Max Aaron returns to form, wins Skate America
MILWAUKEE — With two quad jumps and a skate that drew a standing ovation, Max Aaron became the first American man to win Skate America since 2009. Japan's Shoma Uno took second place, and U.S. champion Jason Brown finished third after taking eighth in the free skate.
Aaron was the U.S. champion in 2013, but failed to make the team for the Sochi Olympics. His skates this weekend showed a return to the powerful, confident skating which first made him a champion. A former hockey player, Aaron used soaring jumps to earn a score of 172.28 for his free skate and 258.95 overall. Though his artistic scores were not as high as Brown and Uno, his jumps more than made up the difference.
Aaron took fourth in the U.S. in 2015 and did not make the world championships team. He said he was tired of being mediocre, and if things didn't change, he was close to giving up skating.
"I was tired of getting last or fifth or sixth. I was tired of falling multiple times in a program. I was tired of competing differently than how I trained. If I was going to do that, why train so hard? I took a step back, and I figured out what I wanted to change about myself," Aaron said.
Aaron needed to train more than just jumps and spins. He needed to work on his mindset, and he worked with his team psychologist and coach Tom Zakrasjek to figure out what had led him down the wrong path.
"We took a different direction, and we're sticking with it. Some days it's tough, and I don't want to train my mental game, or I don't want to train my components as hard as I used to," Aaron said. "At the end of the day, I could go back to getting sixth or seventh place and being a mediocre skater, or I could be a champion. I want to be a champion."
Brown has been attempting to add a quad to his skate since February, but is yet to earn full marks for the difficult jump. On Saturday, he underrotated the quad and fell on it. But a triple Axel combination and a triple Lutz-single loop-triple Salchow combination, combined with huge artistic scores, landed him on the podium. He scored a 159.83 for the free skate, giving him a total of 238.47 for both days.
As for the quad, Brown said adding it is a process. He said he has been landing the jump regularly in practice for the past three weeks.
"What it's all about right now is attacking it, going into it. I feel like I attacked it. I didn't hold back. You have to start somewhere, and I'm really proud that I went for it fully," Brown said.
As the season wears on, the quad will become ever more important as the top male skaters are expected to have at least one in their free skates. With Aaron's resurgence, Brown will need to be ever more diligent in adding the jump to his repertoire if he wants to hold onto his national title.
Aaron wasn't the only American to win a gold medal. Ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates won Skate America with a season's best score of 102.66 for the free dance and a total of 173.22.