Skating-Browning

Copyright 1995 the Associated Press. -- All Rights Reserved

His jumps might not be of the quantity and quality that helped him win four world championships. So what, says Kurt Browning. He's a more well-rounded skater today.

Browning, invigorated by his recent triumph his first as a pro at the Starlight Challenge in New York's Central Park, headlines the second annual Canadian Professional Figure Skating Championships Friday and Saturday.

''I think I'm a better skater now,'' he said when asked to compare his abilities in his second pro season to those of his so-called amateur days that ended following the Winter Olympics in February 1994. ''I don't think my jumps are quite as good as they were, although I'm hoping to throw a nice triple-triple combo and one or maybe two triple axels into my programs this weekend. But my presentation and maturity on the ice are better.''

Browning's initial season away from the International Skating Union scene he dominated for so many years was a rocky one. He didn't win a competition as a singles entry last winter.

''Last year I really wasn't skating well,'' he explained. ''I was dealing with a dislocated shoulder and a pair of skates that hated my guts.

''And I really didn't know how to tackle the competitions. At this competition last year, I stepped on the ice half competing and half doing a show. I really didn't know where my priorities lay.

''Now, I'm much better at combining the show feel with the competitive atmosphere, something that Scott Hamilton does so well. There has been a 100 percent improvement. When I'm competing now, it's fun again.''

Browning says if anything pushes him toward retirement it won't be skating, but travel. On Sunday, he performs in ''Stars On Ice'' in Lake Placid, N.Y., then jets to Charlotte, N.C., for a rock 'n' roll on ice TV special Wednesday. Browning, 29, has an apartment in Toronto, but he'll be living another winter out of a suitcase.

''It's a single man's game, I think,'' said Browning, who is engaged to be married next June.

Creatively, his well never runs dry. His technical program will features snippets of songs used at the start of the motion picture, ''That's Entertainment.''

''I'm trying to embody the spirit of Gene Kelly again'' as he did in his ''Singin' in the Rain'' routine.

On Saturday night, his artistic program will be skated to ''Brick House'' by the Commodores.

''It's a flashback to the 1970s. A little bit of everything,'' Browning said. He'll be competing against Scott Hamilton, Mark Mitchell, Alexandre Fadeev, Jozef Sabovcik and Canadian Gary Beacom.

Even Browning is curious about unsatiable skating appetites.

''I'm surprised that everything that was there last year came back again this year,'' he said. ''This event, I really hope becomes a strong event and sticks around.

''Maybe we underestimated the peak point of this love affair with figure skating.''