Rockne Brubaker

Rockne Lee Brubaker, II (born June 21, 1986) is an American former competitive pair skater.

With partner Stephanie Freitag, he placed 5th at the novice level at the 2001–2002 season Midwestern Sectional Championships.

In September 2003, Brubaker began skating with Mariel Miller, with whom he competed on the junior level.

They won bronze medals at the 2004–05 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final and the 2005–06 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final.

They won the junior title at the 2005 U.S. Championships.

While originally intending to compete at the senior level at the 2006 U.S. Championships, Miller & Brubaker announced their split in December 2005 due to a lack of height difference that could lead to injury.

They were coached by Dalilah Sappenfield and Tom Zakrajsek.

Sappenfield teamed up Brubaker with Keauna McLaughlin in May 2006.

They were coached by Sappenfield and Lei Ina McLaughlin in Colorado Springs.

The pair went undefeated in their first competitive season together (2006–07).

In that season, McLaughlin and Brubaker competed on the 2006–07 ISU Junior Grand Prix 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 and the 2007 World Junior Championships.

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, where they won the silver medal.

They won a second silver medal at the 2007 NHK Trophy.

Their success at these two competitions qualified them for the 2007–08 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 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. title, McLaughlin and Brubaker were not assigned to the World Championship or World Junior Championship 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 & Jon Nuss on the junior level, and Brynn Carman & Christopher Knierim 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, where they won the silver medal.

A week later they competed at the 2008 Skate Canada International, where they won the bronze medal.

At the 2009 U.S. Championships, McLaughlin and Brubaker successfully defended their national title, which resulted in them being selected to compete at the 2009 Four Continents and the 2009 Worlds.

In April 2009, Brubaker had hernia surgery to repair muscle tears in his lower abdomen.

In May 2009, McLaughlin and Brubaker changed coaches to John Nicks and relocated to California.

With Keauna McLaughlin, he is the 2010 Four Continents silver medalist, the 2007 World Junior champion, and a two-time (2008–2009) U.S. national champion.

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

With Mary Beth Marley, he is the 2012 Four Continents bronze medalist and 2012 U.S. silver medalist.

Rockne Brubaker Jr was born in St. Louis, Missouri.

His younger brother Collin Brubaker is a competitive ice dancer.

He was named after his father, Rockne Brubaker Sr., who had been named after Knute Rockne.

Brubaker graduated from Harry D. Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Illinois.

He is a student at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs majoring in business administration and sports marketing.

Brubaker became engaged to Italian pair skater Stefania Berton on February 2, 2013.

The couple married on June 5, 2015, in Wisconsin.

Rockne Brubaker began skating at the age of five or six.

He originally competed as a single skater, reaching the level of novice.

He competed as a pair skater at the same time and eventually gave up singles to focus on pairs around age 12.

At 17, he left Chicago and moved to Colorado Springs to train with top pairs coach Dalilah Sappenfield.