Marley, Brubaker form pairs partnership

Two-time United States pairs champion Rockne Brubaker has teamed up with junior-level singles skater Mary Beth Marley after his former partner, Keauna McLaughlin, announced that she would be taking the year off from skating.

Marley, the 2009 U.S. novice silver medalist, is completely new to pairs skating but has already passed her junior pairs tests. She will take her senior pairs tests within the next few days, as she and Brubaker plan on competing this season. They must register for the sectional championships by September 1 in order to be eligible to compete for a spot at Nationals in January.

Though this pairing may seem unusual at first, it is actually very promising. Marley is a dynamo, with reliable triple jumps, good spins and flexibility, and solid skating skills. She should complement Brubaker well, and appears to be fearless -- something that will aid in the transition to pairs skating. Further, her petite size will also be helpful, as the 5'10" Brubaker is not the tallest male pairs skater in the world.

Marley has recently relocated to southern California to skate with Brubaker, and while no formal announcement has been made, John Nicks seems like an obvious choice for their coach. He worked with McLaughlin and Brubaker last season, and the fact that Rockne has remained in SoCal instead of moving back to Colorado is telling.

Look out for the duo of Marley & Brubaker this season; I have a feeling they could make quite the splash...

Olympic champ Kim splits with coach Orser

In the shocker of all shockers, Olympic champion Yu-Na Kim of Korea announced her split with coach Brian Orser yesterday.

Orser, who guided Kim to World and Olympic titles in less than four years, said the skater's mother, Park Mi-Hee, approached him three weeks ago and said that his services were no longer needed.

There is clearly something more going on here; it's likely that Kim no longer has the drive or ambition to train at an elite level anymore, which is understandable. After all, she's won everything imaginable and is the biggest celebrity in South Korea right now, endorsing everything from refrigerators to her own brand of cell phone.

Skaters change coaches all the time, but this split comes as one of the biggest surprises since Michelle Kwan left Frank Carroll before the Olympic season in 2001.

What makes the situation more awkward is that Kim, 19, still trains at the same Toronto rink Orser coaches at, and he admitted that "it has created a tension that is having an impact on all the other skaters. Something has to change."

Those "other skaters" include both Adam Rippon and Christina Gao, a pair of quickly rising American stars. Orser guided Rippon to the Four Continents Championship gold medal last season, while Gao was a surprise bronze medalist at the Junior Grand Prix Final.

Kim announced her intention to skip the Grand Prix Series this fall, and instead focus her training for the World Championships coming up in March in Tokyo. However, with a plethora of opportunities coming her way since striking gold in Vancouver -- including her own ice show -- it appears unlikely at this point in time that we will see her on competition ice again.

Junior Grand Prix season kicks off next week in Courchevel

Eight U.S. skaters are headed to Courchevel, France, next week for the opening event of the 2010-11 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series.

In the men's event, reigning junior National champion Jason Brown and bronze medalist Max Aaron make their Junior Grand Prix debuts, where they'll face a relatively weak field overall. Aaron's triple Axel should keep him in the medal picture, while Brown's triple/triple combinations and fantastic skating skills make him the early gold medal favorite. The top international contender for the men is Canada's Andrei Rogozine, who also wields a strong triple Axel.

For the ladies, U.S. teens Yasmin Siraj and Nina Jiang will be up against a much more accomplished field of skaters. Russia's Polina Shelepen, who won twice on the JGP last season, is back once again. If she can maintain the solid jumping and consistency she showed last season, Shelepen should steamroll the competition here. Siraj, the current U.S. junior silver medalist is a very good skater, but neither she nor Jiang are at the level of the Russian jump-wise yet. Russia's other entry, Roza Sheveleva (replacing an injured Anna Ovcharova), is also a legitimate medal threat.

While the podiums are fairly easily predicted in the singles events, the same cannot be said for the ice dance event. The Americans will be well represented, though both teams could face an uphill climb to the medal stand. 2010 U.S. novice champions Alexandra Aldridge & Daniel Eaton are very good athletes, though both are untested so far internationally. Anastasia Cannuscio & Colin McManus, 10th in the U.S. junior division last year, are back on the JGP series after placing 7th in their lone event last fall. With about 6-7 teams so evenly matched in the event, it really is anyone's title to take.

As always, the Junior Grand Prix series brings together the top junior skaters from around the globe in weekly competition. There are seven events this year, with the top eight point-getters at the conclusion of the series being invited to skate in the Junior Grand Prix Final, held this year in Beijing, China.

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Minnesota's Kiri Baga, who won two gold medals on the JGP circuit last season, sustained a stress fracture over the summer and resumed training six weeks ago. She is said to be progressing well, and is competing her new programs at the Minnesota State Championships this weekend. If all goes well, Baga, one of the United States' top juniors, should definitely receive at least one JGP event.