Kurt Browning Thank You Letter

This letter was written by Kurt to his official website after the Kurt Klub surprised him with the bottle of 1988 Hungarian wine on the 10 year anniversary of the quad. It is being posted on the Kurt Klub Website with the permssion of Kurt's official website.

March 25, 1998:
A few days ago I did an interview that did two things. At first it made me very proud, and then it made me very old. Ten years ago, that's a decade if you want to make it sound even worse, I did a jump in Budapest that kind of caused a stir and a big party as well. I didn't even think about the fact that the tenth anniversary of the landing of the Quad was coming up until I got this interview request. Cam Cole works for the Edmonton Journal and has been covering my skating for a little over a decade now! So many great things have taken place during my career, but landing that jump is definitely one of the best. Let's take a quick peek at what that jump has been up to in the last ten years.

After the Worlds in 88, I was amazed at how much attention came just because of one jump. I never would have expected that in 1998, it still would be the make or break moment at a World Championship. The quad I did during worlds that year had a turn after it. It did not have total control on the landing even if it did have a back outside edge on one foot. I was not really satisfied with the Guinness Book of Records title until I did it again. The next one was perfect and it was then that I was really comfortable with the claim. It was very exciting back then to see who was going to be the first to do it.

Jumping Joe Sobvceck was very close to doing it before me. It was so close that some think that he actually was the first. He certainly has been the most dominating owner of a quad jump that I know of. It has only been in the last few years that other skaters have had the kind of control of the jump that Joe has had. Elvis and that jumping demon from China are great examples. Being able to do a triple after a quad at a fairly consistent rate... well that just blows my mind. I was lucky that Brian Boitano did not do it in Worlds in 87. He almost had it, whew! I can remember doing as many quads as I could in practice at that event. I was trying to show off and thought that it might take some of the attention away from Brain B. and help out fellow Canadian Brian Orser. We were very big into team effort back then, something that has really faded away in the last few Worlds. Just for your info, Brian Orser was also nailing quads in practice that week as well.

After my back injury, that quad all but disappeared. I did not feel that I was healthy enough to train this jump and it did not seem that it was needed to win the world title anyway. After turning pro, again there was no real reason to try it anymore. I have been feeling great in the last few seasons and my back is also very healthy. It is kind of ironic though that I am sitting here waiting for the show in Dayton with an ice pack on my back. Anyway, after watching worlds where the guys were putting on quad clinics, I got thinking it was time to start throwing them again. Last season I started trying a few on days where I felt absolutely amazing. This did not happen too often and so I really only ended up trying 5 or 6. By the time we got to the Vancouver show in Canada, I had landed quite a few, but always on two feet. Finally, with the taunting and daring of the Skate The Nation cast during rehearsals, I hit it on one foot. I had really given up ever landing it again since it had been six years since the last one. You can imagine how happy I was. I felt even better in Red Deer a few shows later when I landed on for Mom and Dad. Mom had just got out of the hospital and it seemed to cheer her up. I think Dad felt the same way in that he didn't really expect to ever see one of those again.This year, I have been doing the quad on a fairly (?) regular basis. It is great fun and I am flirting with the idea of trying one in public somewhere, someday, again.

This morning when I did a television show in Nashville called Crook and Chase, I had a great surprise. Thank You So Much for the gift and especially the thought. It really was a surprise and I would not have even been aware of the exact day of the tenth anniversary had you all not thought of it. The Kurt Klub Karetakers are really on top of things, even if Kurt isn't. And so, inspired by the gift and the date, I decided to try one in practice today. The first one was on two feet, but the second was clean and so ten years later to the day I have landed another quad. Whew!

I can't believe it was ten years ago, until I look at pictures and then it is easy to believe. Thanks again for the gift, you have made today pretty special for me.

Cheers for now
Kurt

UPDATE: March 25, 1998 - 8:30 P. M .

Just finished the Fun and Games number in the Fort Wayne show and the quad attempt was a success. Yahoo!!


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