots look for a skater's line? Of course with men, this isn't much of an issue because they usually cover their boots up with pants, but I don't see the issue with even the ladies. But I also think that because the boots are such critical equipment, the priority should be on what "fits" the skater the best for what they need to do.

Yeah, the look of the Edeas is particularly divisive, especially with the Ice Fly because the white ones have a silver heel rather than the usual brown so they look funny on the ice. They're not a bad-looking boot when you see them in person as just a boot, but they can look ugly on the ice.

That, and the Ice Flys themselves are...shall we say, considered more of a fashion accessory by a lot of skaters rather than an actual boot. The things are designed for triples and quads and skaters are buying them because they look cool who aren't even doing single Axels.

Social media update:

Max seems to have a new additional "official Facebook fan page" (a second one viewable without a FB account):

Tom Z linked to it in a Facebook post of his own today:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=843076952457694&theater (includes the previously seen video of Max's quad axel with harness)​

Meanwhile, the previous Facebook "Official Fan Page" for Max already in the OP still exists as well -- so that link remains good too.​

Thanks for the update, golden! :yes: :yes:

I saw the tweet on my timeline from Z saying that he agreed that a quad Axel could be done and my thoughts immediately went to that video... ;)
 
More proof of Max's markedly improved results since last season :yes::

He finished third (among twelve teams) in the USFS league for fantasy football :hap93:.
Last year, he was sixth (among ten teams).

https://twitter.com/ChrisKnierim/status/681891264384516096
http://games.espn.go.com/ffl/tools/finalstandings?leagueId=1244134


Max retweeted a GIF of his quad combo from Skate America:

@MKBlades
.@MaxTAaron’s unreal win @ Skate America is #3 on our list of Top 2015 #MKMoments. Check out that #quadsal! #TeamMK
7:18 AM - 29 Dec 2015
https://twitter.com/MKBlades/status/681856715202035712

 
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Happy New Year to all my fellow SnuggleBatians! Here's to 2016 being an amazing year for our bloke!
 
Happy New Year to all my fellow SnuggleBatians! Here's to 2016 being an amazing year for our bloke!

I clicked 'thumbs-up' button then I was like :scratch2:, you made me run to my old 'Longman dictionary' at midnight on the New Year's day, karne! Nice to learn a new word of course, but I'm not so sure if I ever use words such as dude or bloke in my real life, though. :laugh:
 
I clicked 'thumbs-up' button then I was like :scratch2:, you made me run to my old 'Longman dictionary' at midnight on the New Year's day, karne! Nice to learn a new word of course, but I'm not so sure if I ever use words such as dude or bloke in my real life, though. :laugh:

:laugh:
 
ETA (on Jan 13): Came back to bookmark that :bmrk: 2016 U.S. NATIONALS :bmrk: discussion got started with this post.​


Hmmm... did Tara purposely show Max; Maddie/Max; and Ross among her study sheets? Could Tara be hinting at whom she likes for Nats?? Maybe not. Maybe so. :popcorn:


Throwback links to 2013 Nats videos (in honor of karne's recent post in the current Kiss and Cry thread):

Don't know whether the following link ever was posted in this thread?
It includes not only Max's own FS and Kiss and Cry, but also the subsequent shots of him as he waits in the athlete's lounge for the other men to skate. I loved esp. the hug from the wonderful Ross after Jeremy's skate, and then the second hug from Ross after Josh's score.
Max's interview with Andrea Joyce is at the end.
2013 US Nationals Men FS Group 4 Full Version (with helpful time-stamps in the description)
https://youtu.be/u5lCWU1Y9OM (44:30; published Feb 15, 2014)​

In an old post from the 2014 Kiss and Cry thread, I gathered some other Max and Josh links/notes from the 2013 Nats Men's FS. (Caveat that the first link in the post no longer works.)
 
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Throwback links to 2013 Nats videos (in honor of karne's recent post in the current Kiss and Cry thread):

Don't know whether the following link ever was posted in this thread?
It includes not only Max's own FS and Kiss and Cry, but also the subsequent shots of him as he waits in the athlete's lounge for the other men to skate. I loved esp. the hug from the wonderful Ross after Jeremy's skate, and then the second hug from Ross after Josh's score.
Max's interview with Andrea Joyce is at the end.
2013 US Nationals Men FS Group 4 Full Version (with helpful time-stamps in the description)
https://youtu.be/u5lCWU1Y9OM (44:30; published Feb 15, 2014)​


This is still one of my favourite moments...and I love that Josh was so pleased in the kiss and cry when Damon told him Max had won, just like, two years later, Max being so pleased that Josh had had his breakout moment...

karne is emo tonight and is going to cuddle this. :sad21:​
 
Max is discussed at length in The Blades Boys interview with Tom Z, which was recorded at the GPF.

Tom Zakrajsek Interview at Grand Prix Final 2015 (Barcelona, Spain)
Published on Jan 8, 2016
The Blade Boys cover everything from A to Zakrajsek with none other than Tom Zakrajsek (aka Coach TomZ)! He discusses this season with Max Aaron, Mirai Nagasu and Vincent Zhou, and his various coaching approaches for these skaters. And as a former pairs skater, he's got some fighting words for those who protest the higher difficulty being attempted! #MoarQuads
https://youtu.be/pqQ_FMcreoc (32:01)​

Max is discussed for twelve minutes, starting at approx. 0:48 (after they touch on the pronunciation of Vincent's name :)).

The Blade Boys thread in The Edge for the interview:

Thanks to The Blade Boys and GS.
 
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Very interesting, thanks for posting golden!

I like the positive spin Tom put on the TEB disaster.
 
Very nice scenic photo with Max (and preview of NBC fluff):

@USFigureSkating
#USChamps16 is almost here and @NBCSports is visiting @MaxTAaron in Colorado Springs. pic.twitter.com/Q5zYSiP7TC
9:52 AM - 10 Jan 2016
https://twitter.com/USFigureSkating/status/686244217136414720

ETA: Don't miss the replies from Ashley, Angela, Alexa, and Chris. :laugh:

(The NBC preview show for US Nats airs one week from today, BTW.
Sun Jan 17, 4-5 p.m. ET, check your local listings.)

ETA (on Jan 13):
5 pm ET is the revised air time for the NBC preview show.
http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2...with-preview-show-this-sun-at-5-pm-et-on-nbc/


Random throwback:

I went back to look thru old Ice Dreams photos for a post in another thread about Jason and Johnny.

A cute photo of Max that I don't remember whether I have seen before:
ICE DREAMS
Piper & Max having fun at rehearsal! — at Jamestown Savings Bank Arena.
May 16, 2013
https://www.facebook.com/IceDreamsT...47151952/10152316832311953/?type=3&permPage=1


ETA, another random throwback -- this one is an excerpt from a 2015 Skate America article:

The new Max

The winner of the gold medal at 2015 Skate America is the 23-year-old Max Aaron, but, really, not the Max we used to know .... No, this Max who took the gold at Skate America – his first gold medal in the Grand Prix circuit – is a completely changed skater, a new Max, we might say, skating with flow and ease, and, most importantly, paying attention to the music. His jumps are still his forte – apart from a stumbled double Axel at the end of his free skate, everything else was spotless – but it’s the presentation that improved tremendously during the last couple of months.

His posture on the ice, connecting steps, transitions, pirouettes, all of them are Max’s allies at the moment – and you have to say hats off to him for his strive to improve; as you’ll have to raise an imaginary hat to Phillip Mills .... Max’s tears after an impeccable short program and his overall joy while skating were among the biggest moments of this year’s edition of Skate America. ...


http://www.insideskating.net/2015/1...-firsts-and-a-bonus-prize-from-inside-skating (posted Oct 29)​

I love the line about posture, steps, transitions, pirouettes now being Max's allies. :luv17:​
 
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Very nice scenic photo with Max (and preview of NBC fluff):

@USFigureSkating
#USChamps16 is almost here and @NBCSports is visiting @MaxTAaron in Colorado Springs.
9:52 AM - 10 Jan 2016
https://twitter.com/USFigureSkating/status/686244217136414720 (see attached photo)​

ETA: Don't miss the replies from Ashley and Angela. :laugh:

:rofl2: Oh my god, SnuggleBat, you and your shoes!

(The NBC preview show for US Nats airs one week from today, BTW.
Sun Jan 17, 4-5 p.m. ET, check your local listings.)

I am being a very very good SnuggleBat fan and hoping that it will magically appear on Youtube. :agree2:

The new Max

The winner of the gold medal at 2015 Skate America is the 23-year-old Max Aaron, but, really, not the Max we used to know .... No, this Max who took the gold at Skate America – his first gold medal in the Grand Prix circuit – is a completely changed skater, a new Max, we might say, skating with flow and ease, and, most importantly, paying attention to the music. His jumps are still his forte – apart from a stumbled double Axel at the end of his free skate, everything else was spotless – but it’s the presentation that improved tremendously during the last couple of months.

His posture on the ice, connecting steps, transitions, pirouettes, all of them are Max’s allies at the moment – and you have to say hats off to him for his strive to improve; as you’ll have to raise an imaginary hat to Phillip Mills .... Max’s tears after an impeccable short program and his overall joy while skating were among the biggest moments of this year’s edition of Skate America. ...


http://www.insideskating.net/2015/1...-firsts-and-a-bonus-prize-from-inside-skating (posted Oct 29)​
[/INDENT][/INDENT]

:luv17: :luv17:

I can't wait to see how amazing the programs look now!
 
More bits:

:rofl2: Oh my god, SnuggleBat, you and your shoes! ...

A different scenic photo of a pensive Max is from the same shoot, I believe.
This one shows his face (not to mention a better view of his new shoes, it so happens ;)).

Throwing back to the end of the year, I think a few glimpses of Max are in Ashley's mini-vid of her training at the World Arena:

Not surprisingly, Max is scheduled for a USFS pre-Nats media teleconference this week.
 
Tweets re Max's USFS pre-Nats media teleconference today:

Michelle Kennedy ‏@ExaminerSkating
“I’m looking forward to hopefully win another title.” @MaxTAaron #USChamps16
1:28 PM - 13 Jan 2016
https://twitter.com/ExaminerSkating/status/687385837810499584

@ifsmagazine
@MaxTAaron Winning a title amazing-I want to master the process of skating clean. Love when the pressure is on - just need to fine tune that
1:32 PM - 13 Jan 2016
https://twitter.com/ifsmagazine/status/687386702927818752

@LynnRutherford
#USChamps16 call: @MaxTAaron's immediate focus is still to improve his artistry: "I would love to put the quad toe back, once I master that"
1:33 PM - 13 Jan 2016
https://twitter.com/LynnRutherford/status/687387111822065665

ETA:

The link to the audio for Max's media call:

Lots of interesting stuff from Max on the call, on topics such as: his artistic process with Phillip; Max's love of ballet; changes to his FS since Tallinn; etc.; etc.​


Random throwback photos -- of Max's Gladiator FS when he was a Novice Man at US Nats in 2007:

Max placed fourth in the SP; fifth in the FS; fifth overall. (And BTW, Molly Aaron was eleventh overall as a Novice Lady.)


ETA, scheduling update re NBC preview of Nats -- airing on Sun Jan 17.

New air time is 5 pm ET. Check your local listings. (Old time was 4 pm ET.)

http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2...with-preview-show-this-sun-at-5-pm-et-on-nbc/ (Jan 13)​
 
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I particularly loved this:

“We worked a lot on the long program and the slow section we shortened that up a bit,” Max explained. “I didn’t want to have that long of a rest. Even though I would love to have that long of a rest, I wanted to keep the audience more engaged…”

THE PAUSE IS GONE! :yes2:

karne is listening to the conference call:

- oh my god, the very first question was about artistry. Is this going to be like the men's SP conference from last year's Nats where all the questions were about the quad?
- listening to the music and feeling the emotions it invokes :luv17:
- it's been tough, but it's the road he's chosen to pick
- yep, question 2 is artistry also
- Max loves the ballet :love: (his tone of voice when he talks about watching ballet is adorable)
- He wants a program that's more true to him. "It may not look like that, but it's something that I love and enjoy, and that's what I wanted to bring out this season."
- Question 3: ARTISTRY morphing into a question of balance with jumps
- GOOD LORD PEOPLE HAVE YOU NEVER HEARD OF KEEPING THE QUESTION SHORT
- the bigger the movement, the bigger the breath you can take
- he finds it fun: "I didn't know I could do that, really!"
- follow up question to 3 is about the big scores of the top guys - quad toe?
- would love to put the quad toe back in
- he didn't have that second score to back him up before, he wanted to be a more balanced skater
- Max is very echoey, I wonder where he's doing this?
- he's not worried about the quad toe, it's something he can do
- Question 4 is about the changes to the programs
- SHORTEN UP THE SLOW SECTION, he did not want to have that long rest (he really emphasises the word "want") :hap93:
- working on the spins, cleaning them up and aiming for level 4
- cleaning up the lines, making every movement as big as possible
- Question 5: backing up from TEB to Tallinn
- TEB was not the way he'd trained
- he's glad it happened because he thought he was getting to overconfident in his abilities
- he was proud of himself that he proved to himself he could hit the programs again in Tallinn
- Question 6: his biggest concern going into Nationals
- not a concern per se, but he has goals, he wants to live in the moment, he doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself or too low
- he wants to do two clean programs "and I'll lay up where I lay up"
- Follow up of 6: what it would mean to recapture his title
- It would mean a lot but it would mean even more to do two clean programs
- He wants to be up there with "them" (the top guys putting up those huge scores)
- he loves the pressure and he wants to fine tune that
- That awkward silence when the host person prompts the journalists for questions and no-one answers
- Max thanks the journalists as the call ends.
 
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I particularly loved this:

“We worked a lot on the long program and the slow section we shortened that up a bit,” Max explained. “I didn’t want to have that long of a rest. Even though I would love to have that long of a rest, I wanted to keep the audience more engaged…”

THE PAUSE IS GONE! :yes2:

karne is listening to the conference call: ...

Many thx for transcribing the call in such detail :bow:.

I had listened to the call, and did not get the impression that the pause is completely gone. But that it is shorter :).

Just don't want anyone to expect too much and be surprised if the pause has been only reduced and not completely eliminated.

In any case, the way that the words came out Max's mouth was so cute that it made me laugh (laugh with :yes: Max, not at him):
That (I'm paraphrasing) he did not want to take that long of a rest ... although his body would love to have that long of a rest.

- the bigger the movement, the bigger the breath you can take
- he finds it fun: "I didn't know I could do that, really!"
His explanation about breathing was one of my favorite parts of the call.
Very interesting, plus the way Max expressed himself again made me smile.
 
I particularly loved this:



THE PAUSE IS GONE! :yes2:

karne is listening to the conference call:

- oh my god, the very first question was about artistry. Is this going to be like the men's SP conference from last year's Nats where all the questions were about the quad?
- listening to the music and feeling the emotions it invokes :luv17:
- it's been tough, but it's the road he's chosen to pick
- yep, question 2 is artistry also
- Max loves the ballet :love: (his tone of voice when he talks about watching ballet is adorable)
- He wants a program that's more true to him. "It may not look like that, but it's something that I love and enjoy, and that's what I wanted to bring out this season."
- Question 3: ARTISTRY morphing into a question of balance with jumps
- GOOD LORD PEOPLE HAVE YOU NEVER HEARD OF KEEPING THE QUESTION SHORT
- the bigger the movement, the bigger the breath you can take
- he finds it fun: "I didn't know I could do that, really!"
- follow up question to 3 is about the big scores of the top guys - quad toe?
- would love to put the quad toe back in
- he didn't have that second score to back him up before, he wanted to be a more balanced skater
- Max is very echoey, I wonder where he's doing this?
- he's not worried about the quad toe, it's something he can do
- Question 4 is about the changes to the programs
- SHORTEN UP THE SLOW SECTION, he did not want to have that long rest (he really emphasises the word "want") :hap93:
- working on the spins, cleaning them up and aiming for level 4
- cleaning up the lines, making every movement as big as possible
- Question 5: backing up from TEB to Tallinn
- TEB was not the way he'd trained
- he's glad it happened because he thought he was getting to overconfident in his abilities
- he was proud of himself that he proved to himself he could hit the programs again in Tallinn
- Question 6: his biggest concern going into Nationals
- not a concern per se, but he has goals, he wants to live in the moment, he doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself or too low
- he wants to do two clean programs "and I'll lay up where I lay up"
- Follow up of 6: what it would mean to recapture his title
- It would mean a lot but it would mean even more to do two clean programs
- He wants to be up there with "them" (the top guys putting up those huge scores)
- he loves the pressure and he wants to fine tune that
- That awkward silence when the host person prompts the journalists for questions and no-one answers
- Max thanks the journalists as the call ends.

I have seriously got to go watch that. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the detailed run through! Very entertaining read. :laugh2:

I wish Max the best of luck at Nationals! I hope he wins and does it spectacularly! :cheer:
 
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