 McLaughlin / Brubaker in 2008. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Keauna Inaba McLaughlin |
| Born | (1992-09-25)September 25, 1992 (age 33) |
| Home town | Los Angeles, California |
| Height | 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country | United States |
| Coach | John Nicks |
| Skating club | Los Angeles FSC |
| Retired | June 22, 2010 |
Keauna Inaba[1] McLaughlin (born September 25, 1992) is an American former competitivepair skater. With partnerRockne Brubaker, she is the 2008 & 2009U.S. National Champion, the 2010Four Continents silver medalist, and the2007 World Junior Champion.
Keauna McLaughlin was born inTarzana, California. She moved toColorado Springs, Colorado to train and attendedCheyenne Mountain High School. Her name is based on aHawaiian word for "feminine wind running through the forest".[2]
Her mother, Lei Ina, was a senior-level pair skater[3] and skated professionally as ashow skater withDisney on Ice.[4] Her father left the family when she was a toddler.[2]
McLaughlin began skating at the age of four.[3][5] She originally competed insingle skating. As a singles skater, she is the 2006 U.S. Juvenile silver medalist.[6] She beganpair skating at age 10[3] and focused entirely on pair skating when she teamed up with Brubaker.
With previous partner Ethan Burgess, McLaughlin won two consecutive medals at theU.S. Championships: the bronze medal at the novice level at the2004 U.S. Championships and the pewter medal at the junior level at the2005 U.S. Championships. Her partner was too old for the Junior Grand Prix circuit so they split and she skated on her own for a while.[7]
WhenRockne Brubaker's previous partnership ended due to a lack of height difference, his coachDalilah Sappenfield called McLaughlin, whom she had seen competing at other events, and arranged a try-out.[3] McLaughlin and Brubaker teamed up in May 2006.[8] McLaughlin relocated from California to Colorado Springs.[5]
The pair went undefeated in their first competitive season together (2006–2007). In that season, they competed on the2006–2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit and won both their events and the Junior Grand Prix Final. They went on to win the Junior title at both the2007 U.S. Championships and the2007 World Junior Championships. McLaughlin and Brubaker were the fourth American pair team in history to win the World Junior title.[9][10] Because of the age difference between McLaughlin and Brubaker, this was their only junior-age-eligible season.
McLaughlin and Brubaker began the 2007–2008 season on theGrand Prix circuit at the2007 Cup of China, where they won the silver medal. They won a second silver medal at the2007 NHK Trophy. Their success at these two competitions qualified them for the2007–2008 Grand Prix Final, but they withdrew after the short program due to an injury to Brubaker.
Later that season, they competed at the2008 U.S. Championships and won the senior national title, becoming the first U.S. pairs team in 51 years to win consecutive junior and senior national titles.[11] Despite winning the U.S. Championships, McLaughlin and Brubaker were not assigned to theWorld Championship team or theWorld Junior Championship team due to ISU age restrictions. McLaughlin was too young for senior ISU championships and Brubaker was too old for the World Junior Championships. McLaughlin and Brubaker's win, combined with the wins of Jessica Rose Paetsch / Jon Nuss on the junior level, and Brynn Carman /Christopher Knierim on the novice level, gave their coach Dalilah Sappenfield a sweep of national pair champions for 2008, an accomplishment which led to Sappenfield being named Coach of the Year.[12]
McLaughlin and Brubaker began the 2008–2009 season at the2008 Skate America, where they won the silver medal. A week later they competed at the2008 Skate Canada International, where they won the bronze medal. At the2009 U.S. Championships, McLaughlin and Brubaker successfully defended their national title, which resulted in them being selected to compete at the2009 Four Continents and the2009 Worlds. They placed 5th at Four Continents and 11th at the World Championships.
In May 2009, McLaughlin and Brubaker changed coaches toJohn Nicks[13] and relocated to California.[14]
McLaughlin and Brubaker began the 2009–2010 season at the2009 Cup of Russia, where they won the bronze medal. They continued their season at the2009 Skate America, where they placed 4th. As the top American pair team on the international circuit, McLaughlin and Brubaker entered the2010 U.S. Championships as the favorites to win their third consecutive national title and secure one of the two pair skating berths on the U.S. Olympic team. Despite several days of strong practices, they delivered an uncharacteristically rough short program, including falls on a triple salchow and a freak fall on a death spiral, leaving them in 7th place.[14] The pair was able to move up to 5th place after the long program but it was not enough to win a place on the Olympic team.[15]
Determined to rebound from their National Championship result, McLaughlin and Brubaker competed at the2010 Four Continents less than ten days later. There, they recorded a personal best score in the short program and ultimately won the silver medal.
On June 22, 2010, McLaughlin announced the end of her partnership with Brubaker and also announced her retirement.[16]
In 2010, she was cast onSkating with the Stars as a skating pro. Her partner wasBrandon Mychal Smith.[17]
(with Brubaker)
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–2010 [18] |
| ||
| 2008–2009 [19] |
| ||
| 2007–2008 [20] |
| ||
| 2006–2007 [21] |
|
| Results[22] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International | ||||
| Event | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 |
| Worlds | 11th | |||
| Four Continents | 5th | 2nd | ||
| Grand Prix Final | WD | |||
| GPCup of China | 2nd | |||
| GPCup of Russia | 3rd | |||
| GPNHK Trophy | 2nd | |||
| GPSkate America | 2nd | 4th | ||
| GPSkate Canada | 3rd | |||
| International: Junior | ||||
| Junior Worlds | 1st | |||
| JGP Final | 1st | |||
| JGP Hungary | 1st | |||
| JGP Taipei | 1st | |||
| National | ||||
| U.S. Champ. | 1st J. | 1st | 1st | 5th |
| GP = Grand Prix; JGP = Junior Grand Prix J. = Junior level; WD = Withdrew | ||||
| Event | 2003–2004 | 2004–2005 |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Championships | 3rd N. | 4th J. |
| Levels: N. = Novice; J. = Junior | ||
