Denney, Barrett Second

With power, nothing else matters.

Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker won their second straight pairs title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Saturday, overcoming two big errors with their considerable speed and strength. They finished with a score of 178.76, edging newcomers Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett - who train in Ellenton - by about 2 1/2 points.

The audience booed when the final standings were posted because Denney and Barrett had skated cleanly. But they were thrilled, likely on their way to the world championships only seven months after they began skating together.

"First would have been great. Second, wow, it's awesome," said Denney, who lives in Wesley Chapel.

McLaughlin and Brubaker are considered the best hope to end the United States' medal drought in pairs - no American team has medaled at the Olympics since 1988 - and it's easy to see why. Their speed and power would give any hockey player a run for his money, and they don't take their feet off the gas for a second of their 4 1/2 -minute program. Yet they have the charisma and expression that makes pairs so appealing when done right.

Denney and Barrett had the cleanest performance of the day, not appearing to have any trouble with any of the elements. They even did a throw triple flip, a jump most couples don't even bother trying because the takeoff on it is so awkward. But they did it with ease, Denney landing with silky smoothness.

Their side-by-side jumps were effortlessly in sync - truly impressive considering they've only been skating together since June.

The pair skated together briefly two years ago, then split when Denney decided she wanted to try training in Colorado. She moved with her mother and sister while her father stayed in Florida, and the separation ultimately proved to be too much for the family. Denney returned to Florida in June and quickly reunited with Barrett.

"We didn't have any expectations coming in here," he said.

Rena Inoue and John Baldwin, national champions in 2004 and 2006, were third.