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CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

*2012 U.S. pewter medalist
*Two-time Junior Grand Prix Final medalist (silver in 2008, bronze in '07)
*2007 U.S. novice champion, '05 U.S. intermediate silver medalist

SKATING NOTES

Started skating at age 5 when he tried it with a friend for fun ... Says "even though it was awful," he really enjoyed learning to skate and continued taking lessons ... Switched coaches in December 2011, moving from Priscilla Hill in Alexandria Va., to Colorado Springs to train under Christy Krall, Eddie Shipstad and Catarina Lindgren.

PERSONAL NOTES

Parents are Masoud and Maryam ... Has a Golden Retriver named Dillon ... Skates at the Michael Weiss Foundation annual show ... Won the National Honor Society Academic award in 11th and 12th grades ... Active member of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) ... AP Scholar with Distinction ... Volunteers at the International Cancer Advocacy Foundation (ICAN) by organizing and cataloging research relevant to various cancers.

CONNECT WITH ME

Twitter: @Armin_hammer

IN MY WORDS

If I wasn't a figure skater ... I'd be a pretty normal guy at a college in some big city.

I look up to ... all of the fantastic Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Being surrounded by such motivated and diverse people inspires me to continue training.

My favorite thing about being a figure skater is ... jumping, spinning, skating ... almost everything except early morning sessions. Especially not early morning sessions. I am generally unpleasant at 7:30 in the morning.

My figure skating hero is ... anyone who dedicates their life to this sport.

I manage my pre-skate jitters by ... watching corny sitcoms and listening to overly upbeat music.

After I'm done skating, I want to ... go to college and meet lots of people completely outside of skating.

My hobbies are ... playing piano, reading, reddit, most things tech, politics, listening to podcasts.

Something most people don't know about me is ... I'm quite the techie. I enjoy building computers, web design, coding, hacking and general developments in consumer technology. It's purely coincidental that I sometimes develop debilitating stomachaches when there's a huge tech keynote.

The best moment of my figure skating career thus far was ... recovering from a very rough season and finishing on the podium at the 2012 U.S. Championships.

I always ... tie my skates over and over again. Before warm up (at least three times), during warm up, after warm up (another two times). I'd tie my skates during the program if I could. Maybe I'm on to something ...

MY FAVORITES

Jump: Triple Axel
Thing to do on a day off: Read by the pool
Way to relax: Deep tissue massage
Olympic sport: Dressage
Snack: Fro Yo
Costume of my career: My "Avatar" outfit was a ton of fun. We seriously considered adding a tail. Okay, maybe not.

I PREFER

Gloves or No Gloves
E-Reader or Book
Jump or Spin
Theater or Rental
Homecooking or Restaurant
Treadmill or Trail
Short Program or Free Skate
Pre-competition nap: Yes

PAST SEASON NOTES<

• 2013 Season Notes
  SP Music: "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin
  FS Music: "Doctor Who" by Murray Gold
  
  
• 2012 Season Notes
  SP Music: "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin
  FS Music: Music from the Kill Bill soundtrack by various artists
  
  Costumes designed by Stephanie Handler
• 2011 Season Notes
  SP Music: "Mario Takes a Walk" and "Prelude" by Jesse Cook
  FS Music: Music from the Avatar soundtrack by James Horner
  
  Goals are to skate personal bests and challenge himself technically and artistically
  
  
• 2010 Season Notes
  SP Music: "Virtuoso" by Edvin Martin
  FS Music: "Piano Concerto No. 3" by Sergei Rachmaninoff performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
  
  Costumes designed by Terry Jackson
• 2009 Season Notes
  SP Music: "Dark Forest" by Ara Gevorgian
  FS Music: Selections from The Mummy soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith
  
  
• 2008 Season Notes
  SP Music: "Symphonic Dances" by Sergei Rachmaninoff
  FS Music: Music from the Spartacus soundtrack by Aram Khatachurian
  
  Costumes designed by Julia Sretenski
  
  
• 2007 Season Notes
  SP Music: Music from the Beetlejuice soundtrack by Danny Elfman
  FS Music: "Symphony No. 5" by Tchaikovsky
  
  
• 2006 Season Notes
  SP Music: Music from the Beetlejuice soundtrack by Danny Elfman
  FS Music: "Egmont Overture" by Beethoven
• 2005 Season Notes
  Captured the intermediate silver medal at the U.S. Junior Championships

2013 - U.S. Championships - 13th
2012 - Ice Challenge - 3rd
2012 - Skate America - 7th
2012 - U.S. International Figure Skating Classic - 2nd
2012 - U.S. Championships - 4th
2011 - NHK Trophy - 8th
2011 - Skate America - 10th
2011 - Four Continents Championships - 7th
2011 - U.S. Championships - 6th
2010 - Skate America - 3rd
2011 - South Atlantic Regional - 1st
2010 - Nebelhorn Trophy - 4th
2010 - World Junior Championships - 9th
2010 - U.S. Championships - 8th
2009 - Skate Canada - 9th
2009 - Cup of China - 11th
2009 - U.S. Championships, Junior - 6th
2008 - Junior Grand Prix Final - 2nd
2008 - Junior Grand Prix (Spain) - 1st
2008 - Junior Grand Prix (France) - 2nd
2008 - U.S. Championships, Junior - 8th
2007 - Junior Grand Prix Final - 3rd
2007 - Junior Grand Prix (Croatia) - 3rd
2007 - Junior Grand Prix (United States) - 1st
2007 - U.S. Championships, Novice - 1st
2007 - Eastern Sectional, Novice - 1st
2007 - South Atlantic Regional, Novice - 2nd
2006 - North American Challenge Skate, Novice - 1st
2006 - U.S. Championships, Novice - 7th
2006 - Eastern Sectional, Novice - 3rd
2006 - South Atlantic Regional, Novice - 2nd
2005 - U.S. Junior Championships, Intermediate - 2nd
2005 - South Atlantic Regional, Intermediate - 1st
2004 - U.S. Junior Championships, Intermediate - 16th
2004 - South Atlantic Regional, Intermediate - 3rd
2003 - South Atlantic Regional, Intermediate - 5th
2002 - South Atlantic Regional, Juvenile - 2nd

IJS Personal Bests

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
SP - 68.27 (2012 Skate America)
FS - 143.56 (2010 Skate America)
Final Score - 211.17 (2010 Skate America)

U.S. QUALIFYING COMPETITION
SP - 80.66(2012 U.S. Championships)
FS - 148.28 (2011 U.S. Championships)
Final Score - 224.63 (2012 U.S. Championships)