Sister-brother ice dance teams aren’t common in senior level competitions, but Kakani and Ikaika Young are making it work. The two skaters were born in Honolulu, HI, and grew up in Oregon City, OR. They began skating at the ages of five and four respectively, and both competed in singles until a bad fall on a jump left Ikaika injured. The siblings gave up solo skating in order to compete in dance, and in 1997, they moved to Mountlake Terrace, WA, to pursue their goals. Training under Bernard Ford and Sharon Jones-Baker, Kakani and Ikaika have become one of the top-ranked couples in the United States.

Kakani, who was born August 14, 1982, is an all-around athlete who also spends much time achieving her academic goals. She was a three-time recipient of the Presidential Academic Fitness Award (1991-1993) and was on the honor roll throughout high school. Now a full-time student at the University of Washington in Seattle, Kakani is carrying a double major in civil engineering and journalism. She enjoys many sports, reading, and collecting puzzles, and treasures her lime green 1975 Mercury Comet car.

Ikaika was born on November 23, 1983. Like his sister, he enjoys golf and other sports. He collects baseball cards and other vintage athlete cards, admires Deion Sanders, and enjoys cheering for the Washington Huskies. Other hobbies include playing pool, fishing, and listening to music. Ikaika is also pursuing a college degree, with a computer science major at Edmonds Community College.

Competitive Record 2002 U.S. Championships - 8th 2002 Pacific Coast Sectional - 1st 2001 U.S. Championships-Junior - 3rd 2000 Junior Grand Prix (Norway) - 7th 2000 Junior Grand Prix (France) - 5th 2000 U.S. Championships-Junior - 5th 2000 Pacific Coast Sectional-Junior - 2nd 1999 Junior Grand Prix (Stockholm) - 6th 1999 Junior Grand Prix (Montreal) - 6th 1999 North American Challenge Skate (Toronto)-Junior - 2nd 1999 U.S. Championships-Novice - 1st 1999 Pacific Coast Sectional-Novice - 1st 1998 North American Challenge Skate (Winnipeg)-Novice - 2nd 1998 U.S. Championships-Novice - 10th 1998 Pacific Coast Sectional-Novice - 2nd 1997 Junior Olympics-Intermediate - 8th 1997 Pacific Coast Sectional -Intermediate - 2nd 1997 Northwest Pacific Regional-Intermediate - 1st 1996 U.S. Championships-Intermediate - 8th 1996 Pacific Coast Sectional-Intermediate - 3rd 1995 U.S. Championships-Juvenile - 7th 1995 Northwest Pacific Regional-Juvenile - 2nd 1994 U.S. Championships-Juvenile - 16th 1994 Northwest Pacific Regional-Juvenile - 3rd

Links USFSA Profile

Biography written by April (with additional source material from the USFSA and the Seattle Times); July 2002.
Skate photograph copyright © Dave Amorde. Unless otherwise noted, all content Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.