Marley and Brubaker

[lclevers]

What does everyone think about the new team Marley and Brubaker? I personally like them a lot and I think they have a lot of potential. At first I thought their age differences would be a problem but after watching them skate at nationals they seem to suit each other very well. They look so cute together almost as if they have a brother and sister relationship. I can't help noticing how much Marley seems to idolize her partner. I think she is very proud to be skating with him. Rockne is very handsome so I wouldn't be surprised if she has a secret crush on him either. One thing about Marley that sticks out to me is her joy for skating and that big smile she flashes throughout their programs. I prefer Marley and Brubaker over Denney and Coughlin any day. At 4 continents Marley and Brubaker are less than a point behind Coughlin/Denney. This is surprising considering Marley/Brubaker made a mistake on a throw and Coughlin/Denney skated clean. The Americans are 2nd and 3rd which puts Marley and Brubaker ahead of many experienced teams. I wonder where they'll end up in a few years with a little more consistency and maturity?

[winterone]

What does everyone think about the new team Marley and Brubaker? I personally like them a lot and I think they have a lot of potential. At first I thought their age differences would be a problem but after watching them skate at nationals they seem to suit each other very well. They look so cute together almost as if they have a brother and sister relationship. I can't help noticing how much Marley seems to idolize her partner. I think she is very proud to be skating with him. Rockne is very handsome so I wouldn't be surprised if she has a secret crush on him either. One thing about Marley that sticks out to me is her joy for skating and that big smile she flashes throughout their programs. I prefer Marley and Brubaker over Denney and Coughlin any day. At 4 continents Marley and Brubaker are less than a point behind Coughlin/Denney. This is surprising considering Marley/Brubaker made a mistake on a throw and Coughlin/Denney skated clean. The Americans are 2nd and 3rd which puts Marley and Brubaker ahead of many experienced teams. I wonder where they'll end up in a few years with a little more consistency and maturity?

I think the maturation process over last year has been amazing. She didn't smile, didn't really feel comfortable, had trouble meeting the expectations of skating with Rock. The best is to come here and they will speed past C/D big time. Hope Rock keeps consistent with his jumps.

[orbitz]

I just watched their 4C SP. I think they have more speed, flow, and on-ice personalities than D/C.

[johndockley92]

I just watched their 4C SP. I think they have more speed, flow, and on-ice personalities than D/C.

I think their personality is a lot more fun than D/C but i think D/C are much more powerful.

[orbitz]

I think their personality is a lot more fun than D/C but i think D/C are much more powerful.

Really? I haven't yet seen the LP of either pair, but outside of the 3twist I'm not sure where in the SP did D/C appeared more powerful.

[~tapdancer~]

Really? I haven't yet seen the LP of either pair, but outside of the 3twist I'm not sure where in the SP did D/C appeared more powerful.

I saw them both live at 4CC and agree that except for the 3twist, I didn't see that D/C were more powerful. Anything but to me. M/B had more flow, speed, and looked way more like a matched pair than D/C, imo. It's only a matter of more time together and their elements will be just fine. Even their 3twist was miles better than it was last season. I loved their SP and so did the audience at 4CC.

[paskatefan]

I was impressed with Mary Beth & Rockne last year @ Nationals in Greensboro, NC, and even more so last month in San Jose (in person both times).

[olympic]

I loved McLaughlin / Brubaker when they first came to my attention in '07. I thought they were going places. Alas ...

For being so 'bulky', Rockne has great speed and flexibility. I'm glad these 2 hooked up and are making such incredible progress in so little time. They look like they have good speed and while their LP outings lately have been less than stellar, they have skating skills

Personally, I'd like to see her have more core strength in the lifts, and would like them try for SBS 3toes and 3sals again, but they probably just need to land stuff cleanly right now!

[stjeaskategym]

I was surprised to see Marley/Brubaker doing a rather clean catch on their triple twist at 4CC since they had not been doing that even at Nationals just two weeks prior. Nice improvement there. Teams with cleaner catches on triple twists always get better scores. I think they received some "home country scoring boost" at 4CC, as they didn't really have a good competition (not that the other teams skated well either), but I feel that getting overscored is a good sign in a way ... It means your talent is being recognized.

I think their personality is a lot more fun than D/C but i think D/C are much more powerful.

Well, yes, they're skating different styles of programs, so the personalities should be different. "Singin' in the Rain" is incredibly upbeat and calls for a fun personality, and Marley does an excellent job portraying that character. But it's not a character you want in every program... And I think she's doing a little better job this year with her interpretation in programs with different styles. Last year, she was really perky and seemed to just smile through everything without any regards for her music. This year I think she's relating a little bit better to the music. I feel that Denney has shown similar improvements recently. I hope to see both D/C and M/B continue to improve, especially because frankly, there isn't much else going on in the US right now (we have nice teams, but they just didn't do enough this year). Both these teams have different strengths and weaknesses, and have room for improvement for sure. I hope that both work on their lifts for next year.

[pinky166]

I think if M/B were clean in their FS they would have beaten D/C. I think who comes out on top at Worlds will come down to who skates better. At this point D/C have more consistency, but I think in a year or two M/B can definitely pass them.

[legjumper]

Losing Keauna might have been the best thing to ever happen to Rockne in his pairs career. For me, Mary Beth's progress as a pairs skater has been one of the most exciting things to watch this season. If you compare the BODS she was doing in Jan. 2011 to the one she just did at 4CC, it's easy to see how far she's come in just a short time.

[Sylvia]

I posted this in the 4 Continents forum but will repeat it here...

I respect Mary Beth Marley for focusing solely on pairs this season when she could have had a JGP singles assignment (her 1st) after having placed 5th in Junior Ladies at 2011 Nationals. That, to me, shows her true dedication to pairs!

[mgobluegirl]

I respect Mary Beth Marley for focusing solely on pairs this season when she could have had a JGP singles assignment (her 1st) after having placed 5th in Junior Ladies at 2011 Nationals. That, to me, shows her true dedication to pairs!

And how great that it has already started to pay off for her! She was my favorite of last year's juniors, so I was a little sad to see her give up singles, but seeing her on the World team is really great.

[aftershocks]

I really like Marley/ Brubaker. I'm not that excited about D/C -- altho' they are clearly excited about skating together and apparently have been well received as a team. To me, D/C have a lot of fire and desire, but are not necessarily more powerful than other teams. Maybe that impression comes from John's height and strength, and Caydee's spirited confidence. I think D/C skated rather slowly and conservatively at both Nats and 4Cs -- which perhaps aided them in skating fairly cleanly and solidly except for their sp problems at Nats. For me, D/C needs to find a stronger on-ice identity and step it up in a big way, or they should be surpassed by M/B and younger U.S. teams (if those younger teams can improve enough to bring their technical difficulty and jumping abilities up to the level of their lyrical, artistic skating qualities).

M/B may have been slightly overscored at 4Cs, but they have improved tremendously. Their sp highlights their strengths, and I see M/B continuing to improve and hopefully becoming the top U.S. team. I love them a lot. There are a lot of young up-and-coming teams who are looking good too for the U.S.

[Vash01]

I think they could develop, and she seems to have will power to land jumps and throws. However at this year's nationals she looked like a little girl skating with a man. That will change in a year or two, I think. Then it will be easier to make an assessment. I think they are in good hands with Meno & Sand, who know what good pairs skating is really about. It's not just about landing the throws and jumps; there are many finer points to it, and I think this pair has the potential to develop those.

[aftershocks]

^^ ITA re Marley/Brubaker. There is something extra special about Mary Beth - a tenacity, an inner strength and a light in her eyes. She has the competitive fire, the spark, and the ability to learn a lot in a short time -- that's a testament to how much M/B have improved since last season. I'm happy also to see M/B with Meno and Sand. I don't think M/B have any serious problems with jumps and throws -- they are just still working on their timing and confidence together as a team in performing those tricks. Where they still need a lot more work is with their lifts. I totally agree that M/B are a strong team with great potential. Altho' Mary Beth is young, I never had any huge problem with seeing her paired with Rockne. At least he found a good partner with strong singles skills -- someone with whom he matches well. And, as Mary Beth continues to mature and to refine her pairs abilities, there is no need to fear that she will ever grow physically too tall or heavy for Rockne to lift.

When I mentioned younger teams working on their technical difficulty and jumping abilities, I was referring more to Donlan/ Speroff and Cain/Reagan (both these teams already have superb artistic qualities).

[Jayar]

I'm not in the business of putting my personal preferences out there , but I have to say that in Colorado Springs, I was shocked at how quiet they are when they skate. It's something that is very much a Wow! when you experience it live.

[carriemarie]

Well, I think they will be nowwhere near the level of McL/B. Keuna was something special. Mary Beth is doing well, but her core strength in her lifts need so much work. Their short program is lovely and watching it live it has some much energy. I honestly thought they were scored quite high because the two-foot on the lutz was pretty bad. Their program though is much more crowd pleasing than the hundredth round of East of Eden by D/C. IMO, I would have had E/L in third in the short with Marley/Brubaker less than a point behind. Amanda's two foot was much less glaring than the mistakes of T/T and M/B.

[Twizzler]

I think they are in good hands with Meno & Sand, who know what good pairs skating is really about.

Weren't they with John Nicks last year? When did they make a switch.

Anyway, was very impressed with the progress they made over such a short period of time.

[Sylvia]

From a pre-Nationals article: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

After the fall events, the skaters and their team, including primary coaches Jenni Meno and Todd Sand -- as well as John Nicks, who stepped down as primary coach earlier this season but still works with the pair -- took a back-to-basics approach at their rink in Aliso Viejo, Calif.

"Last year, their difficulty was ramped up tremendously, and since we've taken over, we've backed off a little bit to get the basics really solid, so that when Mary Beth is skating with Rockne, they can skate the way they want to skate and not just think about elements," said Sand, who won three U.S. pair titles with wife Meno.

"We've kind of taken the approach that through the quadrennial -- what do we have, a little over two years left now -- we want to peak in that Olympic season. What we saw in the short program at Skate America is what they are capable of, and that's what we need to get consistently in the short and long."