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Walk the Walk
| Source: |
Walk the Walk Press Release |
| Date: |
September 1, 2013 |
KURT BROWNING & NANCY EASTMAN
Global TV - Saturday October 12th - 10:30 p.m
In this episode, Walk of Fame star Kurt Browning secretly drops in on
Special Olympics skating club the Rising Stars, to give coach and
everyday hero Nancy Eastman the surprise of a lifetime.
Kurt is one of Canada's favourite figure skaters, choreographers and
commentators. He is a four-time World Champion and four-time Canadian
national champion. Kurt was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in
2001.
Nancy is dedicated to helping young people achieve their full athletic
potential no matter what their disability is. She has spent years
coaching and mentoring Special Olympics skaters, including 3 World
Champions, and Kurt is her all-time favourite performer. So, she's
more than a little surprised when Kurt shows up as her skating partner
and also gets his "skating pals" to contribute items to the Rising
Stars' silent auction, providing much-needed financing to Nancy's
club.
Behind the Scenes
Kurt Browning: Kurt is a pro, plain and simple - generous, charming,
funny and charismatic. It doesn't take long to see why he is a
consummate entertainer. He was the first celebrity we had the pleasure
of working with and he 'got it.' He knew exactly what we were looking
to do with this series and more importantly what it meant to Debbie to
be able to surprise her best friend Nancy. He was up for anything and
brought some really great ideas to the table. He genuinely wanted to
help make the Rising Stars skating program a continued success, as
evidenced by the fact that long after we were done shooting with Kurt,
he would follow up with us to check in and see how everyone was
doing.
Working with Kurt and the success of that episode really helped set
the tone for the series and was integral in the success we've had with
it.
Walk the Walk - series description
begins Saturday October 12th at 10:00 pm & 10:30 pm on Global TV
Walk the Walk is a six part documentary series that celebrates and
honours the good work being done by everyday community heroes by
surprising them with a visit from a superstar celebrity they have long
admired from Canada's Walk of Fame.
In each episode we profile the story of an extraordinary Canadian who
is living an inspirational life of giving back, often against a
backdrop of personal loss or painful setback. From a fund-raising
father who in one year lost his wife and son to cancer, to a
prodigious young beat poet using words, not guns to end violence and
inspire change. We meet a youth mentoring Olympic hopeful who survived
a severe spinal injury and a dynamic sister act who are providing
developmentally delayed children the joy of dance. Though they come
from vastly different backgrounds and disciplines, their journeys all
share the same characteristics; talent, perseverance, courage and a
passion for giving.
Grammy winner Nelly Furtado, rock icons Rush and Tom Cochrane,
legendary boxer George Chuvalo, world champion figure skater Kurt
Browning and prima ballerina Sonia Rodriquez - these celebrities, used
to receiving accolades and awards themselves, will be given a unique,
one on one opportunity to pay a heartfelt and emotional tribute to
some exceptional, inspirational and unsuspecting everyday
Canadians.
beginning Saturday Oct. 12th - 10pm & 10:30 - Global TV
For more information about the rest of the series:
Kurt Browning
Kurt Browning is a three-time Olympian, four-time Canadian figure
skating champion, four-time world champion, two-time Canadian
athlete of the year a television star, a best-selling author and a
Hall of Famer.
During the 1986-87 season, his first as an amateur
competitor, the 20-year-old placed an impressive 15th in the
world championships and a remarkable second at the Canadian
nationals. The following season, after again placing 2nd at the
nationals and at Skate Canada, he laced up for the Olympic Winter
Games in Calgary and finished 8th overall.
Then came the 1988 worlds in Budapest, Hungary, where Browning dazzled
the judges and won the championship - and a place in the Guinness Book
of World Records - with the very first quadruple jump ever achieved in
competition.
Five more seasons of amateur competition followed, in which Browning
won three more Canadian national titles, a trio of world
championships, top honours at the Goodwill Games and the Nations Cup,
chances to participate in two more Olympics, and a spot on the
national bestsellers list with his 1990 memoir-written at age 23 -
Forcing the Edge.
Soon after Browning was selected to carry the Canadian flag into the
opening ceremonies of the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, he
made the jump from amateur to professional.
In 1990, Browning became one of the youngest recipients of the Order
of Canada. That same year, he was named top male athlete by the Sports
Federation of Canada for the second year in a row, he was inducted
into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and, in 1998, became the first
Canadian recipient of the Jacques Favart Trophy, the highest honour
awarded by the International Skating Union. And in 2001 was inducted
on to Canada's Walk of Fame.
A national poll asked Canadians who they consider to be this country's
all-time greatest athlete. Wayne Gretzky topped the list. Kurt
Browning came a close second. His success continues as a TV
personality most notably as co-host of the hit series Battle of the
Blades.
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