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Links for Amateur Years:
Early Years |
1986/87 | 1987/88 | 1988/89 | 1989/90 |
1990/91 | 1991/92 | 1992/93 | 1993/94 |
Back to Memory Lane
1989/90 Competitive Season
Placement at International Competitions:
- 1989 Skate America - 3rd
- 1989 NHK - 3rd
- 1990 Canadians - 1st
- 1990 Worlds - 1st
Honors and Awards:
- 1990 Lou Marsh Award - Canada's Outstanding Athlete
- 1990 Lionel Conacher Award - The Canadian Press Male Athlete of the Year
- 1990 Recipient of the "Order of Canada," Canada's most prestigious civilian award
- 1990 Sports Federation of Canada - Top Male Athlete
1990/91 Competitive Programs and Exhibition Debuts:
- Short Program: Lone Bank Loan Blues/Toast of the Town/Speedway (songs by Joe Jackson) - Choreographed by Kevin Cottam, Kurt wore a medium blue shirt, black pants with suspenders. This program included a triple axel/double loop combination, a double axel and a triple axel.
- Long Program: Gaiette Parisienne (Offenbach)/LeCid (Massenet) /Strauss polka's - Choreographed by Kevin Cottam, Kurt wore medium purple pants and multi-purple colored long sleeve shirt: The elements in this program varied from competition to competition, but usually included a 2 axel/3 salchow sequence, quad, 3 flip, 3 axel, 3 axel/2 loop, deathdrop, 3 loop, 3 toe/3toe and a double axel. At 1990 Worlds in Halifax, Kurt tripled out on the quad and then added a double toe onto the end of it, so he was not permitted to do a triple toe/triple toe combination at the end of the program. He could only do a solo triple toe because of the ISU rule that says you cannot repeat a jump unless it's in combination (which he had already done). Talk about thinking on your feet!
- Exhibition: Here I Am/She's Hot To Go sung by Lyle Lovett - This program, choreographed by Kevin Cottam, is also known as "The Host". Kurt flirts with the audience and lip synchs the words while sporting a pair of sunglasses and a hat. Every time I see this program, it's different. Some performances included a hand stand and/or a split on the ice. But each and every time he performed this program, it included a back flip and lots of fun and audience participation.
- Exhibition: Bring Him Home (from Les Miserables) sung by Michael Burgess - This program showcases Kurt's versatility and his ability to portray a character. He wears a pair of tan khakis, a beige shirt and a beige/red striped open vest. Kurt remains in character to the very end, even as he takes his bows.
Upon returning home to Caroline, Alberta, Kurt was greeted by the town who held a night in his honour .. June 28, 1989. It was on this night that the town renamed The Caroline Arena the "Kurt Browning Arena".
But Kurt soon learned that holding the title of World Figure Skating Champion was not all fun and games. He had many new responsibilities that went along with this new title ... and he was very much in demand. In addition to having to put his new programs together for the next season, he participated in the CFSA's Champions on Ice TV special, was the honorary Grand Marshall at Edmonton's Klondike Days Parade, participated in Wayne Gretzky's celebrity softball classic, presented an award at the NHL hockey awards banquet in Toronto, attended a luncheon which introduced the new commemorative coins for the '92 Olympics and agreed to be the National Spokesperson for Muscular Dystrophy. He soon learned how easy it was to spread himself too thin. Soon these excessive obligations began to take their toll on his training time and his concentration.
At Skate America in Indianapolis, he had to deal with a sore ankle (from a tag football game) and started having spasms in his back after doing a triple sal/double loop in practice. He considered pulling out of the competition, but decided not to. In his Freeskate, he fell on a triple flip (after catching his blade in his pant cuff) and 2-footed his quad. He had to settle for 3rd place behind Petrenko and Bowman.
At NHK in Kobe, Japan, things got worse instead of better. In his original program, he found himself in 7th place after 2-footing a landing, popping his double loop and falling on his triple axel. The Freeskate went a little better placing him 3rd over all behind Petrenko and Fadeev ... yet still, his confidence was down and the media was being none to kind.
About 8-9 days before the 1990 Canadian Championships in Sudbury, Kurt decided to start breaking in a new pair of skates. He had been in constant discomfort from his old boots and wanted to have the new boots broken in by the time Worlds rolled around ... which meant wearing the new boots for Canadians. Even though the new boots felt better on his feet, the blades were longer and took some getting used to (especially on the spins and general stroking).
After a disappointing Original Program, Kurt found himself in 4th place. The Freeskate didn't get much better and Kurt felt for sure he had lost the Canadian Title. But the judges were kind to Kurt, and he won his 2nd straight Canadian Championship. His performance in Sudbury left him even more hungry to work harder and skate well at Worlds.
The 1990 Worlds in Halifax were only a few weeks away. Kurt very much wanted to prove to himself that he could have a great week of skating and win this one for himself ... as well as for Canada. The Metro Center was packed with 10,000 fans, who at times were so enthusiastic, he couldn't hear his music.
In his Original Program, he landed his triple axel combination, but when he went to do his triple axel (his solo triple jump) he lost his concentration and doubled it! Luckily, a double axel was required in the short program, so all he had to do was to replace his final planned double axel with any triple jump. The jump was in the last few seconds of the program, and it was almost unheard of to try a triple axel there. Kurt contemplated playing it safe and doing the easier triple toe ... but then at the last minute, decided to go for it and tried a triple axel instead. Bam! He landed it! The crowd went wild! Talk about thinking on your feet. His marks were excellent, including a perfect 6.0 for artistic impression from the Hungarian judge. Victor P. was definitely up to the challenge this year, and he also skated a great Original Program. Kurt was in 2nd place going into the Long Program.
Kurt's Long Program was amazing. He landed 7 triples with just one close call. Flowers rained down on the ice and the crowd went absolutely wild. Kurt received seven 5.9's and two 5.8's for technical merit ... and six 5.9's and three 5.8's for artistic impression. He did it! He not only made it through the season, but he ended it in a blaze of glory! After receiving his gold medal, Kurt proudly sang "O Canada" in stereo with the Canadian home crowd ... A memory that I'm sure Kurt holds very close to his heart. :-)
To sum up this whole 1989/90 season, I don't think I could say it any better than Kurt himself. From his autobiography, Kurt: Forcing the Edge" Kurt states, "They say that defending is the hardest thing to do in sport, and I agree." Kurt had grown up a lot in one short year since winning his first World Championship title in Paris. He not only became the first male skater to successfully defend his title, but he also proved to himself that with guts and determination, he could make Canada proud to call them his own!
Quotes about Kurt:
1989 Skate America - Misha Petkevich during LP: "Triple axel ... oh! He changed his mind mid air and couldn't recover. He did a single and he even over rotated that because he jumps so high ... (just seconds later) .... And he goes after the triple (axel) again and does it this time! As we said, he's very gutsy."
1989 Skate America - Misha Petkevich during replays of LP: "Look at the beautiful height on that double axel ... now watch the triple salchow. There's a delay in the beginning as he takes off. That is spectacular! That is really wonderful!"
1989 Skate America Exhibitions - Misha Petkevich during Here I Am: "Ha! Ha! Ha! This is wonderful! Ha! Ha! Ha! I'll tell you this guy is really versatile ... from Les Miserables, a very serious piece, to this! Having just a terrific time. That was terrific!"
1989 Skate America Exhibitions - Phil Stone: "I remember seeing a performance by America's team of Seminick & Gregory at the 1987 Olympic festival with suspenders that absolutely drove the fans wild in Greensboro, NC. But this one by Kurt Browning, our reigning World Champion, was I think even better!" .... Response by Petkevich: I think it was terrific! I think he's got a lot of class, a lot of theater; he's a real actor. He was just ... aaaah ... he played that to the hilt! Just a terrific job. What a versatile guy!"
1990 Canadians - Dan Matheson after LP: "Even when he's not perfect, he's such an exciting performer. He's magic on ice--Kurt Browning!!" (submitted by DebiDDS)
1990 Canadians Exhibitions - Dan Matheson: "This is Kurt Browning....and there aren't many skaters who are better at working a crowd like this young man." (submitted by Tigger)
1990 Canadians Exhibitions - Debi Wilkes: "This is an exquisite number from Les Miserables. Very emotional as well." (submitted by Tigger)
1990 Canadians Exhibitions - Dan Matheson after Here I am: "Fantastic!! You get the feeling he'd like to stay out there to do another hour's worth." (submitted by Tigger)
1990 Worlds - Scott Hamilton during LP: "He knew he had it! He knew he had it!! You know, you can just sense it. The ice feels good....BAM!! That's it. You know you've got it under you and he just knew!" (submitted by DebiDDS)
1990 Worlds - Scott Hamilton after scores of LP: "WHOA!! Seven 5.9s and two 5.8s. That's gonna reflect the quality of that performance. It makes you wonder if he would've gotten a 6.1 if he'd done the quad!!" (submitted by DebiDDS)
1990 Worlds - Ted Reynolds at very end of LP: "I have NEVER seen a reaction like this for any figure skater any place. There's his father standing up. They were on their feet and screaming for the last 35-40 seconds of this performance. This magnificent audience in Halifax. I've never seen anything like that before in my life!"
1990 Worlds Exhibitions - Toller Cranston : "There are many world champions in the history of figure skating, and some of those champions are super-hip champions or historically important champions. I think Kurt Browning is one of those super champions. With this performance, unlike so many of the others, he was daring enough to try something different, and allowed skating to take it's natural course and plow into the 80s by doing something that, for him, is a great departure from anything he's done or anything that we've seen any of the other male skaters do." (submitted by DebiDDS)
1990 Worlds Exhibitions - Ted Reynolds after "What a Wonderful World": "Kurt Browning has them in the palm of his hand. With that marvelous interpretation, this crowd was just waiting, they were spellbound, I think. " (submitted by DebiDDS)
1990 Worlds Exhibitions - Toller Cranston: "Kurt Browning has it within his power to have an influence over all skaters all over Canada, for that matter, all over the world. He's a perfect role model and is every bit as much a champion off the ice as he is on." (submitted by DebiDDS)
Quotes from Kurt:
1989 Skate America - Kurt: At the beginning of the season, we all have expectations for ourselves ... not necessarily for how we place. The 3rd place finish doesn't bother me as much as the end result of how I skated out there .... The 3rd place finish didn't really change anything. If anything, it makes me hungrier. A slap in the face every now and then doesn't hurt anybody."
1990 Canadians - Kurt after winning: "I suppose that the championship is important, but I was really looking forward to using this as a positive influence...to take it into Halifax, and I know we wanted to leave some room for improvement, but I didn't wanna leave that much room. I'm kind of disappointed, but I'm sure gonna go home and work hard. And I suppose, well--my coach said that just maybe the Divisionals went too well. And maybe I cruised through this a little too easily. So, if anything is gonna make me skate good in Halifax, or make me hungry to train at home, it'll be today." (submitted by DebiDDS)
1990 Worlds - Interview with Kurt before competition: "I love how you media people say that the title is on the line. There's no guarantee with that title that says it's yours for 5 years. It's yours for one year and then you fight for a *new* one. So as far as being 1989 World Champion goes, I'll *always* be the 1989 World Champion. But now there's a chance to be the 1990 World Champion. It's a whole new year."
1990 Worlds - Interview with Kurt before competition: "Yeah, it's been a roller coaster. It's been up; it's been down. The beginning was, of course, really exciting. With the new title came a lot of new opportunities." ... "I started feeling like, because I had won this one competition, that I wasn't allowed to make any more mistakes. Making mistakes is Kurt's style. I'm positive I fall down more than any other world champion has ever done. I train a lot for fun, and I try things for fun sometimes, and falling never bothered me before. All of a sudden, it was." ... "I'm back on track now, and I have a really good chance of skating good in Halifax. And I don't think that this whole thing is worth it. It's not worth losing your whole identity, and it's not worth stressing out over because that's not what gets productivity. I'm gonna go into Halifax happy, and I betcha I'm going to skate great." (submitted by DebiDDS)
1990 Worlds - Toller Cranston to Kurt: "You were smiling at the audience. Could one really be that casual about a title? If I win, I win ... and If I don't, I don't?" Kurt's reply: "Last year, I was thinking about the title a lot, and I thought with every jump, I'm that much closer to being a World Champion. This year, probably because of the year going into it, I was enjoying the fact that I was standing up, Toller. And even that jump (as he's watching a replay) wasn't that great, but I fought for it .... and that move right there, I thought ... aaah ... I'm really enjoying myself out here. Believe it or not, I was enjoying those people."
1990 Worlds - Toller Cranston to Kurt : "You seem to have a tremendous rapport with all the skaters ... particularly in the top 3. Is that honest?" Kurt's reply: Oh yeah ... Oh definitely! I can't fake a friendship. I can't do anything fake really. If I say something, it's real."
Did you know?
- In the Fall of 1989, Brian Orser gave Kurt his lucky stuffed animal that he had been carrying around in his skate bag for 10 years.
- Kurt used to work with Audi Razc at Professional Skate Service in Edmonton, sharpening, rebuilding and repadding other people's skates.
- Kurt's skates cost about $1200 a pair back in 1991. Kurt, who enjoys leather tooling, actually hand carved the maple leaf in the heel.
- Kurt disliked his 1990 Short Program. Amazing considering he did it well enough to receive his first 6.0 at Worlds!
- 1990 Worlds were the last time skaters were required to skate compulsory figures. Kurt placed 2nd behind Richard Zander ... a big achievement considering he had come up from 12th-15th place in previous years.
- Kurt is the only skater to have won a World Championship with and without Compulsory Figures.
- After Kurt's SP in Halifax, Scott Hamilton dubbed him "Skate God for Life". Quite a compliment considering how much Kurt looked up to Scott :-)
- Kurt was the first Canadian male to win back-to-back World Championships.
- In the Spring of 1990, Kurt escorted his mother to a concert in Calgary where Kurt was introduced to the Queen of England. One of Kurt's mother's most precious memories, a photograph of the 3 of them hangs over their kitchen table.
- Kurt has an actual "star" named after him? This was accomplished when 2 of his fans nominated him for his own "star" through the Edmonton Space and Science Centre's Donate-a-Star Program.
- Traditionally, Kurt invited his "city friends" to Caroline each year for the Victoria Day long weekend (the equivalent of the US Memorial Day weekend). Activities included camping out by the lake, breakfast at the Lions Club (his dad as the flap jack flipper), the Caroline celebratory parade, and a softball game between the Brownings and the City Slickers ... the winners, of course, won the coveted trophy ... a cow's skull.
Many thanks to the following LKK Members for their Kurt contributions for this "chapter" of Memory Lane:
- DebiDDS from New York
- Tigger from Ontario
- Eve in NS - for correcting my American Faux Pas!! (I originally referred to the Canadian long weekend as Memorial Day!)
Go To 1990/91
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