| Kurt Browning CM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Browning at the 2001 Stars on Ice | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | June 18, 1966 Rocky Mountain House, Alberta | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Figure skating career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competitive | 1982–1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional | 1994–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Kurt Browning, CM (born June 18, 1966) is a Canadian figure skater, choreographer and commentator. He is the first skater to land a ratified quadruple jump in competition. He is a four-time World Champion and Canadian national champion.
Browning was both Canadian figure skating champion and World Champion four times. He represented Canada in three Winter Olympics, 1988 (finishing 8th overall), 1992 (6th) and 1994 (5th), and earned the privilege of carrying the Canadian flag during the opening ceremonies of the 1994 games in Lillehammer, Norway. Browning's other achievements include three Canadian Professional Championships and three World Professional Championships.
On March 25, 1988, at the 1988 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Browning landed the first ratified quadruple jump, a toe loop in the competition. [2] This accomplishment is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Jozef Sabovčík had previously landed a quad toe loop at the 1986 European Championships which was recognized at the event but then ruled invalid three weeks later. [3] Browning later said, "I remember that there were a few people landing the jump (in practice) long before I did, and by watching them I was inspired to try it myself. After landing it, I certainly expected more skaters to start doing it in competition. I was surprised in the next few years when that really did not happen." [3] Browning is also known for his intricate, fast, often lighthearted footwork. [4] [5] Browning has used percussive pop instrumentals in his programs; for example, he used "Bonzo's Montreux" by Led Zeppelin in 1993. He interpreted the music by punching his fists and frequently running across the ice. The following season he used "St. Louis Blues," wearing a tight black t-shirt, stretch pants, and belt. [6] He also raised his fists "in a biceps-flexing muscle pose" [6] and included humor by emulating laughter with upper body movements, skated in time to descending saxophone notes and by pointing to the audience during his footwork sequence. [7]
One of Browning's iconic programs is "Singin' in the Rain", where he emulates Gene Kelly's dancing in the film. Choreographed by Sandra Bezic [8] and debuted in a CBC-TV special in 1994, [9] this program is still asked to be performed at ice shows after 20 years. [10]
As a commentator, Browning has made frequent appearances since turning professional in 1994. He has been a regular colour commentator for the CBC at major skating events since 2006.
Browning appeared in the 2006 Fox television program Skating with Celebrities . Starting in 2009, he was the co-host of Battle of the Blades.
As a choreographer, he has choreographed programs for many figure skaters including:
He also co-directed and choreographed the 2011–12 Stars on Ice tour. [15] [16]
Browning was awarded with a Lou Marsh Trophy for top Canadian Athlete (in 1990), [17] Lionel Conacher Awards (1990 and 1991), [18] an American Skating World Professional Skater of the Year Award (in 1998), and a Gustav Lussi Award from the Professional Skaters' Association (in 2001).
He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada (CM) in 1989. [19]
Browning was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 2000. [20] He was honored with a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2001. [21] He was inducted into World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2006. [4] He received the inaugural ISU Skating Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. [22]
Browning was born on June 18, 1966, in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. [1] He was raised in Caroline, Alberta.
He married Sonia Rodriguez, a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, on June 30, 1996. Their first son, Gabriel, was born on July 12, 2003, and their second son, Dillon, was born on August 14, 2007. They are now divorced. [23]
Browning's home in the Forest Hill area of Toronto suffered a fire on August 18, 2010. [24]
He married Alissa Czisny on August 11, 2022. [25]
| Season | 1985–86 | 1986–87 | 1987–88 | 1988–89 | 1989–90 | 1990–91 | 1991–92 | 1992–93 | 1993–94 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics | 8th | 6th | 5th | ||||||
| Goodwill Games | 1st | ||||||||
| World Championships | 15th | 6th | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | ||
| Skate America | 8th | 3rd | |||||||
| NHK Trophy | 7th | 3rd | 3rd | ||||||
| Skate Canada | 4th | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||||
| Nations Cup | 1st | ||||||||
| Int. de Paris | 1st | ||||||||
| Nebelhorn Trophy | 9th | 3rd | |||||||
| St. Gervais | 2nd | 2nd | |||||||
| St. Ivel | 2nd | 1st | |||||||
| Canadian Champ. | 5th | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd |
| Season | 1982–83 | 1983–84 | 1984–85 |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Coupe Excellence | 5th | ||
| Canadian Champ. | 12th N | 1st N | 1st J |
Brian Anthony Boitano is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. He is the 1988 Olympic champion, the 1986 and 1988 World Champion, and the 1985–1988 U.S. National Champion.
Figure skating jumps are an element of three competitive figure skating disciplines: men's singles, women's singles, and pair skating – but not ice dancing. Jumping in figure skating is "relatively recent". They were originally individual compulsory figures, and sometimes special figures; many jumps were named after the skaters who invented them or from the figures from which they were developed. It was not until the early part of the 20th century, well after the establishment of organized skating competitions, when jumps with the potential of being completed with multiple revolutions were invented and when jumps were formally categorized. In the 1920s Austrian skaters began to perform the first double jumps in practice. Skaters experimented with jumps, and by the end of the period, the modern repertoire of jumps had been developed. Jumps did not have a major role in free skating programs during international competitions until the 1930s. During the post-war period and into the 1950s and early 1960s, triple jumps became more common for both male and female skaters, and a full repertoire of two-revolution jumps had been fully developed. In the 1980s men were expected to complete four or five difficult triple jumps, and women had to perform the easier triples. By the 1990s, after compulsory figures were removed from competitions, multi-revolution jumps became more important in figure skating.
Elvis Stojko, is a Canadian figure skater. He was a three-time World champion, two-time Olympic silver medallist, and seven-time Canadian champion.
Richard Totten Button is an American former figure skater and skating analyst. He was a two-time Olympic champion and five-time consecutive World champion (1948–1952). He was also the only non-European man to have become European champion. Button is credited as having been the first skater to successfully land the double Axel jump in competition in 1948, as well as the first triple jump of any kind – a triple loop – in 1952. He also invented the flying camel spin, which was originally known as the "Button camel". He "brought increased athleticism" to figure skating in the years following World War II.
The toe loop jump is the simplest jump in the sport of figure skating. It was invented in the 1920s by American professional figure skater Bruce Mapes. The toe loop is accomplished with a forward approach on the inside edge of the blade; the skater then switches to a backward-facing position before their takeoff, which is accomplished from the skater's right back outside edge and left toepick. The jump is exited from the back outside edge of the same foot. It is often added to more difficult jumps during combinations and is the most common second jump performed in combinations. It is also the most commonly attempted jump.
A layback spin is a variation of the upright spin, a spin in figure skating. British figure skater Cecilia Colledge was "responsible for the invention" of the spin and the first to execute it. Colledge's coach, Jacques Gerschwiler, who was a former gymnastics teacher and according to Colledge "very progressive in his ideas", got the idea for the upright spin while watching one of Colledge's trainers, a former circus performer turned acrobatics instructor, train Colledge to perform backbends "by means of a rope tied around her waist". The upright spin has long been associated with women's skating, but men have also performed it. Skaters include it in their programs because it increases their technical content and fulfills choreographic needs.
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Val Joe "Rudy" Galindo is an American former competitive figure skater who competed in both single skating and pair skating. As a single skater, he is the 1996 U.S. national champion, 1987 World Junior Champion, and 1996 World Bronze medalist. As a pairs skater, he competed with Kristi Yamaguchi and was the 1988 World Junior Champion and the 1989 and 1990 U.S. National Champion. He is the first openly gay skating champion in the United States, though US, World and Olympic champion Brian Boitano came out long after his career was over.
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The loop jump is an edge jump in the sport of figure skating. The skater executes it by taking off from the back outside edge of the skating foot, turning one rotation in the air, and landing on the back outside edge of the same foot. It is often performed as the second jump in a combination.
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