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Browning knows what Virtue and Moir face

Source: London Free Press
Date: March 8, 2013
Author: Ryan Pyette
Shortly after ice dance champs Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won Olympic gold in Vancouver three years ago, they joined Stars on Ice for a show back home in London.

Kurt Browning felt the anticipation in the crowd to see "Canada's Sweethearts" on what is now Budweiser Gardens ice.

Instant material.

"I was standing at centre ice with a microphone and I simply said, 'Thanks for coming, good night,' " the four-time men's figures skating world champ said in an e-mail exchange with the Free Press on Friday. "The laughter and sense of adventure from the crowd was instant and you just do not get that kind of interaction from every audience.

"I am positive London will provide a wonderful backdrop and energy to the (worlds)."

Browning might not want to pull that same joke on people paying 25 bucks to park downtown next week - but it's still pretty funny.

The legendary skater, now working for worlds TV rights-holder CBC, knows the expectations and pressure Virtue and Moir face in trying to win a world title on Canadian, let alone hometown, ice.

Browning is one of only a handful of Canadian skaters to answer that challenge. He won his second world crown in 1990 at Halifax.

"When I competed at home, I found that I was either swept along in the wave of energy or washed over by it," the 46-year-old said. "In my hometown (Edmonton), I was so shocked by a standing ovation before my short program started that I did not recover and missed my first jump.

"The ability to enjoy the potential of the moment and not dwell on the negative (and by that, he means letting family and friends down), is very important. To pretend you are not going to be feeling emotion and energy will get you in trouble ... no matter how much you try to hide in your bubble."

Browning noted the intimate layout of this arena is different than in some European rinks, where there is much more space between the skaters and the fans. Virtue and Moir have won both their world titles in Europe - first in Turin, Italy in 2010 and then last year, in Nice, France.

"It will be easy for the skaters to reach out to the audience both to entertain them but also to get the energy they need from the crowd to feel good in such a high-pressure situation," Browning said. "Skating at home is something most skaters will say they enjoy."

It's not just Virtue and Moir looking for a third global crown. Patrick Chan, the current Canadian standout, has a desire to challenge Browning's run of four wins in five years.

"Patrick can do it," Browning said. "He has already achieved something amazing by staying in the top two for four years in a row in a (global sport) and in the discipline that is hardest to win."

Part of the appeal of a worlds is the merging of the figure skating stars past and present. Browning will on TV watching Chan while his own predecessor, Brian Orser, will be coaching a couple of talented young men who want to be the new king.

Javier Fernandez, the energetic Spaniard, made history by beating the six-time Canadian champ last fall at Skate Canada in Windsor. Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu, still just 18-years-old, is one of the quickest risers in the ranks. He was second at Four Continents - an event Chan skipped - and third last year in France.

"Brian understands that super-high level of skating - he created it," Browning said. "Without figures (since scrapped in competiton), he would be the most decorated single skater in history, I believe."

This is the stage to put it all together. Few have done it more often than Browning, now manning the microphone with former ice dance star Tracy Wilson.

"You have two people who simply love this sport and love the skaters," Browning said. "Tracy gets very emotional and cares for the athletes so much. I love the chance to be so close to the athletes in the moments that they will remember for the rest of their lives."