Old and new generations of Canadian stars come together for 15th annual HSBC Stars on Ice

Fifteen years ago, Kurt Browning was a bright-eyed rookie, Canada's newest star, guest-starring on the inaugural tour of Stars on Ice in Canada.

Now, Kurt's the veteran who calls Stars on Ice his "home away from home", watching as a new generation of Canadian stars take their turn on the ice as guest stars on the 15th Anniversary tour of HSBC Stars on Ice.

Despite the joking nervousness that the new stars - Jeff Buttle (appearing in Toronto and Hamilton), Joannie Rochette (appearing in Montreal and London), and Emanuel Sandhu (appearing in Vancouver and Victoria) - will make him "look old out there", Kurt welcomes the infusion of new blood to the ever-changing tour.

"[Stars on Ice] is something that you want very much to grow beyond your years. When you go back to your audience with the same sort of thing each time, that doesn't work. The cast keeps changing, and for me, it's very exciting to know that the cast is being rejuvenated with such talent," he said at a shared press conference with Jeff Buttle promoting the new guest stars for the tour.

"They just bring a lot of excitement, not only to the show and to the people who will be buying tickets, but also to us, the older generation of skaters who are out there."

It's an attitude that's very in keeping with his personal philosophy: "My goal as an entertainer and as an athlete is to come back on the ice recreated each year."

It's also an attitude that has influenced this younger generation of skaters. Jeff Buttle, speaking at the same press conference, cites Kurt as an inspiration in his own skating.

"I've always watched Kurt as a competitor, and really, what's inspired me as a competitor is watching him grow as a professional. I mean, just knowing that Kurt's in a show is enough for me to buy a ticket to go see it. He's really just pushed boundaries, and that's something that I really want to do in the future as a skater."

Perhaps this inspiration has translated itself into Jeff's skating, as Kurt sees "a lot of my young self in him", joking "only he's better".

Asked to elaborate on how Jeff reminds him of himself, Kurt explained, "I think the biggest thing that I'd say is, that I love to compete. When I was comfortable out there, I looked like I was where I wanted to be. And it's really an addition to a competitive situation when you're watching an athlete compete and, especially in a sport like figure skating where how you do it is as important as what you do, it's really good to just sit there and watch a competitor who wants to be there. And that's what I see from Jeff every time he steps on the ice."

"I don't see anything held back. I don't see anything worried about him. He's just out there and enjoying himself, and in his environment. He's in his place, and it just makes watching him such a breeze. He makes it easy on the judges and the audience. He makes them enjoy his performance even better. That's not even getting into the technical stuff of his skating, it's just how he comes across as a person."

Of course, figure skating being a competitive sport as it is, the "technical stuff" is inevitably important, and inevitably came up. And the ultimate technical goal for a male figure skater these days is the quad, a jump that Kurt pioneered back in 1988 at the World Championships in Budapest, and a jump that Jeff does not yet perform with any regularity in competition.

When asked what motivated Kurt to do that first quad, and why he thought he could, he answered, "When I was first doing it, it really was the allure of trying to be the first one. And it was motivated on my part mostly by the fact that I wasn't a contender for the number one spot. Someone like Brian had the pressure of not being allowed to make a mistake, where I had that option. I could make a mistake and the world and my world championship wasn't going to come crumbling down. I could go for it, I absolutely could go for it, and it's that lack of worry that allowed me to do it back then."

As for advice to Jeff on his quest for the quad, "it's literally just getting into a groove and staying healthy. The more triple Axels you do, the more you get the feeling of what 3 1/2 revolutions is, and the quad just slowly and surely becomes feeling like that. It gets its own feeling, and then you get on a rhythm, and if you can stay healthy, you start nailing it."

Kurt's not exactly applying his advice to his own quad these days, though. Would he try a quad today? "I did about three years ago, and I couldn't walk for two days!"

Jeff has a very practical view of the quad. While making it clear that he does train the quad in practice - "I don't think it's really something I neglect to work on in practice, because that would just be stupid." - and that he is aiming to have one at Worlds, he did point out the reward-risk tradeoff of trying the quad under the new system of points. Citing Kurt's previous comment about being able to land the quad in 1988 because he had the freedom to make a mistake, he wonders if this particular mistake "is something that may not be worth making in the new system, in that it's really rewarding a clean program." Of course, "a clean program with the quad is worth the most. Again, I'm just working on it as much as possible. And I've done it in competition before, so it's just a matter of finding that comfort zone and the ability to have the confidence to do it in competition."

Kurt made sure to point out that "I think it's interesting to know that there's only a really small handful of skaters in the world that can actually consider not having to try it, and would be competitive in the international scene. And Jeff - all those other things, the transitions, the moving from forward to backwards, his extension, and all those things that make Jeff just excel, and especially in the new system, well that takes time and effort. So if it was one other kid who was just busting his ass to get four revolutions done, but he doesn't have anything else, in the new system, Jeff will kick his butt!"

Asked if he was worried at all about the new scoring system, Jeff's response was "I try not to worry about it. To change the whole judging system can be a bit overwhelming, and I remember last year preparing for the Grand Prix series. There's a lot to think about. So, I really just focus on improving my skating as a whole, and I really think that the new system will reward that. So, I try not to worry about results, you know, other than the events that I'm in myself."

Anxiety and pressure, however, are an inevitable part of competition. With increased funding going to Skate Canada, and an increasing emphasis within Canadian sports on needing podium finishes rather than just participating, Kurt was asked if he thought this placed too much pressure on young skaters such as Jeff or Emanuel or Cynthia to feel that they have to finish on the podium.

"I think that the pressure is going to be there anyways, and that it is good for the young athletes because you know the good strong athletes will take all this stuff and turn it into a positive anyways. It's up to each athlete to take the environment that's presented to them before the Olympic Games and turn it into their own personal positive situation."

"And whether there's more pressure or more talk about getting on the podium? Well, that's just one more opportunity for excitement. And if you're ready to perform the way you need to perform to be the one who's going to be standing up there, you're going to do it whether people are chattering behind your back or not. If it's going to get to you, it's going to get to you, no matter how much."

"I think that support is support, especially financially. There's been a slow trend towards Canadian athletes, where we're getting tired of just being there, we want to participate at a higher level, there's higher expectations for qualifying for the Olympics, and all these things are leading towards the fact that we want to be more competitive on the international market."

"I always thought that the higher the pressure, the bigger the rewards, and the more exciting the situation, and that's always what fueled me. I always skated better at the bigger events and not so good at the smaller ones, so channel your energy and just ride the wave."

The difference between the current crop of skaters and those of Kurt's "era", such as Elvis Stojko, Brian Orser, Liz Manley, and Josee Chouinard, especially as they approach the Olympics, Kurt says, is that "we had podium success at the world level already, and so we were kind of used to it. The expectations were there, they were obvious, they weren't coming like 'we need you to do something to help us', it was more like 'ok, you've done it before, and we need you to do it again.'" This may actually help the current crop of skaters, Kurt believes. "Maybe, possibly, it gives people like Jeff that what the hell attitude that I had, trying the quad, when I told you that Brian was having all the pressure and I didn't, because you know, sometimes that's the Sarah Hughes who slides in there and takes it all!"

In the meantime, however, Kurt doesn't believe that Jeff, Emanuel, or Joannie really need much advice from him on joining the Stars on Ice tour. "Nowadays, it's not as extreme a jump as it used to be, because as an amateur when I did it, we didn't do that many shows. So it seems sort of strange to even have to help any of these guys. They step on the ice, they learn quickly, they know how to do a show, and then an afternoon show the next day, and an evening show that night. They're amazing athletes. It's just not that huge a leap of faith that it was when I turned pro because it's just been a different lifestyle for them."

"It's a little bit selfish on my part to want the best skaters in the tour because this is so important to me, and Stars on Ice has been such a big part of my life. To have champions coming out of Canada, to have Joannie... We've been watching Joannie for the last couple years, and every year, you know on practice we're all out there cheering her on, trying to get her to do a triple axel."

Despite their success and experience, these young skaters haven't let it go to their heads. "They're really respectful kids. They're young skaters who, I'll be honest, respect the generations in front of them, and know where they're coming from, and this opportunity that's being presented to them, and it's nice to work with young people who give you that respect."

As for Jeff, skating in Stars on Ice is a bit of a dream come true, and a long-range goal for when he is done competing. "I'm really excited to be part of the tour. It's something that I've always wanted to do. And I know that I have to first become a champion as a competitor, and I really think that's really one of the motivating factors for me. Becoming better and better because one day I do want to do the whole tour, and that'd be part of it."

While Jeff is rapidly rising as Canada's newest star, Kurt still remains its very busy current star. Between guest starring in the US Stars on Ice tour, skating with the Celebration on Ice tour in Canada, and finishing off his season with HSBC Stars on Ice, Kurt's been keeping busier than he ever thought. How does he balance being a new dad of an almost 2-year old boy with his skating obligations, and how has being a dad changed his skating?

"Time-wise it's fine. I have lots of help at home. Mostly, the biggest change is that if I'm going to get in an airplane and fly away from home for weeks at a time, I really want to make what happens on the ice worth my while, because it just seems like what's happening at home is so important that, like every new parent, you're just sitting in amazement staring at this new thing in your life, and trying to understand how it happened. And you're amazed at every little thing, every little sound. So, if I'm away, I really try to make my skating as good as I can. Also, like my wife says, the little things that used to bother you before a show, they don't seem that important anymore because you've got something to new to compare it to. Little changes, nothing huge, but...just a part of growing up, I think."