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Keauna McLaughlin

McLaughlin & Brubaker in 2008.
Personal information
Full name:	Keauna Inaba McLaughlin
Country represented:	United States
Date of birth:	September 25, 1992 (1992-09-25) (age 17)
Place of birth:	Tarzana, California
Home town:	Los Angeles, California
Residence:	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Height:	5 ft 0 in (1.52 m)
Partner:	Rockne Brubaker
Former partner:	Ethan Burgess
Coach:	John Nicks
Former coach:	Dalilah Sappenfield Lei Ina McLaughlin Tom Zakrajsek
Choreographer:	Sarah Kawahara
Former choreographer:	Dalilah Sappenfield Lea Ann Miller
Skating club:	Los Angeles FSC
ISU personal best scores
Combined total:	172.69 2008 Skate America
Short program:	61.34 2009 Cup of Russia
Free skate:	115.67 2008 Skate America

Keauna Inaba^[1] McLaughlin (born September 25, 1992) is an American pair skater. Her pairs partner is Rockne Brubaker. With him, she is the 2008 & 2009 U.S. National Champion and the 2007 World Junior Champion.

Personal life

Keauna McLaughlin was born in Tarzana, California. She moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado to train and attends Cheyenne Mountain High School. Her name is based on a Hawaiian word for "feminine wind running through the forest"^[2].

Her mother, Lei Ina, was a senior-level pair skater^[3] and skated professionally as a show skater with Disney on Ice^[4]. Her father left the family when she was a toddler.^[2]

Career

McLaughlin originally competed in single skating. She began pair skating at age 10 and focused entirely on pair skating when she teamed up with Brubaker.

As a singles skater, she is the 2006 U.S. Juvenile silver medalist^[5].

With partner Ethan Burgess, McLaughlin won two consecutive medals at the United States Figure Skating Championships: the bronze medal at the novice level at the 2004 United States Figure Skating Championships and the pewter medal at the junior level at the 2005 United States Figure Skating Championships.

McLaughlin began skating with Rockne Brubaker in 2006. Prior to this time, Brubaker and his previous partner Mariel Miller had been coached by Dalilah Sappenfield. When that partnership ended due to a lack of height difference, Sappenfield called McLaughlin, whom she had seen competing at other events, and arranged a try-out. McLaughlin and Brubaker teamed up in early 2006, and the pair went undefeated in their first competitive season together (2006-2007). In that season, they competed on the 2006-2007 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 the 2007 United States Figure Skating Championships and the 2007 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. McLaughlin and Brubaker were the fourth American pair team in history to win the World Junior Championships.^[6] 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 the 2006-2007 Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit at the 2007 Cup of China, where they won the silver medal. They won a second silver medal at the 2007 NHK Trophy. Their success at these two competitions qualified them for the 2007-2008 Grand Prix Final, but they withdrew after the short program due to an injury to Brubaker.

Later that season, they competed at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating 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.^[7] Despite winning the U.S. Championships, McLaughlin and Brubaker were not assigned to the World Championship team or the World 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.^[8]

McLaughlin and Brubaker began the 2008-2009 season at the 2008 Skate America, where they won the silver medal. A week later they competed at the 2008 Skate Canada International, where they won the bronze medal. At the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, McLaughlin and Brubaker successfully defended their national title, which resulted in them being selected to compete at the 2009 Four Continents Championships and the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships. They placed 5th at Four Continents and 11th at the World Championships.

Following the 2008-2009 season, McLaughlin and Brubaker changed coaches to John Nicks^[9].

Programs

Competitive highlights

(with Brubaker)

• J = Junior level; WD = Withdrew

(with Burgess)

• N = Novice level; J = Junior level

References

• World Junior Figure Skating Championships: ISU Results: PairsPDF (10.5 KB)
• McLaughlin & Brubaker at the United States Figure Skating Association
• McLaughlin & Brubaker at the International Skating Union

External links

• Official website
• Keauna McLaughlin at the United States Olympic Committee.