McLaughlin and Brubaker are done!!! :(

[Lanna]

Damn... Wow...

Ice Skating International website predicted this a few months ago in its Nationals coverage:

Eh. American pairs makes this real easy and it's always easy to toss around the prediction that a team will split up, because people notice when you're right and shrug it off when you're wrong, because it's not that they haven't split, it's that they haven't split yet.

The hard thing to do is predicting which teams will have a bad season and then stick together.

[Jayar]

Lindsay Davis would match him well, but alas, she is with Themi. Sigh.

[~tapdancer~]

Well, I am very sad to hear this. I was so hoping they were going to get things together after their very disappointing season last year. I was devastated for them at Nationals, not making the Olympic team. It's true, they did not reach their potential...they sure had that "something". Rockne is a great pairs partner and I pray that he finds another partner and soon. Even not at their best, Keauna and Rockne always looked like the superior team on the ice among the American pairs.

My favorite memory of them is 2008 Nationals.

Honestly, I'm pulling for Evora/Ladwig this year. I like Caydee and Jeremy, too, but I believe E/L could reach new heights this year and a national championship would be just the ticket! They just need to sharpen things up some more and it could happen.

[skatesindreams]

I'm so sad for them!
I hope that Rockne can find the right partner, and continue.

[Flatfoote]

Well, while it is sad for US Pairs skating, I have to give her credit for basically admitting she needs to get away from the sport for at least a year. That tells me she's probably had it with skating (at least for now), and pressuring her to continue on in practice and competition wouldn't be fair to her partner.

[london_calling]

I was shocked to hear these two broke up. I remember when they first came on the season and all the promise they showed so early on. I wish them the best for the future but I really feel these two had the potential to be world champions.

[AxelAnnie]

... but how is the US going to have any success in pairs if our pairs do not stay together?????

We aren't We American's like instant results.....instant fame........instant satisfaction. Very sad.

[chipso1]

We aren't We American's like instant results.....instant fame........instant satisfaction. Very sad.

If Keauna's heart isn't in the sport right now, then there's no reason in continuing. You can't force the girl to skate if she doesn't want to. A little R&R and time away from the rink might be just what she needs to avoid even more burnout.

[AxelAnnie]

Chipso1 - of course you are right. I bet her heart would have been in it if they had skated better at OLYS.

I think it is a measure of character to see how people weather the disappointments...more so than the successes. What they needed, given their potential, was hard work and time. Those are hard things to put in if you are used to getting immediate gratification....

American pairs skaters are not noted for their ability or desire to stick together

[barbk]

We aren't We American's like instant results.....instant fame........instant satisfaction. Very sad.

They were together for years -- first junior, then senior. I don't see this as any desire for instant results or instant fame.

They were most successful on the junior circuit and when they first began competing internationally as seniors -- when she was quite a bit smaller. (She's still tiny, but definitely taller and more filled out.) That was also before he had back problems.

I'm sure that this was a horribly discouraging season, particularly not making the Olympic team. But there have been several years of questioning about whether this was likely going to be a long-term pair given his height and her growth. I do think that the problems she had on throw jumps were significantly related to her growth -- she was like a rock on them in earlier years.

Rockne is an incredibly fabulous male partner. I hope he can find a grown, tiny partner to work with.

If they were going to split, this is the time to do it. If she decides to come back in a year or two, she's still plenty young enough to do so.

[Rhianna]

I hope he can find a new partner and that she's happy taking time away from the sport. I'm really going to miss them as a team though.

[lmarie086]

First Castile/Okolski, now McLaughlin/Brubaker? No more!! This team had so much potential it was ridiculous. I was so sad for them after Nationals, especially since I do believe they are superior to D/B (even if they didn't skate like it). Well, I wish them all the best and I will miss them. A lot.

[Rock2]

There are so many things that could have contributed to this decision.

Certainly the way they compete together had become an issue. Seems like their competitive and artistic chemistry didn't materialize.

Keauna's ability to get her jumping elements down was something I was largely optimistic about. Maybe she wasn't progressing.

Logistics and training. I know she's close to her mother and I don't think either of them liked their training situations.

I don't believe, though, that height difference is an issue. Rockne's 5ft9. I met him a little over a year ago. Awesome dude and not that short. He's very strong and confident on lifts, so I don't see that as being a big deal. Their 3Tw was good stuff. I think this was the least of their worries.

I wouldn't be 100% sure Keauna wouldn't return to the sport. I think at her age she doesn't need to rush into a partnership this year based on whomever else just happens to be available at this late date. She has to take time to debrief and find the right match. Rockne doesn't have that luxury, so he needs to keep going; he also doesn't have something he can just do for a year like Keauna (finish HS).

I like them both but I totally dug Rockne the first time I saw him skate. Solid on all elements and outstanding body line and ability to interpret the music. I believed this with Pelletier when I saw him struggle with a partner at 1998 Canadian nats and I'll say the same here: this guy will win a world medal some day. I'm convinced.

Best wishes to both!

[Jenna]

Falling on a death spiral is a fluke for even the crappiest of Sr pair teams. IMO, it's not indicative of a damn thing. I can only hope Keauna and Rockne weren't reading these message boards. No offense, but sometimes people blow things out of proportion here. However, I have a feeling both of their parents do read these boards, and all I hope is that random people's comments on a messageboard weren't an influence in this decision. I hope the people around them supporting them did everything they could to try to make this work because you just don't see pair teams like this very often. They don't come around that often, especially in the U.S. If the Olympic year burned Keauna out, then I just hope they had enough good people in their circle to try to help them (especially her). And they also looked like they were very close to each other and had a great relationship, so it's not like it was a case of Maria and Max where they had to breakup because they hated each other. I'm rambling, sorry.

First of all, I really don't think I blew things out of proportion, you did. All I said was that Keauna struggled with the SBS triples most likely due to nerves (which is COMPLETELY understandable), and that undoubtedly costs them points. They had several fluke mistakes in Spokane like falling on the death spiral, which cost them more points, miring them in 7th after the short. After this it was tough to come back, even though their free skate was decent.

The fact that you think that this decision was made based on posts at FSU is . If they take the things we delirious skating fans say that seriously, they have bigger problems then Keauna's figure skating.

Just to make things clear, I admire this pair team and I am saddened that they chose to split. They had much potential, and I definitely do not think they were even close to peaking yet, as they were very young! However, I respect their decision. Keauna is a beautiful young lady and I wish her success in school. I also hope Rockne finds another partner that matches his talent and that he fulfills his dreams of medaling at worlds and the Olympics.

P.S. I sort of had a vision - Amanda Dobbs and Rockne Brubaker. That would be a great match up, I think!

[letsskate]

We aren't We American's like instant results.....instant fame........instant satisfaction. Very sad.

i know... but their idols are S/Z... how ironic.. but that's what makes me love E/L among US pairs hehe

[letsskate]

So, has Drew Meekin found a new partner yet? US has some good male pair skaters... the opposite of the rest of the world.. maybe some international pairing will happen in the future.

[stjeaskategym]

Chipso1 - of course you are right. I bet her heart would have been in it if they had skated better at OLYS.

I think it is a measure of character to see how people weather the disappointments...more so than the successes. What they needed, given their potential, was hard work and time. Those are hard things to put in if you are used to getting immediate gratification....

American pairs skaters are not noted for their ability or desire to stick together

This is a good point. And I think this is where coaches come in... It's a coach's job to help keep things in perspective for his/her students, and to help motivate them when things aren't always sunshine and rainbows. But of course, there also has to be motivation from within yourself to want to do better the next time you compete and to prove to yourself that you can bounce back. I may be reading too far into it, but in the press release, Keauna thanked their families, fans, and sponsors--- no coaches. Maybe the John Nicks experiment just didn't work for them?

Damn... Wow...

Ice Skating International website predicted this a few months ago in its Nationals coverage:

http://www.iceskatingintnl.com/archi...s/senpar10.htm

I commented about that "reporter" then, and I will comment now... I don't think that "reporter" had a clue. She wasn't a journalist, she was just some woman giving the usual, ignorant opinion that people should quit when they have a bad competition result. And she implied that because they didn't do well at Nationals, they must have bad rapport and want to split. I just think it was a dumb article.

I didn't say she was tall. Unfortunately, the difference in height between them wasn't great. She grew and he stopped. There's nothing either could do about their biology.

I know what you're saying. They wouldn't be the only team without a great height difference. Their height difference is similar to Denney/Barrett. I don't know what it was like day to day for them in training, but I don't believe this size difference should be enough to end a good pair team.

This size difference was producing a good split triple twist and lifts that consistently got positive GOEs.

(I hope whichever poster took these pictures doesn't mind that I linked to them )

And frankly, nerves are just as deadly as poor technique or physical issues. If you leave the program on the practice ice rather than the competition ice, it's time to be a recreational skater. That's just a sad fact.

We will just have to agree to disagree. If she's too mental for competition, then most of the pairs we see should be recreational skaters. I just think that's way too harsh. Especially considering their inexperience, M/B had very good competition results up until this point, which wouldn't have happened if she didn't have a decent competitive head. But this was a team too young and not ready to challenge for an Olympic podium that was getting endorsement deals thrown at them and expected to win at every single National competition they entered. That's not the usual type of pressure that you have every year. I can't think of another skater at Nationals who would have expected themselves to win that badly. Things this year should have really calmed down with the Olympic endorsements over with, and with the focus shifting somewhat to Denney and Barrett. I figured it would be a relief for M/B to know it's okay to lose sometimes, but I guess not.

Makes you think about the long-enduring pairs and how much time it takes for a team to click. True, I've never been a Inoue/Baldwin fan, but one thing they have, that young pairs don't, is surefire synchronization in spins, steps. And with throws and lifts, you sense that she never doubts him, and he never second guesses her.

If you had told me that I would be seeing I/B competing this year but not M/B, I would have thought you were completely insane. Oh, US pairs.

[hippychick]

I really think that this team and most of the american teams would be far better off not having that instantaneous success. It sets the expectations bar way too high. I remember an article about Keauna and Rockne right after Junior Worlds and they were already setting themselves up as possible contenders for a World and Olympic medal after only one year together. I am sure that USFS played a part in promoting them big time as well. They would have been far better off to have had less early success and less of the limelight and learned how to deal with the ups and downs together as a team. Such a shame as they are incredibly talented. I hope Rockne can find a partner and that Keauna will found happiness on and off the ice.

[ChibiChibi]

I knew this was coming. I just didn't see any chemistry between them last couple years.

[cruisin]

I think "go to high school" is just the easiest answer, like when politicians say they are resigning to "spend more time with my family."

I don't understand why going to school is an "easy answer". These kids give up everything to skate. Seems she did some sort of correspondence schooling. Maybe she just wants some "normal".