Kurt the king enshrined: Alberta great revolutionized figure skating

Copyright 2000 Southam Inc.

Chris Relke, Calgary Herald
Kurt Browning waves to the crowd Sunday
after his induction into the Canadian
Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

After thundering on to the scene in men's figure skating 12 years ago, Kurt Browning was immortalized Sunday on the same ice surface that once introduced him to a nation.

The Alberta-born skater, who revolutionized the sport as the first-ever to complete a quadruple jump, was officially inducted into the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame during an on-ice ceremony at the Canadian Airlines Saddledome.

The Caroline product joined five-time Canadian pairs champions Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler and builder Tom Collins as this year's Hall inductees on the final day of the 2000 Bank of Montreal Canadian championships.

''In our era, we didn't get into (skating) because we were going to be in a hall, or on a wall, or famous,'' said Browning, who now resides in Toronto.

''Really, it was because it was fun to be at the rink and great to skate. And that's going to be a challenge for the kids now to take on to the ice.''

Browning, a four-time world champion who essentially started his incredible career with an eight-place finish at the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, joins 28 other athletes in the Hall -- including greats such as Brian Orser, Karen Magnussen and Toller Cranston.

''It's an aging process; and it's a wonderful way to age,'' said Browning during a sometimes comical address to the media after the ceremony. ''Some of those names are really important to me. And now we're all on the same wall.''

Collins is the 10th person to be inducted in the builder's category. He continues his involvement in the sport as a promoter of ice shows, most of which Browning takes part in.

''This is possibly the biggest thrill I've ever had in my life,'' said the Kirkland Lake, Ont., native who lives in Minneapolis. ''To get this type of recognition is beyond my wildest dreams.''

After an extremely successful amateur career which produced five national pairs championships and two Olympic medals, Brasseur and Eisler also continue to skate together on Collins' international tour.