Kurt Browning, Evgeni Plushenko on similar paths (article)

[demarinis5]

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/figureskat...owning-evgeni-plushenko-on-similar-paths.html

Nice article from Kurt about his journey on returning to competition.

 

[Tonichelle]

It's good to see HIS comments on CoP and the comeback boys.

 

[dorispulaski]

Yes it is:

How do the competitors do it? These kids are good! My hat, and I'm always wearing a hat, goes off to the skaters all around the world who will be marching towards the 2014 Olympics. I'm glad I tried to compete and for all the extra knowledge that has come my way because of it.

I look forward to seeing how Kurt's adventure into COP competing affects his commentating. :watch:

 

[Tonichelle]

1. I think it shows just how much commentators who grew up in the 6.0 system need to go through the lectures/training so that they can actually see it in action and aren't just sitting like the viewer at home who has their own preconceived ideas of what the CoP is and how much they hate change and ya ya ya. Yes, it's not a perfect system, but it's teh system you have to work with - so complain to the right channels and make the best of it until you get the changes you want (which the N. American media can blame themselves for. They wanted a change to the judging system and they got it).

2. I think it's interesting that he was all complaints about it as a choreographer - but as a skater competing with it he's saying the same things that most olympic eligible skaters have been saying since the CoP started.

 

[dorispulaski]

Yes, and while we wonder whether eligibles *have* to suck up to the system, Kurt doesn't, and I think that is interesting.

 

[Tonichelle]

Yes, and while we wonder whether eligibles *have* to suck up to the system, Kurt doesn't, and I think that is interesting.

Me, too. (It's also interesting that while Hamilton was "seen sucking up" to $peedy to get this pro competition talk started, he never praised the CoP lol but I still say he needs more than a crash course on the CoP before I give all of his rants much credit - especially in the light of what Browning's said.)

 

[noskates]

I think this thread title is misleading.

I would watch Kurt Browning if he was skating on frozen bath water. Don't care what set of rules he's skating under. But I can see where the challenges of a choreographer under CoP would be quite different than a skater.

 

[Tonichelle]

it's the title of the article.

 

[Olympia]

I think this thread title is misleading.

I would watch Kurt Browning if he was skating on frozen bath water. Don't care what set of rules he's skating under. But I can see where the challenges of a choreographer under CoP would be quite different than a skater.

I think you'll have a lot of people agreeing with you about Kurt. Permit me to be the first in line to do so.

What a lovely article. Not only could I watch Kurt skate all day, I'd read what he writes anytime.

As for your point about choreography, I've often wondered what kind of massive adaptation choreographers had to achieve to gear themselves up for CoP skating. These days, they have to execute some pretty complex math to get every possible point into a program. I notice that we don't hear much from some of the old stalwarts of choreography. This is one reason I so admire Lori Nichol. She was one of the most creative and musical choreographers of the 6.0 era. Then in the last Olympics, she crafted not one but two gold-medal long programs.

 

[Tonichelle]

I thought that it's the coaches who are responsible with working with the choreographers when it comes to the technical...

 

[Olympia]

I'm sure it is, Toni, but it's the choreographers who have to make it look as if the skaters are actually moving to the music. A coach can't achieve that effect unless the coach is also, like Zoueva or Moskvina, the choreographer.

 

[Tonichelle]

It's not the best title to reflect the content of the article. But I take it that you haven't read it. Because if you have, you would have known that Kurt wasn't comparing him with Plushenko on Olympic medal counts.[/QUoute]

Most likely he didn't even come up with the title, the Editor did.

 

[Olympia]

Normally I'd say that it was ill-advised of the editors to use that title, because it is a bit misleading. But Kurt wrote the article, and he begins by saying that he and Evgeny have something in common. So it's entirely justified to use the title because Kurt himself set up the parallel.

As for arguing about similarities or lack thereof, though Kurt had bad luck at the Olympics, he does have four world championships and has been dominant both as an eligible skater and a pro skater (in pro competitions as well as shows). I don't think Plushenko would mind having Kurt Browning imply that the two skaters are in some way comparable. As an admirer of both skaters, I certainly don't find it out of place.

 

[Tonichelle]

Normally I'd say that it was ill-advised of the editors to use that title, because it is a bit misleading. But Kurt wrote the article, and he begins by saying that he and Evgeny have something in common. So it's entirely justified to use the title because Kurt himself set up the parallel.

As for arguing about similarities or lack thereof, though Kurt had bad luck at the Olympics, he does have four world championships and has been dominant both as an eligible skater and a pro skater (in pro competitions as well as shows). I don't think Plushenko would mind having Kurt Browning imply that the two skaters are in some way comparable. As an admirer of both skaters, I certainly don't find it out of place.

For being a "not so great" a lot of "greats" have listed him as one of the best of all time or at the very least have said they wanted to be like him. For being "not so great" he sure has outlasted a lot of greats...


and yeah, he was upset when he didn't see his dream come true - but it led to a career he never dreamed of anyway... and he's got a very full life without it. I say he wins in spades.

 

[Tonichelle]

What a lovely article. Not only could I watch Kurt skate all day, I'd read what he writes anytime.

His dad was a good writer as well - did you ever see his articles for one of the papers in his area a few years before he passed away? They were fantastic. Sometimes about Kurt, sometimes about skating, most of the time just about life and what was good about it and what one could do to appreciate it, etc.

Dewey was awesome, it's no wonder his youngest son is awesome.

 

[seniorita]

Evgeni Plushenko and I have something in common.

I wish it was our triple Axel, or the fact that we both carry combs, but I'm thinking more along the lines of we're both trying to [FONT=arial, sans-serif]come back to competition[/FONT].

I really like self sarcasm in people, it 's a sign of high intelligence, his article is great, and speaks frankly about COP.

As for your point about choreography, I've often wondered what kind of massive adaptation choreographers had to achieve to gear themselves up for CoP skating. These days, they have to execute some pretty complex math to get every possible point into a program. I notice that we don't hear much from some of the old stalwarts of choreography. This is one reason I so admire Lori Nichol. She was one of the most creative and musical choreographers of the 6.0 era. Then in the last Olympics, she crafted not one but two gold-medal long programs.

Lori Nichol was involved in the making of CoP rules.

 

[Buttercup]

Kurt's enthusiasm and love for skating are always evident, whether it's in his skating, choreo, commentary or writing.

As for your point about choreography, I've often wondered what kind of massive adaptation choreographers had to achieve to gear themselves up for CoP skating. These days, they have to execute some pretty complex math to get every possible point into a program. I notice that we don't hear much from some of the old stalwarts of choreography. This is one reason I so admire Lori Nichol. She was one of the most creative and musical choreographers of the 6.0 era. Then in the last Olympics, she crafted not one but two gold-medal long programs.

As seniorita noted, Lori Nichol does have something of an inside track... also, she did put together two OGM winning programs, but I'd argue that neither was particularly memorable. IMO, the best of the OGM programs in 2010 was done by Marina Zoueva, and the best LPs by men's and pairs medalists were done by Pasquale Camerlengo and Ingo Steuer, respectively. Nichol is capable of good work with some skaters (e.g. Kostner) but a lot of what she does is pretty boring and repetitive, even if it does garner a lot of points.

 

[Olympia]

I don't mean to be rude, but I'd far rather talk about these two fine skaters than about fellow posters, so I'm shifting the topic a bit.

One thing that Kurt and Evgeny share is longevity. Kurt's Olympic-eligible career was about average for a male skater, but his pro career is a marvel of endurance and continued innovation, I think. His jumps are obviously not at the level they were in his twenties, but the ones he does are still beautiful, fast in the air. In terms of footwork there are still few skaters of any age who are as commanding as he is. In terms of longevity, he really is like Gene Kelly, his idol among movie dancers, and also like Fred Astaire. These two stars danced in films well past their forties. Meanwhile, Plushenko is closing in on his fourth Olympics, having medaled at each of the ones he's been in so far. Having been one of the youngest world-class-level skaters, he's now one of the oldest. That's pretty impressive. He's just about the last embodiment of old-school Russian skating instruction, and now he's also at the start of a new parade of Russian excellence. Good for him!

The lovely thing is that one doesn't need to choose between him and Browning in terms of whom to admire. Even if they were in competition for the same prizes (as YuNa and Mao are, or Dai and Patrick), one wouldn't have to choose. As it is, they're at completely different stages of their careers. Kurt is in his mid-forties, and his position as an all-time great is assured. Plushenko is in his late twenties and can still add to his medal haul. His position as an all-time great is also assured. Possibly except for Yagudin, there's no one in Soviet/Russian singles skating history who could stand on a higher rung on the ladder. And Plushenko has something that Yagudin didn't go for: a long span of time during which he has been at or near the pinnacle of skating. That takes a particular kind of drive and endurance that few people have. In fact, one of the few people who have chosen to hang around in skating for as long as Plushenko (though in a different area of skating) is Browning. Both of these men have maintained their commitment to daily practice and grinding conditioning, and the motivation to give it their all every time they step onto the ice.

 

[seniorita]

Plushenko had asked Browning to choreograph him last season or 2010, I dont remember, but Kurt said he was busy engaged in other things. It would have been cool to watch them together.

 

[noskates]

I don't think being an Olympic medalist is the be all and end all criteria for deciding whether a skater is "one of the best" or any other adjective you might come up with. For me it's longevity and entertainment. He's never been a "one trick pony" and has skated to many, many genres of music - comedic, dramatic, edgy! Kurt Browning personifies all that I love about skating. He's never ever said an unprofessional word about another skater, he's been gracious and professional in defeat, and he's not just been out for his own glorification. He's promoted skating and the enjoyment of skating and certainly given back more than he's got! 'Nuff said.

I wish him well in any and all endeavors.