Going for the Gold: Spotlight On Keauna McLaughlin & Rockne Brubaker

The "Going for the Gold" series kicks off our One-Year-Countdown to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. We will feature a different 2010 U.S. Olympic or Paralympic hopeful each week with a vodcast on the first and second Friday of every month.

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Sixteen-year-old Keauna McLaughlin and 22-year-old Rockne Brubaker weren't always skating partners. In fact, they competed against each other before they became the skating powerhouse that they are known as today.

When McLaughlin broke up with her skating partner, she skated singles for a year before receiving a phone call in 2006 from her coach asking her to try out as a pairs skater again. She met Brubaker at tryouts, and after two days, they decided to skate together.

Despite the duo's quick decision, they swept all of their events at the 2006 Junior Grand Prix, including the final. In 2007 they won their first U.S. junior title and earned a win at the World Junior Championships.

In the 2007-2008 season, McLaughlin and Brubaker skated to second place in both of their events at the Grand Prix-advancing to finals-but an injury caused the couple to withdraw from competition.

A month later, the two secured their spot as the 2008 U.S. champions. However, they were unable to compete at the 2008 World Championships-international age restrictions prohibited the then 15-year-old McLaughlin from skating.

The twosome had to wait until the fall to participate in an international competition, and they medaled at both of their events in the 2008 Grand Prix circuit. In 2009 McLaughlin and Brubaker acquired another first-place finish and became U.S. champions yet again.

Now McLaughlin and Brubaker set their sights on Worlds in March. And the thought of competing at next year's Olympic Winter Games already consumes much of their thoughts.

Brubaker hung a flag with the Olympic rings above his bed, and he sees it every time he walks into his bedroom. The screensaver on McLaughlin's phone reads "Amazing Awaits 2010," she sees it every time she sends a text message.

McLaughlin and Brubaker could be the first U.S. pairs team to medal at the Olympic Winter Games since Jill Watson and Peter Oppegard in 1988. The pair has all the technical elements needed to compete with the world's best, including a soaring triple twist, solid triple throws and secure side-by-side triple jumps. Their lifts also are among the best in the business.

Currently the pairs skaters are ranked eighth in the world behind a Ukrainian team, two Russian pairs, one American duo and two Chinese couples.

Since McLaughlin and Brubaker were unable to partake in Worlds in 2008, they likely will come out with a vengeance this year. They will be out to prove they aren't too young to compete with the top contenders of the international scene.

Click here for Keauna McLaughlin's bio.

Click here for Rockne Brubaker's bio.

Click here for the Going for the Gold Vodcast.

Tags: 2010, Figure Skating, Going for the Gold, Keauna McLaughlin, Rockne Brubaker, Vancouver 2010