Kurt Browning

Kurt Browning for many years has been perhaps the best known but certainly the most popular skater in Canada.

Kurt grew up in small-town Alberta, taking up figure skating at a young age. He won both novice and junior Canadian titles before moving to the senior ranks in 1986. Kurt first hit the headlines at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, where, perhaps overshadowed by the intense competition between the two Brians, Orser and Boitano, he finished 8th. He was working on a new jump, and later that year at the world Championships landed the first ever quadruple jump, a toe loop. The following year he won his first of four Canadian titles, followed by the first of three consecutive World championships. He was setting a new standard for skating, becoming the first to land two triple axels in the same original program (Worlds, Paris, France; 1989); landing the first triple-salchow/triple-loop combo (Nations Cup, Belsenkirchen, West Germany; 1990); and the first to land three triple-triple combinations in one program (triple axel/triple toe loop, triple salchow/triple loop, triple flip/triple toe loop) (Worlds, Munich, Germany; 1991). He won his fourth World Championship in 1993, and competed at his 3rd Olympics at Lillehamer in 1994. Although Kurt never won an Olympic medal, his long programme at Lillehammer was a masterpiece- skated to Casablanca, his combination of technical ability, showmanship and artistry pointed towards what became a great professional career.

Freed from the constraints of competitive skating, Kurt blossomed as the consummate performer, maintaining a high technical standard, but showing a unique ability to interpret a wide variety of music, and with a deft comic touch. He won the World Professional Championship three times, and became a regular with Stars On Ice. A memorable TV special "You must remember this" (featuring KurtÕs incredible recreation of Gene KellyÕs dancing in Singing in the RainÓ) won Gemini awards. Kurt developed his own annual TV special "Kurt Browning's Gotta Skate" now into its 8th year.

In recent years Kurt has been prominent in both Canadian and American TV coverage of competitive skating, and has become a successful choreographer, working with world champion Brian Joubert. It is still on the ice where Kurt works his magic, however, with his performances marked by dazzling footwork, creative interpretation and choreography, and still completing triple jumps as he skates into his forties.