On the Road Again

TORONTO - When four-time World Men's Champion Kurt Browning agreed to rejoin the cast of Stars on Ice, he decided to scale back his competition schedule for the preceding autumn. In mid-November his manager, Kevin Albrecht , of International Management Group, informed Dick Button, president of Candid Productions, that Browning would not be competing at the World Professional Figure Skating Championship, a title that Browning has won for three consecutive years, beginning in 1995. Unfortunately, Browning's name appeared on promotional materials until just two weeks prior to the event.

"I just feel bad for the people who thought I was coming," said Browning.

One competition that Browning did enter was the Canadian Open. He skated what many observers thought was a winning interpretive program, only to see severe deductions made because the program was 32 seconds too short.

"It's my fault," admitted Browning. "One day before the competition, I was on the phone, getting advice about the short program from Sandra Bezic. She said, 'By the way, I don't think you should do the clown number for the interpretive.'" Bezic was referring to the follow-up to last year's smashingly successful clown program.

Browning, 33, decided instead to use another new program. "Totally forgetting that the choreographer, Roberto Campanella, and I didn't get enough time to really finish it, we created a shortened version for me to skate at Kristi Yamaguchi's Denver Christmas show," he explained. "I just forgot that it was shortened. Played it on practice, ... and no one walked up to me and said, 'You're 32 seconds short.'"

While the penalty hurt, the enthusiastic response of the audience cushioned the blow - and it was the second time that week Browning had heard cheering. He earned a standing ovation at Improv-Ice for a comedic performance.

"It was classical music played on a harmonica. I thought, It's got to be funny," he recalled. "But I couldn't think of anything funny. All of a sudden, 20 minutes before I went on, something came to me," he said.

He also indicated that he would definitely return to Improv-Ice next year, if asked. "But I will be more nervous next year," he confessed, "because, after all, how can I top this year?"