Mclaughlin/Brubaker Split | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Mclaughlin/Brubaker Split

gold12345

Medalist
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
I am disappointed since I didn't think they reached their potential.

I do think there was too much pressure on this young team. Winning everything as Juniors, a lot of people expected the same at Seniors immediately and I don't think that's realistic.

I wonder if they thought about not competing this season and just concentrating on learning to skate better together. I think it would've benefited their team to do so.

It's possible that she might change her mind by next year... and if he doesn't find a suitable partner, maybe they could re-team.

Yup. That thought crossed my mind as well. If she's really just a bit burned out from the competition and pressure, maybe a year to relax and focus on skating well in training may have helped. Then, when they were ready to re-enter competition, they could have flown under the radar, which they had never gotten to do before. I know going to the competitions is probably half the fun of it, but I do wonder if taking a step back and just training for fun without eyes being on her could have really helped her outlook on things. It's just disappointing to see it end as it did.

As for re-teaming, we've seen it before with Denney and Barrett. This isn't the same type of scenario, but there are similarities. It's of course uncertain if Rockne can find a truly suitable partner and get to (or surpass) the level he is at now. And it's also uncertain that Keauna will want to stay out of the sport for very long. If they are willing to skate again with each other in the future, it is possible.



this is what's wrong with how we teach sports in this country now. nobody loses everyone wins. Then we realize that's not how it's done in olympic sport and suddenly every time a player/athlete loses and then gets discouraged we blame the sport. Someone had to lose, someone had to stay home. Keauna would not have had an easier time at teh Olympics. They were expected to make the team, yes, they had sponsors riding on that hope, so I understand she let people down, but there are a lot of other skaters who also didn't make the team that had sponsorships and they're continuing on. It's not the sport that's cruel as it is the individual on themselves. No matter what sort of criteria they use, she'd still be discouraged if she didn't make the team.

I definitely agree that she would still have been discouraged if she didn't make the team. But if you know you didn't make the team because you didn't do well at Nationals AND your recent international results weren't good enough, it would be easier to take than knowing you didn't make the team because you just had that ONE chance at Nationals and blew that ONE chance.

I just think a skater's overall mental state would improve if they are not stressed to death over Nationals (especially if you are heading in as one of the "favorites"). There is so much emphasis on Nationals that it has almost become as important as the Olympics. If you mess up at the Olympics, oh well, you place lower. But if you mess up at Nationals, there are major consequences and your season will end prematurely. And for the top skaters who anticipate making an Olympic + World team and therefore do NOT want to peak at Nationals, I imagine the thought of Nationals deciding EVERYTHING adds a lot of extra stress to a skater's season
 
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Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
it just seems odd to me that there is so much more uproar over poor little Keauna being discouraged, but four years ago when Katie Orscher gave up after not making the team a lot of people chalked it up to sour grapes. Its not like this "dream team" was hitting it out of the park earlier in the season or last year.
 

heyang

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
it just seems odd to me that there is so much more uproar over poor little Keauna being discouraged, but four years ago when Katie Orscher gave up after not making the team a lot of people chalked it up to sour grapes. Its not like this "dream team" was hitting it out of the park earlier in the season or last year.

For me, the difference is Keanua being so young - she turns 18 this year. People are disappointed that she hasn't reached her max potential. She and Rockne had a lot more pressure than most other young pairs teams. This year was especially bad - there was definitely something not working for them and we'll never know if it could've been 'fixed.'

Katie was 22 when she retired from skating. Having broken her foot and just missing the Olympic team (by .66 points), she may have realized that relying on skating was not the future she wanted. Kayte had reached her potential IMO. I don't think her decision to retire from skating was sour grapes.
 

gold12345

Medalist
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
it just seems odd to me that there is so much more uproar over poor little Keauna being discouraged, but four years ago when Katie Orscher gave up after not making the team a lot of people chalked it up to sour grapes. Its not like this "dream team" was hitting it out of the park earlier in the season or last year.

I don't see the Orscher comparisons. She was 22, and Lucash was in his late 20s when they called it quits and most likely had maxed out on their potential. To me, they were just the typical American pair that couldn't make any splash internationally. They didn't even have a Grand Prix medal to their name. Why would anyone call her retirement sour grapes?

Keauna and Rockne were (sounds weird to say "were") the best US pairs team I've seen in years. They both have the intangibles you cannot teach, and they had time to work on the rest because they were young and relatively new to the scene. They really only experienced one complete Senior season, which is especially sad given their talent level. Their instant success produced a little too much pressure to do well at every event and win Nationals every year. Usually there is no type of pressure like that on a pair that's only 17 and 23. This new season should have been the year where they could relax more now that they are "back down to earth".

The "uproar" that you speak of is just disappointment in seeing this partnership end so quickly without knowing where they could have gone. You don't really see 17 year old pair skaters at this top level leaving the sport and being burned out, especially not a skater who has consistently mentioned wanting to compete into the next quad. Even as recently as this past season, Keauna has mentioned how she would only be 21 in 2014. It didn't sound at all like a girl who would ever hang it up at 17. Maybe she will return after a break, who knows.
 
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R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Easy to be optimistic and talk about the future when the going's good...
 

pista04

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 27, 2007
Small thing I noticed: If Keauna McLaughlin pulled a Xue Shen and hung around til she was 31, she could compete and potentially grow towards Pairs Domination in 2014 (21) 2018 (25) 2022 (29) and 2024 (33)....the last a stretch, being over 31. That's crazy to thing about.
 

gold12345

Medalist
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Easy to be optimistic and talk about the future when the going's good...

True, but was the going really that good in the middle of their Grand Prix season? I'd say she was still pretty positive about the future during that time. Sure she hadn't felt the Olympic disappointment yet, but nothing really changed in the next couple months except they had a bad Nationals and didn't go to the Olympics. If you put all your eggs in the Olympic basket, missing out on a trip there could possibly crush you, but I also think it is possible to overcome this with time. She may eventually put this in perspective and realize she has more chances to compete, do well, and be proud of her performances.
 

silversprings77

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 22, 2010
i tend to agree with gold12345 on this one. I remember reading an article right after Nationals that McLaughlin/Brubaker had already rented a house in Vancouver for the families to stay in because they were so certain they were going. Imaginer the disappointment (although if i remember correctly, they gave the house to the E/L and D/B for their families to use). So it sounds to me that they were counting on going and to have one bad night and not go probably was more than devastating. I do hope she finds what she is looking for and maybe in a few months, she could reconsider coming back. But we all have to be prepared if she decides to go her own way...
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Small thing I noticed: If Keauna McLaughlin pulled a Xue Shen and hung around til she was 31, she could compete and potentially grow towards Pairs Domination in 2014 (21) 2018 (25) 2022 (29) and 2024 (33)....the last a stretch, being over 31. That's crazy to thing about.

Nobody would stay at the elite amateur level that long. Likely if you won one Olympics you would already be ready to cash in on that success in the pro ranks.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Nobody would stay at the elite amateur level that long. Likely if you won one Olympics you would already be ready to cash in on that success in the pro ranks.

what pro career? SOI only has so many spots and it is first come first serve. With priority going to the current cast/contracts and then IMG represented skaters. There arent any big pro competitions. And while there shows up the ying yang in Asia and Russia you cant be sure that an American pairs team would have much luck becoming a fixture (kinda reverse of what it was in the 90s).
 

PolymerBob

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
There might be a factor we are not considering .... money. Keauna and Rockne must have lost endorsement deals after Nationals. Maybe Keauna decided she could not afford to train without those deals. If she is getting ready for college, it would be hard to pay for training and college at the same time.
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
There might be a factor we are not considering .... money. Keauna and Rockne must have lost endorsement deals after Nationals. Maybe Keauna decided she could not afford to train without those deals. If she is getting ready for college, it would be hard to pay for training and college at the same time.

Right. Good point. Rockne and Keauna were living away from home, in California. I don't know the living situation, but I doubt that their families followed them there. Paying for an apartment in Orange County is not cheap by any means.
 

aurora100

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Too bad but not at all surprised at the news. Not making the Olympics made it inevitable. Success is important for couples to stick together through all that training. Yes they had a lot of talent and charisma but lacked consistency and chemistry.
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Too bad but not at all surprised at the news. Not making the Olympics made it inevitable. Success is important for couples to stick together through all that training. Yes they had a lot of talent and charisma but lacked consistency and chemistry.

Consistency? Yes, they hadn't quite gotten the throws consistant yet and her missed almost eveytime on the salchows. Chemistry? Are you kidding? they had great chemistry!
 

ImaginaryPogue

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
I dunno, I kinda agree. Spark? Yep. Vivacity? You could see it. Chemistry? I could see the argument for them lacking chemistry. I have to admit this didn't surprise me all that much.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Consistency? Yes, they hadn't quite gotten the throws consistant yet and her missed almost eveytime on the salchows. Chemistry? Are you kidding? they had great chemistry!

I would also agree that 'chemistry' in the way that most of us think of it in regards to couples on ice was lacking. They seemed to have a very good working 'chemestry' but I wouldn't consider it something to write home about. I think I'm the only one on this side of the Atlantic that wasn't gaga over them at any point in their career.
 

colleen o'neill

Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2006
Well as long as we're confessing , you can add me to that list. Oh I never really disliked them , they just didn't thrill me. ( Denny & Barrett , though ,are another matter entirely )

But I do hope Rockne can find a suitable partner.
 

gold12345

Medalist
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
There might be a factor we are not considering .... money. Keauna and Rockne must have lost endorsement deals after Nationals. Maybe Keauna decided she could not afford to train without those deals. If she is getting ready for college, it would be hard to pay for training and college at the same time.

Right. Good point. Rockne and Keauna were living away from home, in California. I don't know the living situation, but I doubt that their families followed them there. Paying for an apartment in Orange County is not cheap by any means.

I guess that's always possible, but I highly, highly doubt this was about money. They had to have been making more money last year than most figure skaters will be lucky enough to make in a career. Sure Olympic year sponsorships do go away, but how many skaters even get multiple endorsement deals ever? Whoever their agent was, I think he/she did a good job with them. Between that, prize money, money from US Figure Skating for being in the Team A envelope every year, money for that commercial they were in, money from the few shows they did, I really doubt they were strapped for cash for this upcoming season. Rockne had a job... Keauna I believe said she was living with her family in California... I highly doubt either of them was too broke to train in Orange County. And even if they were, I feel like a pair of this caliber would have done whatever they had to do to make it work financially.


Consistency? Yes, they hadn't quite gotten the throws consistant yet and her missed almost eveytime on the salchows. Chemistry? Are you kidding? they had great chemistry!

I thought so too. Their chemistry was one of my favorite things about them. And it was something that could improve over time as well. I'm actually surprised someone would say they lacked chemistry, unless we are thinking of different things.
 
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