Quotes from Max Aaron

I have met a lot of athletes who were on the top of their sport, and then sat around and did nothing. They just didn't know what to do.

The long program sets the men apart from the boys.

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.

I feel connected to God when I'm out there performing.

I love hard work. If I'm not sweating, then I'm not working.

I definitely love getting a massage or going to a spa.

I'm not afraid of falling or failing, because I've failed many times, and I learned from them.

I have my struggles. But I'm doing whatever it takes to be an artist, to be the best technical jumper I can be, the best spinner I can be. Nothing is easy about that. But I'm doing whatever I can to be the best.

I would go for the biggest guy on the team, dump the puck in. I would chase after it because I was very fast. If I wanted to get a big hit, I would have to leap into the guy. The guy would be maybe a 6-3 defenseman, 220, I would leap into this guy and plow him over. He would just fall to the ground. That was my thing.

I hope that my work ethic has been a model for those who do not believe in themselves or have lingering doubts about their own abilities.

I push myself as hard as I can every day so I can achieve my goals and so I feel I have nothing to regret later on after my career.

In hockey, sometimes a shift can go for a minute and a half, full out.

I was a host and a busboy and a barback.

There were many times that I took such a big hit that I was dazed; I'm not going to lie. I'd see black, but I'm still looking for the puck. Where's the play going? I'm going to keep going. Same thing in figure skating. If I take a hard fall, I'm going to get up, and I'm going to do the next jump.

Every time I watch a performance, I'm disgusted with how I've skated. It's very hurtful for me.

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.

No fear - that's my approach every single time I'm on the ice.

I want to be the top man in our sport. I want to be that guy everyone wants to see skate.

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.

When I decided to continue in the sport, I decided I would do whatever it takes to be the best figure skater I can be.

I remember watching the 2002 Olympic Games and watching the men's event. I just started figure skating, and I remember thinking how cool it would be to be there.

Before I broke my back, I was really looking forward to playing hockey at the University of Michigan. That was my biggest goal.

Maybe at the end of my figure skating career, I'll be able to have just the one game I always dreamed of having. I've still got the skill, I think. I'd have to work on my stick-handling skills, but the speed and my hockey smarts are still there.

If it's a day to indulge, I like to have a burrito or a steak.