Madison Hubbell

Personal life

Madison Hubbell was born on February 24, 1991 in Lansing, Michigan. She is the daughter of Susan, a seamstress, and Steve Hubbell, a lawyer, and has an elder brother, Zachary. She graduated from Laurel Springs High School in 2009 and entered Owens Community College in the fall of 2009.

Early years and partnership with Keiffer Hubbell

Madison Hubbell started skating at age 5. She began ice dancing at age eight, skating with first partner Nicholas Donahue for one year.

Juvenile level

Madison Hubbell teamed up with her brother, Keiffer Hubbell, in early 2001. They originally represented the Lansing Skating Club in competition.

In the 2001–02 season, Madison and Keiffer Hubbell competed for the first time on the Juvenile level, which is the lowest competition level in the U.S. Figure Skating structure. They competed at the Eastern Great Lakes Regional Championships, the qualifying competition for the U.S. Junior Championships. They placed second in the first compulsory dance, and then won the other two compulsory dances and the free dance to win the Juvenile event. This win qualified them for the 2002 U.S. Junior Championships, where they placed 9th in the first compulsory dance, 6th in the second, and 7th in the free dance to place 7th overall.

In the 2002–03 season, the Hubbells remained on the Juvenile level. At the Eastern Great Lakes Regional Championships, they won all three segments of the competition to win the gold medal. This win qualified them for the 2003 U.S. Junior Championships, where they won the first compulsory dance, placed second in the second compulsory dance, and won the free dance to win the gold medal overall.

Intermediate level

The Hubbells moved up to the Intermediate level in the 2003–2004 season and began represented the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club in competition. At the Eastern Great Lakes Regional Championships, they won all three segments of the competition to win the gold medal. This win qualified them for the 2004 U.S. Junior Championships, where they placed second in the first compulsory dance and then won both the second compulsory dance and the free dance to win the gold medal overall. This was their second consecutive national title.

Novice level

In the 2004–05 season, the Hubbells moved up to the Novice level, which is the first level that competes at the U.S. Championships. At the Eastern Great Lakes Regional Championships, the first qualifying competition for the national championships, the Hubbells won all three segments of the competition, winning the competition ahead of training mates Emily Samuelson / Evan Bates. This win qualified them for the Midwestern Sectional Championships, the final qualifying competition for the national championships. At the sectional championships, the Hubbells won both compulsory dances and then placed second in the free skate to win the silver medal behind Samuelson / Bates. This win qualified them to the 2005 U.S. Championship. At the national championships, the Hubbells placed second in the first compulsory dance, then placed sixth in both the second compulsory dance and the free dance segments to place 5th overall. Following the event, the Hubbells were assigned to the Estonia International Dance Competition. At that spring competition, which was their first major international event, the Hubbells won all three segments of the competition and won the gold medal. This medal qualified the Hubbells for the USFSA Reserve team for the following season.

The Hubbells remained on the novice level for the 2005–06 season. At the Eastern Great Lakes Regional Championships, they won all three segments of the competition to win the gold medal. This win qualified them for the Midwestern Sectional Championships, where they competed under the ISU Judging System for the first time. They won all three segments of the competition to win the gold medal by a margin of victory of 8.88 points ahead of silver medalists Piper Gilles / Timothy McKernan. This win qualified them for the 2006 U.S. Championships. At the national championships, the Hubbells tied with fellow sibling team Cathy Reed / Chris Reed in the first compulsory dance with a score of 19.23. The tie was broken by the technical elements mark and so the Hubbells won that segment of the competition. The Hubbells won the second compulsory dance by a margin of 0.29 points ahead of the Reeds. The Hubbells lost the free dance to the Reeds by 1.68 points. The Hubbells placed second overall, winning the silver medal and placed second overall by a margin of 1.39 points behind the Reeds and 6.22 points ahead of bronze medalists Samantha Tomarchio / Nicholas Sinchak.

2006–07 season: Junior debut

The Hubbells moved up to the Junior level both nationally and internationally in the 2006–07 season. They made their ISU Junior Grand Prix debut on the 2006–07 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. At their first event, in Courchevel, France, the Hubbells placed second in the compulsory and original dances and then won the free dance. They won the silver medal behind Ekaterina Bobrova / Dmitri Soloviev by a margin of 0.78 points. The Hubbells were then assigned to their second event, in The Hague, Netherlands. They placed third in the compulsory dance segment and then won both the original and free dances to win the gold medal overall by a margin of victory of 1.84 points ahead of silver medalists Grethe Grünberg / Kristian Rand. These two placements combined qualified them for the 2006–2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, for which the Hubbells were the third-ranked qualifiers. Qualifying for the event had also given them a bye to the U.S. Championships.

At the Junior Grand Prix Final, the Hubbells placed second in the Midnight Blues compulsory dance by a margin of 0.17 points behind Bobrova/Soloviev. They won both the original and free dances to win the gold medal overall by a margin of victory of 2.17 points ahead of silver medalists and training mates Emily Samuelson / Evan Bates.

At the 2007 U.S. Championships, the Hubbells placed second in both compulsory dances behind Samuelson/Bates. They won the original dance and went into the free dance in first place overall, where they placed second. They won the silver medal overall, placing second by a margin of 0.17 points behind champions Samuelson / Bates, and 24.56 points ahead of bronze medalists and training-mates Lynn Kriengkrairut / Logan Giulietti-Schmitt. The top three junior dance teams were named to the 2007 Junior Worlds, and all three junior teams were coached by Yaroslava Nechaeva and Yuri Chesnichenko.

At the 2007 Junior Worlds, the Hubbells both fell in the Silver Samba compulsory dance and placed 12th in that segment of the competition. They placed 5th in the original dance and 4th in the free dance to move up to place 6th overall.

2007–08 season

The Hubbells remained on the Junior level for the 2007–08 season. Originally scheduled to compete on the 2007–08 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, the Hubbells withdrew from their events and missed the fall season due to an injury to Keiffer. They began their competitive season at the Midwestern Sectional Championships, where they won all three segments of the competition to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Championships. At the national championships, the Hubbells won the compulsory dance, placed third in the original dance, and then won the free dance to win the gold medal overall. This win qualified them for the 2008 Junior Worlds. At the World Junior Championships, the Hubbells placed 5th in all three segments of the competition and 5th overall.

2008–09 season: Silver at JGP Final and senior national debut

In the 2008–09 season, the Hubbells moved up to the senior level nationally and remained juniors internationally. They competed on the 2008–09 ISU Junior Grand Prix. At their first event in Mexico City, Mexico, they won all three segments of the competition to win the gold medal by a margin of victory of 17.26 points ahead of silver medalists Kharis Ralph / Asher Hill. The Hubbells were then assigned to their second event, the event in Cape Town, South Africa, where they again won all three segments of the competition to win the gold medal by a margin of victory of 9.25 points ahead of silver medalists Piper Gilles / Zachary Donohue. These two placements combined qualified them for the 2008–2009 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, for which the Hubbells were the top-ranked qualifiers. Qualifying for the Junior Grand Prix Final also gave them a bye to the U.S. Championships.

The Junior Grand Prix Final was being held for the first time concurrently with the Grand Prix Final and so therefore did not include a compulsory dance segment. The Hubbells fell during the original dance and placed 6th in that segment of the competition. They placed second in the free skate and won the silver medal overall, placing 6.47 points behind champions Madison Chock / Greg Zuerlein.

The Hubbells made their senior national debut at the 2009 U.S. Championships. They placed fourth in the compulsory dance, the original dance, and the free dance, to place fourth overall and win the pewter medal. They were named to the team for the 2009 Junior Worlds for the third consecutive year. At the 2009 World Junior Championships, the Hubbells placed 2nd in the compulsory dance, 3rd in the original dance, and 4th in the free skate to place 4th overall, placing 0.46 points behind bronze medalists Ekaterina Riazanova / Jonathan Guerreiro.

2009–10 to 2010–11

Following the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard competition, the Hubbells moved from Yaroslava Nechaeva and Yuri Chesnichenko – who coached them in Ann Arbor, Michigan for 10 years – to Pasquale Camerlengo and Anjelika Krylova in Detroit, Michigan.

On May 12, 2011, the Hubbells announced the end of their partnership. Her brother had experienced hip and back problems and was undecided about his future.

Partnership with Zachary Donohue

On May 12, 2011, it was announced that Hubbell had teamed up with Zachary Donohue. The team trained at the Detroit Skating Club under the guidance of the coaching team of Pasquale Camerlengo, Anjelika Krylova, and Natalia Annenko-Deller. They made their international debut at the 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy where they won the gold medal. They finished 10th at the 2012 World Championships.

After sustaining a concussion in June 2013, Hubbell spent six weeks recuperating. She attributed the injury to "lack of focus, as painful as that is to admit. I finished twizzles, I did my 3-turn, and I fell off my heel." In 2013–14, Hubbell/Donohue won gold at the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy, placed fourth at the 2013 Skate America, and won their first Grand Prix medal, bronze, at the 2013 Skate Canada International. After placing fourth at the 2014 U.S. Championships, they were assigned to the 2014 Four Continents Championships and finished ahead of Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier to take the gold medal. Hubbell/Donohue were first alternates for the 2014 World Championships but did not take the slot made available when Davis/White withdrew; Hubbell had sustained a torn labrum in her left hip and underwent surgery in March 2014.

For the 2014–15 Grand Prix season, Hubbell/Donohue were assigned to the 2014 Skate Canada International and 2014 Trophée Éric Bompard, placing third and winning the bronze medal in each event. They won bronze at the 2015 U.S. Championships, and 10th at the 2015 World Championships.

On April 13, 2015, Hubbell/Donohue announced that they had started training with Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Romain Haguenauer at the Centre Gadbois in Montreal.

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix