Project for Kurt

Over the years, Kurt Browning has brought all of us a great deal of joy and enjoyment through his wonderful skating and affable personality. He has always gone out of his way to entertain us on the ice, and to be incredibly kind and generous to his fans off the ice. It's time for us fans to give a little something back. In 2006, Kurt will be inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, an achievement that is well-deserved and long-overdue. He will also be celebrating his 40th birthday (and his 10th wedding anniversary to his beautiful wife, Sonia Rodriguez). With so many milestones happening, it seems like a perfect time to put something together to let Kurt know how much his skating has meant to us over the years.

As such, I'm organizing a project for fans of Kurt everywhere to get the opportunity to submit personal messages, photos, artwork, etc to create one big scrapbook to give to Kurt at the Canadian Stars on Ice show in Vancouver next May. Whether you're a long-time fan of Kurt's who has followed his career since he was an eligible, or a brand new fan who discovered him last week, or a casual viewer who just enjoys his skating when it's on, this is your opportunity to get creative, show your appreciation, share some memories, tell him what his skating means to you, or just to congratulate him on his induction and wish him a happy 40th.

Submissions can be as simple as a short note, or as creative as you want to get (within reason and the restrictions described below). I'm trying to make this as easy as possible for as many people as possible to contribute, while leaving it open enough for people to get more elaborate or creative if they'd like.

Here are some general guidelines (these may be modified over time):

1. Submissions must fit within a 12"x12" scrapbook. Each person gets no more than one side of one 12"x12" page, though you can use less space if you'd like. There are two ways to make a submission:

1. Design your own 12"x12" page. You can go to your local scrapbook or arts and craft store to get a piece of 12"x12" cardstock or poster board of whatever color you'd like, and attach your message, photos, whatever to it in whatever design you'd like, and send me the completed page. The submission must be more or less flat, since the page will fit into a plastic sleeve that will be bound in the scrapbook.
2. If you don't feel like being creative, and just want to submit a note and/or a photo or two, you can just mail me the note, etc, and I can attach them to a page for you. I'm not promising any sort of artistic design for anything I create, and I won't do this for anything elaborate. But for those who just want to submit something simple, you don't need to worry about creating a page.

Since the pages of this scrapbook must be flat, I will accept messages, artwork, poems, photos, etc - anything written, typed, or drawn on paper. I will also accept CDs or DVDs that can be attached to your scrapbook page in a flat CD sleeve. Nothing larger or on other forms of media will be accepted, unless you specifically check with me and I approve it.

2. I will exercise editorial control over the content of this present to make sure it's all "appropriate" - nothing offensive or too far out there. If I decide to reject something, I will let you know so you have the opportunity to resubmit something. Within the bounds of reasonable judgment, people are free to write whatever they'd like.

3. Submissions must be received by March 1, 2006. Exceptions may be made when it comes to resubmissions, but only if I specifically extend the deadline for you.

4. Whatever you send me is becoming a permanent part of this present for Kurt - therefore, don't send me the originals of any photos, or anything you want to keep!

5. Submissions will be accepted by email (webmaster@kurtfiles.com)- let me know ahead of time if you're sending me attachments - or by snail mail (email me for the address). By email, only text, .doc, .pdf, .jpg, or .gif formats will be accepted. Please contact me if you need to send a different format file to see if I am able to accept it.

6. Feel free to email me with any questions or suggestions you may have. This whole thing is a work in progress right now, so I'd be happy to discuss any ideas or answer any questions you have. If you'd like to contribute but aren't feeling creative, feel free to email me and ask for suggestions. I'm here to help!

And last of all - spread the word! I'd love to get as many fans of Kurt involved as possible. Let's make this a memorable present for Kurt!