Arizonan and Jewish skating fans – both veterans and neophytes – have had an early taste of “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” commonly associated with the Olympics, which begin this month in Sochi. (Actually the phrase was Jim McKay’s introduction on the “Wide World of Sports” for more than 30 years.)
The thrill began almost a year ago when Max Aaron, 21, who grew up attending Temple Chai in Scottsdale, became the Men’s U.S. National Champion figure skater. For the past year, skating fans have watched Max. After his U.S. win, he skated to a very respectable seventh in his first world championships. The rest of the year was fun to watch. A physically strong skater who started on the hockey rink, Max soared with the quadruple jump (the most challenging move in men’s skating).
The agony culminated in mid-January this year, when Maxwas unable to repeat his title and just missed an Olympic slot during his first Olympic trials. In his long program at the U.S. Nationals, he solidly landed one quad but briefly brushed the ice with his hand after the other.
Even in defeat, Max was a pleasure to watch. He watched graciously as Jeremy Abbott, 28, and Jason Brown, 19, smoothly skated into the top spots. In interviews, he said he wanted the U.S. to take the best team, even if that didn’t include him. On Facebook a few days later, he expressed both disappointment for himself and continuing support for his teammates, while his comment about this as his first Olympic Trials hinted he is still optimistically looking to the future.
Those qualities are also traits that have helped others profiled in this issue.
Our special section on Weddings begins with ideas for a modern Jewish wedding and tips for how and where to say, “I do.” Then our Weddings section looks at another kind of success – couples who find the secrets of making marriage work. A diverse array of couples share their stories and how they make things work. “Happily ever after” only works in fairy tales. Like Max, couples must persevere and navigate bumps in the road. To steal another phrase, “Marriage isn’t for sissies.” It takes hard work. Successful couples look out for the good of the team and graciously support their partner knowing their future together will make all the hard work worthwhile.
