![\"\"](\"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_2330_edit.jpg\")
<\/a>In 2018, Max Aaron retired from competitive figure skating to start a career in finance. However, he did not leave the sport behind. The former U.S. champion stays involved in figure skating through seminars and shows. This week, he will appear in A Night of Stars, a benefit show in the Boston area to raise funds for cancer research. The show takes place on Saturday, Dec. 4, and all proceeds will go to the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation, Mass General Brigham, and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. A Night of Stars is also the Grand Opening Celebration for the Skating Club of Boston\u2019s new facility in Norwood, MA, completed in 2020.<\/p>\nRecently, Aaron spoke with Figure Skaters Online<\/i> about what he\u2019s doing these days, his links to Boston, and favorite memories from his competitive career.<\/p>\n
Aaron hails from Scottsdale, AZ, across the country from Boston. There, he started playing hockey at age four and began figure skating at age nine. Aaron competed in both sports for seven years before focusing full-time on skating. His decision eventually led to a U.S national title at the 2013 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Omaha, NE, which remains one of the proudest memories of his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no expectation of winning,\u201d Aaron recalled of the 2013 championships. \u201cI truly was going out there to skate the best I could, and maybe retire after that year. I came out on top, and it was completely unexpected. But certainly trained for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aaron\u2019s national title was one of many accomplishments in his skating career. He won four Grand Prix medals and many Challenger Series medals, and represented the United States at four World Championships.<\/p>\n
Aaron has particularly fond memories of his first Worlds in 2013. \u201cMy first World Championships in London, Ontario, was something I won\u2019t forget,\u201d he said. \u201cHaving a hockey background and skating in Canada under the lights \u2026 That stadium was packed, and the Canadian fans were so vocal and rowdy and nice. I talked a lot of hockey backstage with all the press.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, perhaps the high point of Aaron\u2019s career came in Boston, at the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships. The event, which was organized and run by the Skating Club of Boston, included a memorable men\u2019s competition in which Aaron placed 8th with two strong programs.<\/p>\n
The one major goal that eluded Aaron in his career was a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Although he competed through two Olympic cycles, in 2014 and 2018, things did not fall into place for him to make the team.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, I would have loved to have an Olympic medal or be part of that team. But there was nothing more I could have done. I wouldn\u2019t have done any preparation differently. It\u2019s how the chips fell,\u201d Aaron said philosophically. \u201cLook, I\u2019m so happy for those guys in 2014 and 2018 that were named to the Olympic team. They certainly deserved it. I couldn\u2019t be more proud to have them as my teammates at that time. We\u2019re all great friends to this day.\u201d (Aaron was delighted to see former teammate Jason Brown recently land his first ratified quad. \u201cJason\u2019s always been a good buddy of mine. I knew he had it in him.\u201d)<\/p>\n As Aaron reflects on his competitive career, what stands out is gratitude for his success. \u201cTo be an Olympic alternate twice was more than anything I could have dreamed of,\u201d he said. \u201cI was the guy who was a hockey player, switched to figure skating [full-time] at age 16, and pursued it after a broken back. To be a U.S. champion and multiple-time U.S. medalist, and go to four World championships \u2026so many good memories.\u201d<\/p>\n After his retirement from competitive skating, Aaron decided to participate in skating seminars, in part to share his story with young skaters and inspire them.<\/p>\n \u201cI always told myself that, when my time was up in the sport, I wanted to give back and be involved as much as I can,\u201d Aaron noted. \u201cI\u2019ve mentored some top athletes, and I like to do seminars. A lot of it\u2019s drilling down on the technique for the jumps. The second part, which I love, is to speak off the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A post shared by Midwest Figure Skating (@midwestfigureskating)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/a>\u201cWorlds in Boston was probably the opportunity I\u2019m fondest of, in all of my skating career,\u201d Aaron reflected. \u201cWords can\u2019t describe that event. It was truly remarkable. Winning a medal or not, I definitely had two great skates there. That is something I\u2019ll remember. Hearing the crowd and competing in the World Championships in my home country–I was lucky to have that. A lot of fun moments–from how supportive the crowd was, to the venues that we were competing in, especially TD Garden, and how special they made you feel. We were in a bus after the [competition], and that was the first and only time I [experienced] getting escorted by police back to the hotel. It was unreal, the experience of going through the city like that, and the attention it draws.\u201d<\/p>\n\n