COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Once touted as the best hope to end the U.S. drought in pairs skating, Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker are calling it quits.
The two-time U.S. champions announced Tuesday they are splitting after four years together. The move is hardly a surprise after their struggles last season cost them a spot at the Vancouver Olympics. McLaughlin, who turns 18 in September, said she will take a year off to focus on school. Brubaker plans to continue skating and is looking for a new partner.
“Rockne and I have had an amazing career together, and I can’t thank him enough for that,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “Right now I feel like I need to devote time to school as well as other interests photography, art, dance and spend some time away from skating competitively.”
McLaughlin and Brubaker made a shockingly fast rise after being paired together in 2006. They won every competition they entered their first season together, including the 2007 junior world title, and followed it up with the U.S. senior title the following year. They had an athleticism, artistry and swagger rarely seen in U.S. teams, and they made no secret of wanting to return the Americans to the Olympic podium. The United States has never won an Olympic gold in pairs, and its last medal was Jill Watson and Peter Oppegard’s bronze in 1988.
But they were shaky in their world championships debut in 2009 and announced a coaching switch shortly after. The move didn’t help, however, and McLaughlin and Brubaker performed so poorly at the national championships in January that they finished fifth.
“Keauna and I have had a wonderful career together, and it has been a great experience,” Brubaker said. “I wish her all the best and feel truly honored to have worked with her.”
