Rockne Brubaker
Visit Rockne Brubaker's Website
 |
Figure Skating - Pairs
2010 Olympic hopefuls
Personal Specs
Height: 5'8"
Coach: Dalilah Sappenfield, Lei'Ina McLaughlin
Choreographer: Lea Ann Miller
Club: Broadmoor SC, Inc.
Partner: Keauna McLaughlin
Short List Performance
- 2009 World Championships - 11th
- 2007 World Junior Champions
- Two-time U.S. Champions (2008, 2009)
- 2007 U.S. Junior Champions
- Ranked No. 13 in ISU World Standings as of May 2009
Vancouver Watch
McLaughlin and Brubaker are the top-ranked American pairs team and the two-time defending U.S. Champions. Their international experience has been limited by McLaughlin's age (six years younger than Brubaker). As a result, their World Championships debut in March (11th place) proved that they are still working toward making the medal discussion. No U.S. pair has won an Olympic medal since 1988.
Personal
McLaughlin started skating at age 3 after watching her mother, Lei'Ina, skate in shows. She previously skated with Ethan Burgess before joining Brubaker. Her family is of Japanese, Mayan Mexican, French, Spanish and Austrian descent. Her father left the family when she was a toddler, but the two have recently built a relationship.
Brubaker started skating at age 5. He has a younger brother, Collin, 19, who is an ice dancer. Brubaker paired with Stephanie Freitag in novice and Mariel Miller as a junior before teaming with McLaughlin. He studies business and sports marketing at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and coaches part time. He volunteers with the Big Brother program.
Did You Know...?
- Brubaker's father was an All-American football player of the same name who was named after legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne
More about Rockne: Coaches part time ... ... He and former partner Mariel Miller were the 2005 U.S. junior pairs champions...Says his mom is his best friend ... Wants to meet Lance Armstrong - "I, too, bike as a part of my cross training and to me he is one of the best, if not the best, athletes to ever live. What he overcame with his cancer and how mentally strong he is and was is amazing to me. I think that he has achieved far more than most ever will in their sport." ... Listens to all types of music on his iPod: rock, rap, metal, hip hop and country.
Favorite TV show: SportsCenter, Cops
Favorite movie: Goodfellas
Favorite charity/cause: Big Brother/Big Sister
Favorite celebrity: His mother
Favorite book: Mind Gym
Favorite web site: http://www.chicagocubs.com/, http://www.chicagobears.com/
Favorite food: Salami
Favorite drink: Grape PowerAde
2008 Season Notes
- SP Music: "Malaguena" by Ernesto Lecuona
- FS Music: Selections from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim
- Costumes by Joey Santos
- Goals are to win the gold medal at the U.S. Championships and medal at the Grand Prix Final and World Championships.
2007 Season Notes
- SP Music: "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven
- FS Music: "Romeo & Juliet" by Prokofiev and Rota
- Costume designer is Kay Evans.
-
Captured the 2008 U.S. Championships title.
2006 Season Notes
- Finished first in every event they skated during the 2006-2007 season, including the 2007 World Junior Championships.
- SP Music: Music from the "Somewhere in Time" soundtrack by John Barry
- FS Music: "Romeo and Juliet" by Prokofiev and Rota
- Goals are to make the Junior Grand Prix Final and be the U.S. junior pairs champions.
