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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
1991/92 Competitive Season
Placement at International Competitions:
- 1991 Lalique - 1st
- 1992 Albertville Olympics - 6th
- 1992 Worlds - 2nd
1991/92 Competitive Programs and Exhibitions:
- Short Program: Hindu War God (Music by Borodin, Mozart, Phil Collins and choreographed by Brian Power). Elements include a triple axel/double toe combination, triple lutz, and double axel.
- Long Program: Firebird Suite (Music by Stravinsky, choreographed by Brian Power/R. Jiranek). Elements include a triple axel/double toe combination, a triple lutz/double toe combination, and a triple salchow/triple loop combination.
- Exhibition: O Canada (Canadian National Anthem). Costume included a brown leather jacket with a big red maple leaf on its back, while the choreography had Kurt acting out a number of "typical Canadian" activities like skiing, dogsledding, playing hockey, roping a steer, etc. At the World Championships, NBC miked Kurt, who proceeded to narrate everything he was doing and talking to the audience while performing his program. (Performed at Worlds and Canadian Stars on Ice in Edmonton)
- Exhibition: Bring Him Home (Music from Les Miserables, choreography by Kevin Cottam) Kurt performed this program at the Toronto stop of the Canadian Stars on Ice tour with Michael Burgess, the Toronto Jean Valjean singing live. (Performed at Canadian Stars on Ice in Toronto)
- Exhibition: Johnny Guitar (Music by Peggy Lee, choreography by Kevin Cottam) (Performed at Canadian Stars on Ice)
- Exhibition: Sign Your Name/Dance Little Sister (Music by Terence Trent D'Arby, choreography by Kevin Cottam) (Performed at Canadian Stars on Ice, Skate the Dream)
- Exhibition: What a Wonderful World (Music by Louis Armstrong) (Performed at Cavalcade of Lights)
1991/92 Non-Competitive Shows and Events:
- Grey Cup (1991) - Kurt was invited to attend a ceremony honoring Canada's Olympic hopefuls at the Canadian Football League Championships. Due to his back injury, he couldn't make the trip, so he was interviewed via satellite instead.
- Cavalcade of Lights (Toronto) - skated to What a Wonderful World
- Edmonton Oilers game (1992) - Kurt skated to a short, 2 minute version of O Canada before a 1992 Oilers hockey game.
- Royal Glenora Les Miserables on Ice club show (May 1992) - In this Royal Glenora Club show, Kurt performed as Jean Valjean, while a young Jamie Sale played Gavroche
- Canadian Stars on Ice - skated to Bring Him Home (Toronto), Oh Canada (Edmonton), Johnny Guitar, and Sign Your Name/Dance Little Sister
- Disney Holiday Festival on Ice - skated to Trepek (Nutcracker) and Under the Sea (Little Mermaid)
- Skate the Dream (tribute for Rob McCall) - skated to Sign Your Name/Dance Little Sister
Quotes about Kurt:
1992 Olympics - Scott Hamilton: "Coming into this
competition as a three-time World Champion, you'll never know what kind of pressure that is. For him to sustain any kind of concentration this week had to be impossible."
1992 Olympics - Scott Hamilton after LP: "The program (Firebird Suite) is a great program, it's really interesting, it's really intricate. He's a great expressive skater, a wonderful crowd skater. What a rough night for a fantastic champion."
Quotes from Kurt:
Before 1992 Olympics: "I have an opportunity to be
a part of history. I've already had my fair share of history in figure skating, but I hate to leave things unfinished. I have an opportunity to win the Olympic gold medal and I'm going to do everything I can to do it."
1992 Canada AM - interview regarding his 6th place finish at the '92 Olympics: "It was like walking out to your car to go to work and your car isn't there. I got off the ice, sat in the dressing room with my coach and I looked at him and I said "I can take my whole outfit off now and put on my sweats, don't I, 'cause there's no awards ceremony?" And he just stared at me and went "Yeah, I guess so". We've always been on the podium and that was a real eye opener and to have that happen at the Olympic Games – that's par for the course. I knew it wasn't going to be easy at the Olympics and it wasn't."
From Forcing the Edge - looking back at the '92 Olympics: "In 1992, I was injured. I was so "not-myself". I didn't want to carry the flag. I was sort of denying the importance of the event. I was frustrated at every practice. The ice was crap and terribly dangerous. I just remember never being able to get in a vibe. Basically, I guess, I should not have been there."
After 1992 Worlds: "I worked very hard for this (silver) medal and I know it's not the same color as the other ones, but sometimes the color doesn't necessarily mean how much work you put into it and this season was very difficult for me and to have this means a lot to me."
From Forcing the Edge - looking back at '92 Worlds: "When the music stopped, the season stopped, and that
was all that mattered. I took a bow and thought, "I deserve
this. Enjoy it. This year has been terrible, but it's over." Amazingly, my marks were pretty good – good enough for second place."
From Forcing the Edge - looking back at '92 Worlds Gala: "The next day, everyone did an exhibition skate. I
was totally reckless out there. I skated to a somewhat different
version of "O Canada", wearing a brown leather jacket with a red maple
leaf on the back. It was a quick encore that involved, of all things,
a back flip. I hadn't done one since September. At the end, I came down with a splat on my back, went skidding across the ice, vanished through the doors of the boards and kicked them shut with my feet. It seemed like a pretty good way to say goodbye."
Did you know?
- Kurt had to withdraw from Canadian Nationals due to back injury.
- Ironically, Kurt landed two perfect triple lutzes, his long-standing nemesis jump, during his otherwise flawed Olympic long program.
- In the fall of 1991, the hardcover first edition of Kurt's autobiography "Kurt: Forcing the Edge" was released, and became a national bestseller.
- Although he didn't defend his World title, Kurt's silver medal at the 1992 World Championships in Oakland is one his mother was always proud of and that he said himself was the medal he worked hardest for. After a horrible 1991-92 season, he fought his way to the podium, and capped off the year with that hard-fought silver.
Many thanks to the following LKK Members for their Kurt contributions for this "chapter" of Memory Lane:
Go To 1992/93
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