Browning back

The arrival of fatherhood often heralds a period of distraction for many pro athletes. But for figure skater Kurt Browning it may have actually helped revive his competitive career.

That in turn may bode well for Team Canada in the World Team Challenge figure-skating event Wednesday at GM Place.

The pro-skating show pits teams from Canada, the U.S., Europe and Russia in a four-way competition. It will be the second major competitive event of the pro-skating season, which has been in a consolidation phase the past few years.

Because the TV numbers are down in North America for pro skating, there are fewer competitions. On the plus side, fewer competitions means a near guarantee of a strong field such as Vancouver has attracted.

For Vancouver 11 of the 16 competitors have won either world or Olympic titles.

Joining Browning on Team Canada will be Josee Chouinard and the pairs entry of Jamie Sale and David Pelletier.

Team U.S. will be composed of Todd Eldredge, Nicole Bobek and the pairs duo of Kyoto Ina and John Zimmerman.

Representing Team Russia are Alexei Yagudin, Maria Butyrskaya as well as Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, while Team Europe will be composed of Oksana Baiul, Steven Cousins and pairs skaters Radka Kovarikova and Rene Novotny.

The judging -- a panel of five -- will use the pro 10.0 system for a perfect score. The competition will go in the order of women first followed by the men and the pairs. Each competitor or pairs entry will skate two programs -- one technical and one artistic -- with the team with the best total score taking home the title.

Browning was part of the North American squad which lost a narrow decision to a World team at the recent Ice Wars competition in Albany, N.Y. And the four-time world champion from Alberta is looking forward to a rematch in Vancouver.

Ice Wars will be aired on CBS tonight beginning at 9 p.m. PST.

"It [Ice Wars] was very close and it came down to what I thought was some questionable judging in the final pairs event," contends Browning.

"I'm looking forward to Vancouver."

Now 37, Browning knows it's going to be difficult to match Eldredge and Yagudin on the technical side, although his artistic strengths have enabled the Canadian star to win the world pro championship three times.

"I'm not going to step on the ice and save anything," insists Browning, who plans at least one triple-triple combination.

"Todd and Alexei definitely have me technically. But I have a strong second program that, hopefully, the judges will fall in love with."

Browning believes he's skating better than he has in years, thanks to time spent this summer while in Spain awaiting the arrival of his first child, son Gabriel. Browning and his wife, National Ballet dancer Sonia Rodriquez, make Toronto their home but decided to have the baby in Spain where Rodriquez grew up and her parents still live.

"While I was in Spain I had access to both a rink and a gym," explains Browning, who turned pro following the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. "Both were close to where we were staying so I used them a lot. I lost some weight and it seems to have helped my skating."

Browning believes Team Canada's chances Wednesday could come down to how well Chouinard stacks up against Baiul, Butyrskaya and Bobek.

"Josee has been doing triple Lutzes and triple Salchows in practice, but it's been a while since she's competed," he notes. "Over-all, I think our chances are pretty good."

Browning feels skating's appeal -- both pro and Olympic eligible -- has hit a bit of lull for several reasons. The frenzy created by Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan as well as the Olympic judging scandals couldn't be maintained. And when CBS got back into NFL football, the network cut back sharply on the number of pro skating shows needed for its programming.

However, on a personal level, the slowdown has coincided nicely with a need for Browning to cut back. The erstwhile "Kid from Caroline" is pushing 40 and, fatherhood or not, it was time to re-evaluate his priorities.

"I've decided to quit the U.S. portion of the Stars on Ice tour," Browning says. "After eight years of 'Stars' I just felt I wanted to be home more. Becoming a father for the first time is a wonderful gift."