Kurt Browning has no equal to date

[skateluvr]

This is my opinion of course only. While I have many male skaters I appreciate for different reasons, I think Kurt is the best male skater-or should I say the most complete skater. Skating skills-superb. Jumping in his day, excellent. Musicality-Wonderful. Creativity-the best. I wonder how many put Kurt at the top of the heap. I say this considering earlier eras and present skills/skaters. 6.0 or CoP era, he is the best for me.

Tell me why you agree, or why you don't, and who and why deserves the best male single skater in the sport, if we can agree to such a title.

I have a long list of skate gods in no particular order that I loved as eligibles or as pros. I know Browning's career was helped by the whack-90's skating boom, adding to his longevity. Greatness smiled on Button, Curry, Cousins, Cranston, Boitano, Orser, Yagudin, Plushenko and several more men. I am leaving out skaters still competing because all are far from done. Dai, Abbott, Rippon, Chan all are wonderful, but I think all are unfinished careers and legendary cannot be a word yet applied. Plushenko, is included as he has proven himself repeatedly and is coming back. But some may feel a current skater can 'compete' with Kurt based on ?

I'd like to know who everyone feels is the penultimate male skater and why?

 

[jcoates]

I would still put Curry or Button at the top of the list, but Kurt is definitely in my top 3-4. One thing I admire about Kurt (and many other skaters from the old professional era) is that his basic skating quality actually improved after his amateur career. His lines and spin positions (particularly his sit spin) were vastly superior as a pro than they were as an amateur. His posture was more consistently upright, his edges cleaner and his concepts better realized. That was one thing the old pro era achieved very admirably. Skaters back then actually took their careers seriously as an actual profession. They sought to improve their overall skating from a different perspective than Olympic style events would allow. They also took competing seriously for the most part. Pro skating back then was far less slapped together and sloppy as compared to what we have today. It was a serious undertaking. That's what helped Kurt to cement his iconic status.

 

[skateluvr]

thankyou jcoates. Iconic is the right word, moreso than legendary. He really did improve greatly, as did Kristi in her 10 years with SOI. She was a different skater, everything was better and she kept her triples. Her pro skates (several programs) were the golden ones for me. It really is sad for us all skaters and fans that professional skating outside of Asia is on life support.

 

[Violet Bliss]

I think Sonia is his equal and they are beyond dating.

 

[skateluvr]

LOL, SF, and I'll bet you really meant to say Patrick Chan! Sonia is an amazing dancer but I don't think she can skate too well.

 

[Olympia]

I love what you said, jcoates, about how Kurt improved his skating as a pro, both in terms of absolute technique and in directions that weren't possible in eligible competitive skating. This is one major factor in my admiration of him. As you observed, this was true of other skaters in the pro era, starting with John Curry, and especially (to my mind) the pairs and ice dancers. Underhill/Martini, Gordeyeva/Grinkov, and Klimova/Ponomarenko come to mind. and of course Torvill/Dean.

Kurt is at the top of my forever list of male skaters as he is for skateluvr. I can say this even though I adore Takahashi, Yagudin, Curry, and Lambiel and am receptive to other excellent male skaters such as Kulik, Cranston, and Chan. Whatever that extra electricity is, Kurt has it for me. It's a combination of technique (he seems to jump from no preparation at all--and that footwork!), showmanship, musicality, and innovation.

Tonichelle, where are you? This thread is made for you.

 

[callalily]

I agree with you about Kurt, skateluvr.

He has an very impressive set of titles (four Worlds) and was the first to land a ratified quad, but that's just the beginning of the story - it's the entire arc of his career, the set of skills he has demonstrated, and the remarkable programs he has skated over a period of twenty years that make him unique, in my opinion.

Kurt began as a dominant jumper, but he started moving in a more artistic direction while still an amateur (e.g. with his Casablanca program, a great character portrayal). As a pro, he continued to develop his skating in new directions, demonstrating a versatility that I think is unmatched by any other male skater to date. His has skated so many iconic programs, representing great range, everything from Casablanca, to his no-jump "Nyah" flamenco program, his "Singing in the Rain" Gene Kelly tribute (skated "in the rain" on a water-drenched set), his amazing recent performances on hockey skates, his duets with other skaters such as Shae-Lynn Bourne, etc...to name just a few. Regardless of the program, his musicality always stands out; he'd have been a great ice dancer (and this is a guy who first made his reputation with his jumps!).

Legendary? Iconic? He's both. He's inspired young skaters (and viewers) in so many ways - the quad, great competitive success, resilience in the face of disappointment, great creativity, passion for the sport, ongoing growth, remarkable programs.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Kurt Browning?

 

[Bluebonnet]

As I've said numerous times before, Kurt Browning is the best on and off ice.

 

[mmcdermott]

I think that Kurt isn not only a figure skater anymore - he's an entertainer. I saw two Stars on Ice specials before Christmas and you can tell he was carrying that show. He is also great as co-host on Battle of the Blades, and even hosted on his own once or twice when Ron MacLean was away. Some of the performances he did on hockey skates were truly eye-popping. Oh, and he's doing a great job as a commentator too.

So, I agree that he is special not only for his competitive career, but also for what he's done as a professional. He missed out on the big Olympic medals, but made up for it for everything he's done since then. It's amazing that for the last 20 years no one has been able to match him as a professional skater and entertainer.

 

[MasterB]

Graceful, fast, deep edging, emotional, funny, whatever your flavor Kurt is one of the few skaters that can do most anything. I think Stephane is another skater that can do the same but, not at the same level or variety as Kurt. Curry was a ballet dancer on skates but, I could never see him do nor do I want to see him do a clown number. Cousins comes close to Kurt, Robin not Steven.

 

[skateluvr]

Versatility-Kurt could do pairs if he had wanted, with his very strong upper body-small lady of course. I'll bet he and Sonia have a dance room at their home where he has mastered many dance jumps and lifts in a safe place. You can see he must watch everything and incorporates all his sees. 'Nyah" is my favorite Kurt skate ever. For fun "Brick House" was as good as it gets. I do not like Kurt the clown, at all. I felt he was trying to be Scott, who is not in my list of greatest skaters but is admittedly a great entertainer.

I guess he should be with all those medals. I admire him more as a man though, than any other skater in my memory.

 

[Tonichelle]

Kurt wasn't trying to be scott in the clown routine. it was specifically made for an SOI clown number. That he continued to use it for competitions was due to the fact that it was technically brilliant and many skating fans wanted to see it in the US. He was never supposed to channel Scott in that routine.

 

[Bluebonnet]

Kurt was the best and most convincing clown. Kurt does everything the best except choreographing which was still very good but not top knotch.

 

[Tonichelle]

Kurt was the best and most convincing clown. Kurt does everything the best except choreographing which was still very good but not top knotch.

I doubt any choreographer is amazing right out of the gate... that being said all choreographers work gets "fixed" by the skater and their coach(es) so it's not like we ever truly see their vision.

 

[Olympia]

I love this thread.

 

[Teenes]

I love this thread as well .

I should point out, though, that as Toni says, Kurt was not channeling Scott as the clown. My understanding is he actually studied what real clowns did in putting together that program, rather than just people's stereotypical images of a clown, and set out to create a full blown character who had a life beyond just that program itself. I have a friend who's super into comedy and clowning who was blown away by what he did there.

I love Scott Hamilton as well and think he's the ultimate entertainer, but IMO, most of the time Scott always skated as Scott - Scott playing a character, sure, but there was always a distinct layer of Scott winking in there. IMO, Kurt *is* the character, he doesn't just play the character.

And yes, I'd agree that it's Kurt's versatility that makes him really special as a skater. There are great artistic skaters, skaters who are undoubtedly more "artist" than Kurt is. But few who can so convincingly perform such a range of styles. From the clown programs playing characters who seem to have absolutely no control over what their feet and limbs are doing, to the dancer for whom every movement is deliberately and carefully placed (ie Nyah, Downstream, etc), to the skater just delighting in the movement of the blade on the ice (Triptico, this year's Christmas Time is Here to a certain extent), to the party animal (Brickhouse), to the intensely emotional (Lighting Crashes) or just intense (All Alone). Kurt can dance like he's in a club or on the stage, do footwork like no other, pop off the jumps with no prep time at all, hold long edges and quiet moments, play characters, evoke emotions, entertain, be introspective..whatever the program requires. And, as has been previously mentioned, all this from a skater who was initially known only as a jumping bean, with his competitors considered the artistic ones.

 

[skateluvr]

I love this thread as well .

I should point out, though, that as Toni says, Kurt was not channeling Scott as the clown. My understanding is he actually studied what real clowns did in putting together that program, rather than just people's stereotypical images of a clown, and set out to create a full blown character who had a life beyond just that program itself. I have a friend who's super into comedy and clowning who was blown away by what he did there.

I love Scott Hamilton as well and think he's the ultimate entertainer, but IMO, most of the time Scott always skated as Scott - Scott playing a character, sure, but there was always a distinct layer of Scott winking in there. IMO, Kurt *is* the character, he doesn't just play the character.

And yes, I'd agree that it's Kurt's versatility that makes him really special as a skater. There are great artistic skaters, skaters who are undoubtedly more "artist" than Kurt is. But few who can so convincingly perform such a range of styles. From the clown programs playing characters who seem to have absolutely no control over what their feet and limbs are doing, to the dancer for whom every movement is deliberately and carefully placed (ie Nyah, Downstream, etc), to the skater just delighting in the movement of the blade on the ice (Triptico, this year's Christmas Time is Here to a certain extent), to the party animal (Brickhouse), to the intensely emotional (Lighting Crashes) or just intense (All Alone). Kurt can dance like he's in a club or on the stage, do footwork like no other, pop off the jumps with no prep time at all, hold long edges and quiet moments, play characters, evoke emotions, entertain, be introspective..whatever the program requires. And, as has been previously mentioned, all this from a skater who was initially known only as a jumping bean, with his competitors considered the artistic ones.

This. Every word. I love this post and this thread, too!

 

[Tonichelle]

I love his Triple Axel... oh. my. word.

 

[iluvtodd]

I Kurt. He's brilliant, versatile, and amazing! God bless Kurt (my favorite line from "The Sound of Music")!