Keauna McLaughlin
Encyclopedia
Keauna Inaba' McLaughlin (born September 25, 1992) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 pair skater. Her former pairs partner was Rockne Brubaker
Rockne Brubaker
Rockne Lee Brubaker, II is an American pair skater. With former partner Keauna McLaughlin, he is the 2008 & 2009 U.S. National Champion, the 2010 Four Continents silver medalist, and the 2007 World Junior Champion. With current partner Mary Beth Marley, he is the 2011 U.S. national pewter...

. With him, she is the 2008 & 2009 U.S. National Champion, the 2010 Four Continents silver medalist, and the 2007 World Junior Champion
2007 World Junior Figure Skating Championships
The 2007 World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition. The event is open to figure skaters from ISU member nations who have reached the age of 13 by July 1 of the previous year, but have not yet turned 19. The upper age limit for men competing in pairs and dance...

.

, they were ranked 7th in the world by the International Skating Union
International Skating Union
The International Skating Union is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands in 1892, making it one of the oldest international...

 (ISU).

Personal life

Keauna McLaughlin was born in Tarzana, California. She moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...

 to train and attends Cheyenne Mountain High School
Cheyenne Mountain High School
Cheyenne Mountain High School is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is the only high school in Cheyenne Mountain School District 12. Its campus contains several buildings, including a recreation center, library, cafeteria and an arts building.-History:...

. Her name is based on a Hawaiian
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...

 word for "feminine wind running through the forest".

Her mother, Lei Ina, was a senior-level pair skater and skated professionally as a show skater
Ice show
An ice show refers to an entertainment production which is primarily performed by ice skaters. Such shows may primarily be skating exhibitions, or may be musical and/or dramatic in nature, using skating as a medium in order to accompany a musical work or to present a story. The term ice show...

 with Disney on Ice
Disney on Ice
Disney On Ice is a touring ice show produced by Feld Entertainment under agreement with The Walt Disney Company. Aimed primarily at children, the shows feature figure skaters dressed as Disney cartoon characters in performances that each derive their music and plot from elements collected from...

. Her father left the family when she was a toddler.

Career

McLaughlin began skating at the age of four. She originally competed in single skating
Single skating
Single skating is a discipline of figure skating, wherein a single person skates alone. Men's singles and ladies' singles are both Olympic disciplines and are both governed by the International Skating Union. The other Olympic figure skating events are pair skating and ice dancing...

. As a singles skater, she is the 2006 U.S. Juvenile silver medalist. She began pair skating
Pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...

 at age 10 and focused entirely on pair skating when she teamed up with Brubaker.

With partner Ethan Burgess
Ethan Burgess
Ethan Burgess California is an American pairs skater. In 2010 he was cast as a professional skater on the ABC show Skating with the Stars.-Biography:...

, McLaughlin won two consecutive medals at the U.S. Championships
United States Figure Skating Championships
The United States Figure Skating Championships is figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".Skaters...

: the bronze medal at the novice level at the 2004 U.S. Championships
2004 United States Figure Skating Championships
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of the United States. It is organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. In addition to determining the national champions, the event was used to...

 and the pewter medal at the junior level at the 2005 U.S. Championships
2005 United States Figure Skating Championships
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition organzied by the United States Figure Skating Association. In addition to determining the national champions, the event was used to determine the U.S. teams for the 2005 World Figure Skating Championships, 2005 World...

. Her partner was too old for the Junior Grand Prix circuit so they split and she skated on her own for a while.

When Rockne Brubaker
Rockne Brubaker
Rockne Lee Brubaker, II is an American pair skater. With former partner Keauna McLaughlin, he is the 2008 & 2009 U.S. National Champion, the 2010 Four Continents silver medalist, and the 2007 World Junior Champion. With current partner Mary Beth Marley, he is the 2011 U.S. national pewter...

's previous partnership ended due to a lack of height difference, his coach Dalilah Sappenfield
Dalilah Sappenfield
Dalilah Sappenfield is an American figure skating coach and choreographer. She has worked as a coach since 1993 and is the 2008 USFSA/PSA Coach of the Year, an award she won after her pair teams won the gold medals at the novice, junior, and senior levels at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships...

 called McLaughlin, whom she had seen competing at other events, and arranged a try-out. McLaughlin and Brubaker teamed up in May 2006. McLaughlin relocated from California to Colorado Springs.

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
2006-2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix
The 2006–2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the tenth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the Junior-level complement to the 2006–2007 Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for Senior-level skaters...

 circuit and won both their events and the Junior Grand Prix Final. They went on to win the Junior title at both the 2007 U.S. Championships
2007 United States Figure Skating Championships
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. In addition to determining the national champions, the event is used to determine the U.S. teams for the World Figure Skating Championships, World Junior Figure...

 and the 2007 World Junior Championships
2007 World Junior Figure Skating Championships
The 2007 World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition. The event is open to figure skaters from ISU member nations who have reached the age of 13 by July 1 of the previous year, but have not yet turned 19. The upper age limit for men competing in pairs and dance...

. McLaughlin and Brubaker were the fourth American pair team in history to win the World Junior title. 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 Grand Prix circuit at the 2007 Cup of China
2007 Cup of China
The Cup of China is a senior-level elite international invitational figure skating competition. It is the third event in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing...

, where they won the silver medal. They won a second silver medal at the 2007 NHK Trophy
2007 NHK Trophy
The NHK Trophy is a senior-level international invitation-only figure skating competition. Elite figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing...

. 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. Championships
2008 United States Figure Skating Championships
The 2008 United States Figure Skating Championships was the figure skating national championship to determine the national champions of the United States for the 2007/2008 season. It was organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. In addition to determining the national champions,...

 and won the senior national title, becoming the first U.S. pairs team in 51 years to win consecutive junior and senior national titles. Despite winning the U.S. Championships, McLaughlin and Brubaker were not assigned to the World Championship
2008 World Figure Skating Championships
The 2008 World Figure Skating Championships was the World Figure Skating Championships of the 2007–2008 figure skating season. The World Championships are an annual figure skating competition in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion. The event was open to figure skaters...

 team or the World Junior Championship
2008 World Junior Figure Skating Championships
The 2008 World Junior Figure Skating Championships were the World Junior Figure Skating Championships for the 2007/2008 season. Commonly called "World Juniors" and "Junior Worlds", they are an annual figure skating competition in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior...

 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
Jessica Rose Paetsch
Jessica Rose Paetsch is an American pair skater. With former partner Jon Nuss, she is the 2008 U.S. Junior Champion and a two-time bronze medalist at the Junior Grand Prix Final.-Biography:...

 & Jon Nuss
Jon Nuss
Jon Nuss is an American pair skater. With former partner Jessica Rose Paetsch, he is the 2008 U.S. Junior Champion and a two-time bronze medalist at the Junior Grand Prix Final.-Biography:...

 on the junior level, and Brynn Carman
Brynn Carman
Brynn Carman is an American pair skater. With former partner Christopher Knierim, she is the 2009 U.S. junior silver medalist. They announced the end of their partnership on April 9, 2009. They had been coached by Dalilah Sappenfield. Carman then teamed up with A. J...

 & Christopher Knierim
Christopher Knierim
-External links:*...

 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.

McLaughlin and Brubaker began the 2008-2009 season at the 2008 Skate America
2008 Skate America
The 2008 Skate America was the Skate America Grand Prix competition of the 2008–2009 figure skating season. It was the first event of six in the 2008–2009 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition. It was organized by the United States Figure Skating...

, where they won the silver medal. A week later they competed at the 2008 Skate Canada International
2008 Skate Canada International
The 2008 Skate Canada International was the Skate Canada International Grand Prix competition of the 2008–2009 figure skating season. It was the second event of six in the 2008–2009 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition. It was organized by Skate...

, where they won the bronze medal. At the 2009 U.S. Championships
2009 United States Figure Skating Championships
The 2009 United States Figure Skating Championships were the United States Figure Skating Championships of the 2008-2009 figure skating season. They were a national championship to determine the national champions of the United States. In addition to determining the national champions, the event...

, McLaughlin and Brubaker successfully defended their national title, which resulted in them being selected to compete at the 2009 Four Continents
2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
The 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships was the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships for the 2008–2009 season. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pairs, and ice dancing. The competition was open to skaters from a non-European Member nation of...

 and the 2009 Worlds
2009 World Figure Skating Championships
The 2009 World Figure Skating Championships were the World Figure Skating Championships for the 2008–2009 season. Commonly called "Worlds", they are an annual figure skating competition in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...

. They placed 5th at Four Continents and 11th at the World Championships.

In May 2009, McLaughlin and Brubaker changed coaches to John Nicks
John Nicks
John Allen Wisden Nicks is a British figure skating coach and former pair skater. His pairs partner was his sister Jennifer Nicks, and together they were the 1953 World Champions...

 and relocated to California.

McLaughlin and Brubaker began the 2009-2010 season at the 2009 Cup of Russia, where they won the bronze medal. They continued their season at the 2009 Skate America
2009 Skate America
- External links :* *...

, where they placed 4th. As the top American pair team on the international circuit, McLaughlin and Brubaker entered the 2010 U.S. Championships
2010 United States Figure Skating Championships
The 2010 United States Figure Skating Championships was the United States Figure Skating Championships of the 2009-2010 figure skating season. It was the national championship of the United States. In addition, the event was used to determine the U.S...

 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. 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.

Determined to rebound from their National Championship result, McLaughlin and Brubaker competed at the 2010 Four Continents
2010 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
The 2010 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships was the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships for the 2009–2010 season. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing for the title of Four Continents Champion...

 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.

Post-eligible career

In 2010 she was cast on Skating with the Stars
Skating with the Stars
Skating with the Stars is an American reality TV show. The show features celebrities paired with professionals from the world of figure skating. The show is based on the British show, Dancing on Ice. The show has a schedule similar to the first season of Dancing with the Stars with performance...

 as a skating pro. Her partner was Brandon Mychal Smith.

Programs

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2009–2010 Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....

 
by Alex North
Alex North
Alex North was an American composer who wrote the first jazz-based film score and one of the first modernist scores written in Hollywood ....

 and Hy Zaret
Hy Zaret
Hy Zaret was an American Tin Pan Alley lyricist and composer best known as the co-author of the 1955 hit "Unchained Melody", one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century.-Biography:...

 
Selections from Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...

 
by A.R. Rahman
Tell Him
Tell Him
"Tell Him" is the name of a song written by Bert Berns that was first recorded as "Tell Her" in 1962 by Gil Hamilton aka Johnny Thunder with Berns producing. "Tell Her" was also a single for Ed Townsend before Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller produced the version by the Exciters released — as "Tell...

 
by Colbie Caillat
Colbie Caillat
Colbie Marie Caillat is an American pop singer-songwriter and guitarist from Malibu, California. She debuted in 2007 with Coco, which included hit singles "Bubbly", "Realize", and "The Little Things". In 2008, she recorded a duet with Jason Mraz, "Lucky", which won a Grammy. Caillat released her...

 
2008–2009 Malagueña
Malagueña
Originally the sixth movement of the Suite Andalucia by Ernesto Lecuona, who also provided it with Spanish lyrics, the song "Malagueña" has since become a popular, jazz, marching band, and drum corps standard and has been provided with lyrics in several languages.-Notable vocal performances:A...

 
by Ernesto Lecuona
Ernesto Lecuona
Ernesto Lecuona y Casado was a Cuban composer and pianist of Canarian father and Cuban mother, and worldwide fame. He composed over six hundred pieces, mostly in the Cuban vein, and was a pianist of exceptional quality....

 
choreographed by Lea Ann Miller
Lea Ann Miller
Lea Ann Miller is an American pair skater. With partner William Fauver, she is a three-time U.S. silver medalist and the 1982 U.S. bronze medalist...

Selections from West Side Story
by Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...

, and Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...

 
choreographed by Lea Ann Miller
Lea Ann Miller
Lea Ann Miller is an American pair skater. With partner William Fauver, she is a three-time U.S. silver medalist and the 1982 U.S. bronze medalist...

Play That Funky Music
Play That Funky Music
"Play That Funky Music" is a funk song written by Robert Parissi and recorded by the band Wild Cherry. The performers on the classic recording included the members of the band at the time: lead singer Parissi, guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Allen Wentz, and drummer Ron Beitle, with session horn...

 
by Wild Cherry 
Something
Something
"Something" is a song by The Beatles, written by lead guitarist George Harrison in 1969. It was featured on the album Abbey Road, and was also the first song written by Harrison to appear on the A-side of a Beatles' single...

 
by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

 
2007–2008 Moonlight Sonata 
by Beethoven 
choreographed by Dalilah Sappenfield
Dalilah Sappenfield
Dalilah Sappenfield is an American figure skating coach and choreographer. She has worked as a coach since 1993 and is the 2008 USFSA/PSA Coach of the Year, an award she won after her pair teams won the gold medals at the novice, junior, and senior levels at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships...

Romeo & Juliet 
by Prokofiev & Nino Rota
Nino Rota
Nino Rota was an Italian composer and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti...


choreographed by Dalilah Sappenfield
Dalilah Sappenfield
Dalilah Sappenfield is an American figure skating coach and choreographer. She has worked as a coach since 1993 and is the 2008 USFSA/PSA Coach of the Year, an award she won after her pair teams won the gold medals at the novice, junior, and senior levels at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships...

Play That Funky Music
Play That Funky Music
"Play That Funky Music" is a funk song written by Robert Parissi and recorded by the band Wild Cherry. The performers on the classic recording included the members of the band at the time: lead singer Parissi, guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Allen Wentz, and drummer Ron Beitle, with session horn...

 
by Wild Cherry 
2006–2007 Somewhere in Time
Somewhere in Time (film)
Somewhere in Time is a 1980 romantic science fiction film directed by Jeannot Szwarc. It is a film adaptation of the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay...

 soundtrack
by John Barry
John Barry (composer)
John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...


choreographed by Dalilah Sappenfield
Dalilah Sappenfield
Dalilah Sappenfield is an American figure skating coach and choreographer. She has worked as a coach since 1993 and is the 2008 USFSA/PSA Coach of the Year, an award she won after her pair teams won the gold medals at the novice, junior, and senior levels at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships...

Romeo & Juliet
by Prokofiev & Nino Rota
Nino Rota
Nino Rota was an Italian composer and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti...


choreographed by Dalilah Sappenfield
Dalilah Sappenfield
Dalilah Sappenfield is an American figure skating coach and choreographer. She has worked as a coach since 1993 and is the 2008 USFSA/PSA Coach of the Year, an award she won after her pair teams won the gold medals at the novice, junior, and senior levels at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships...

Play That Funky Music
Play That Funky Music
"Play That Funky Music" is a funk song written by Robert Parissi and recorded by the band Wild Cherry. The performers on the classic recording included the members of the band at the time: lead singer Parissi, guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Allen Wentz, and drummer Ron Beitle, with session horn...

 
by Wild Cherry

Competitive highlights

(with Brubaker)
Event 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10
World Championships
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...

 
11th
Four Continents Championships
Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition. The International Skating Union established it in 1999 to provide skaters representing non-European countries with a similar competition to the much older European Figure Skating Championships and a chance...

 
5th 2nd
World Junior Championships
World Junior Figure Skating Championships
The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which younger figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion...

 
1st
U.S. Championships
United States Figure Skating Championships
The United States Figure Skating Championships is figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".Skaters...

 
1st J. 1st 1st 5th
Grand Prix Final  WD
Skate America
Skate America
Skate America is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It is organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. The location changes yearly...

 
2nd 4th
Cup of Russia
Cup of Russia
The Cup of Russia is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. It was held as the Rostelecom Cup in 2009 after...

 
3rd
Skate Canada International
Skate Canada International
The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's...

 
3rd
NHK Trophy
NHK Trophy
The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing....

 
2nd
Cup of China
Cup of China
The Cup of China is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The location changes yearly. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.The Cup of China is...

 
2nd
Junior Grand Prix Final
2006-2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix
The 2006–2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the tenth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the Junior-level complement to the 2006–2007 Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for Senior-level skaters...

 
1st
Junior Grand Prix, Taipei
2006-2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix
The 2006–2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the tenth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the Junior-level complement to the 2006–2007 Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for Senior-level skaters...

 
1st
Junior Grand Prix. Hungary
2006-2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix
The 2006–2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the tenth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the Junior-level complement to the 2006–2007 Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for Senior-level skaters...

 
1st
  • J = Junior level; WD = Withdrew


(with Burgess)
Event 2003–2004 2004–2005
U.S. Championships
United States Figure Skating Championships
The United States Figure Skating Championships is figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".Skaters...

 
3rd N. 4th J.

  • N = Novice level; J = Junior level

External links

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