Aaron Van Cleave (born 14 March 1987) is a German

pair skater Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...

. He is best known for his partnership with Mari Vartmann for Germany. They won the 2015 German national title, the

2011 NRW Trophy The 2011 NRW Trophy was an international figure skating competition during the 2011–2012 season. An annual event organized by the Skating Union of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), it has been sanctioned by the Deutsche Eislauf Union and the Interna ...

, and 2010

Warsaw Cup The Warsaw Cup is an annual international figure skating competition which is generally held in November in Warsaw, Poland. Its senior categories became part of the ISU Challenger Series in the 2014–15 season. Medals may be awarded in the disci ...

. After they parted ways, he teamed up with Tatiana Domracheva.

Personal life

Van Cleave was born on 14 March 1987 in

Comox, British Columbia Comox () is a town on the southern coast of the Comox Peninsula in the Strait of Georgia on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Thousands of years ago, the warm dry summers, mild winters, fertile soil, and abundant sea life ...

, Canada. He was born both a Canadian and American citizen. He became a German citizen in January 2014.

Career

In North America

Van Cleave first competed with Lauren Cowley at the Canadian Junior Championships, appearing on the juvenile level in 2002 and pre-novice in 2003. With Sarah McCoy, he represented Canada on the

ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...

series. They were assigned to Norway in 2006 and the United States in 2007. Van Cleave then teamed up with Ameena Sheikh where they represented the United States. The team trained in Detroit, Michigan at the Detroit Skating Club under Yuka Sato and Jason Dunjeon. Van Cleave and Sheikh Competed on the junior level and senior level at the 2009 U.S. Championships and the 2010 U.S. Championships

In Germany

In 2010, Van Cleave teamed up with Mari Vartmann to compete for Germany. The pair made their international debut at the 2010

where they won the gold medal. Their first major international event was the 2012 European Championships. On 26 January, during the morning practice before the long programs, Vartmann collided with

Daniel Wende Daniel Wende (born 24 July 1984) is a German pair skater. With Maylin Wende, he is the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard bronze medalist, the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy silver medalist, and a two-time German national champion. They have competed twice at th ...

while they were attempting to avoid a French couple. Vartmann and Van Cleave finished 5th at the event. They were coached by Knut Schubert in Berlin. Vartmann and Van Cleave withdrew from the

2012 Nebelhorn Trophy The 2012 Nebelhorn Trophy was held on September 27–29, 2012 at the Eislaufzentrum Oberstdorf. The event is held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany and is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain. It is one of the first international senior com ...

following the short program – Vartmann picked into her right foot when she fell on a throw triple loop during the short and was unable to put on her skate the next day due to swelling. They withdrew from the 2012 Coupe de Nice and their first assigned Grand Prix event, the 2012 Cup of Russia, after Van Cleave sustained a broken cheekbone while catching Vartmann on a triple

twist Twist may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage * ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...

. They later withdrew from their second GP, the

2012 NHK Trophy The 2012 NHK Trophy was the final event of six in the 2012–13 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Miyagi on November 22–25. Medals were ...

. The pair was coached by Knut Schubert and

Stefan Lindemann Stefan Lindemann (born 30 September 1980) is a German retired figure skater. He is the 2004 World bronze medalist, 2005 European bronze medalist, 2000 World Junior champion, and a seven-time (2000, 2002, 2004–2007, 2010) German national ch ...

in Berlin in the first half of the 2014–15 season. In December 2014, they joined

Maylin Wende Maylin Wende (née Hausch) (born 22 September 1988) is a German pair skater. With husband and partner Daniel Wende, she is the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard bronze medalist, the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy silver medalist, and a two-time German national ...

and

Oberstdorf Oberstdorf ( Low Alemannic: ''Oberschdorf'') is a municipality and skiing and hiking town in Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. It is the southernmost settlement in Germany and one of its highest towns. At the&nb ...

. They won the pairs title at the 2015 German Championships. His new partner is Tatiana Domracheva from Russia.

Programs

(with Vartmann)

Competitive highlights

''GP:

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

; JGP:

Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...

With Vartmann

With Sheikh

With McCoy

With Cowley

References

External links

*
Paarlauf-Fanclub: Mari Vartmann / Aaron Van Cleave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleave, Aaron Van 1987 births Living people People from Comox, British Columbia Canadian male pair skaters American male pair skaters German male pair skaters Canadian emigrants to Germany Naturalized citizens of Germany Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Germany