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five questions with Kurt Browning
Kurt sharpens Blades
| Source: |
24 Hours Vancouver |
| Date: |
September 24, 2010 |
| Author: |
Rosalyn Solomon |
Figure skating icon Kurt Browning returns to the ice as co-host of the
second season of Battle of the Blades, the competition that
brought figure skating and hockey together returns to CBC
Sunday. Browning, originally from Caroline, Alberta, now lives in
Toronto with his wife, Sonia Rodriguez and their two sons.
1. Did you expect the response Battle of the Blades got in its
first season?
Not to this extent, I just thought it was show that mom could watch,
that dad could watch, the 17-year-old girl could watch, the
14-year-old boy could watch. Something the family could sit down and
enjoy together and have something to talk about. Figure skating and
hockey both share the ice but they're so different and I really
thought that dynamic would bring families together - but I didn't
expect those numbers.
2. What advice do you give the hockey players?
Lots - just kidding. As far as the skating goes, I tell them to be
patient and I tell them to work on small things to often repeat,
repeat, repeat. But the biggest advice is usually about the
showmanship, these players are not only being asked to wear a
different type of skate...Then we ask them to take someone's safety in
their hands and then dance to music and it's the third one that's the
hardest. So I try to pull from them the natural instincts that they
have to be in front of people and put on a show.
3. What are you looking forward to the most this year?
I'm really looking forward to telling their stories. Some amazing
things happen, some scary things too, but we didn't really dwell on
them, we had enough on our plate. We didn't have the ability to have
cameras around to capture the stories, so there'll be a lot more
behind the scenes stuff, and I play a big part in that.
4. If it was female hockey players and male figure skaters, would
you compete?
We'd have a lot of hernias - I couldn't lift a lot with her, I could
dance with her, but I couldn't do anything dynamic. I did Skating With
Celebrities and I'm just not wired for that type of activity - it's
really hard.
5. If you could play for a hockey team, which team would you play
for?
I'd play for the Edmonton Oilers when Wayne was there. I'm actually an
honorary captain and I knew a lot of the players and practised with a
lot of them a few times. So, if I could go back in time - have my hair
back - and play for them, that would be great.
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