Famous Male Olympic Figure Skaters (Part B) - by Anne Shier (a.k.a. "Annie")

http://figureskating.about.com/od/olympiciceskatingevents/tp/olympicmen.htm

There are maybe a dozen men in the world who have made figure skating history by becoming figure skating world champions and/or Olympic medalists.  These men all had something that was unique about them.  The following is a compilation of 4 abbreviated biographies of some of the most outstanding men in this competitive field, based on their individual uniqueness and contributions to this sport:  Kurt Browning, Brian Boitano, Brian Orser and Scott Hamilton.

Kurt Browning (Canada):

Canadian figure skating champion Kurt Browning won the world figure skating championships four times. He also won the Canadian Figure Skating Championships four times. Kurt also competed in three different Olympics.

In recent years Browning has been known for being a television media commentator for figure skating. He is not only a commentator, but an entertainer. Most ice skating fans enjoy Kurt's humour and personality as they watch figure skating events.

Browning holds the record for being the first male ice skater to land a quadruple jump in competition. The Guiness Book of World Records lists that accomplishment.

Kurt Browning is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

Browning has participated in numerous professional ice skating productions and television specials. Much of his skating can be purchased on video or DVD. He starred in "Snowden on Ice" and he has toured with "Stars on Ice" and the Canadian "Champions on Ice."

Kurt enjoys hockey. Before he was a figure skater, he was a hockey player. He is able to do figure skating moves, especially footwork, on ice hockey skates. In the 1970s, he competed in ice dancing with Michelle Politt.

Brian Boitano (United States):

Brian Boitano was known for almost always skating perfectly.  Brian was the first American skater to land a triple axel. He was also the first skater to attempt a quadruple jump in competition.  His signature jump was the Tano triple lutz where he raises his left arm above his head.

Brian won the Olympics in 1988. He won the World Championship in 1986 and 1988, and he won the United States title four times: 1985 to 1988.  In 1996, he was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.  After turning professional in 1988, Brian won six World Professional Championship titles.

He received nine perfect marks of 6.0 as a competitor. He received eight 6.0s after his short program performance at the U.S. Nationals in 1988.  Brian Boitano was the first male skater to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. It is a photo of Brian landing a triple axel at the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Brian landed his first triple jump, a triple salchow, at age eleven.

He won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Don Jose in "Carmen On Ice."

Boitano toured for eleven seasons with Champions On Ice.

He continues to produce and participate in figure skating productions and specials.

Brian won the 1988 Olympics. This was the highlight of his skating career. At the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, he competed against Canadian Brian Orser. Both men were great skaters.  The media coverage between Boitano and Orser was called the "Battle of the Brians."  After the initial phase of the competition, the short program, Brian Orser finished first and Brian Boitano finished second. Then, Boitano skated the performance of his life and won. During that performance, he landed eight triple jumps including two triple axels and a triple flip triple toe loop combination.  That performance in 1988 is considered to be among the very best in the history of figure skating.

Brian Orser (Canada):

Brian Orser was one of the most successful figure skaters in Canadian history.  Brian Orser won eight Canadian national figure skating titles and two Olympic silver medals. He is also the 1987 Men's World Figure Skating Champion.

Orser began skating at around the age of five when he went ice skating with his sisters. Like most young Canadian boys, he played ice hockey. He performed in a local ice carnival when he was six years old. From there, he was hooked on figure skating.

Brian Orser was known as "Mr. Triple Axel" because he landed that jump consistently. He holds the record for being the first man to land the triple axel at the Olympics.

The "Battle of the Brians" is the name the media used to describe the rivalry between Canadian Brian Orser and American Brian Boitano at the 1988 Olympics. As the competition began, Orser may have been the favorite to win gold since he'd already won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. (In 1984 he placed second behind Scott Hamilton.)

The competition between Orser and Boitano was exciting and very close. Brian Boitano skated a perfect program and ended up winning the gold.

After the 1988 Winter Olympics, Brian Orser performed and toured with Stars on Ice.

Brian Orser is the head figure skating coach at the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club. In 2008, one of his students, Kim Yu-Na, of Korea, won the World Figure Skating Championships. In 2010, Orser was at Kim's side when she won Olympic gold

Orser is a member of both the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. He won an Emmy award for his portrayal of Escamillo in "Carmen on Ice." In 1988, Brian Orser was selected as an Officer of Canada which is the the most prestigious award a Canadian civilian can receive.

Scott Hamilton (United States):

Scott Hamilton won the Olympics in figure skating in 1984. He is known for his charismatic personality on and off the ice.

Scott was very sick as a child. He did not grow at the same rate as other children. Eventually, the illness disappeared; it is said that he began to grow because he ice skated. It was said that the cold air in the ice rinks and all the physical activity helped to miraculously cure him. He was always small in stature, but he did grow.

Scott carried the flag for the United States in the Opening Ceremonies for the 1980 Winter Olympics. He placed fifth in the 1980 Olympics.

From 1981 through 1984, Scott won every U.S. National Championship and every world championship. The highlight of his amateur figure skating career was when he won the 1984 Olympics. He was the first American male figure skater to win a medal in skating since 1960.

Scott toured with Ice Capades for two years. He created his own show after that. That show eventually evolved into what is now Stars on Ice. He also began a series of prime time television skating specials.

Hamilton won the world professional figure skating championship in 1984 and 1986, the Open Professional in 1990, the 1992 Diet Coke Championship, and the 1994 Gold Championships. He was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1990.

Scott was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1997. After a successful surgery he skated and performed again.

In 2004 it was publicized that Scott Hamilton had a benign brain tumor.

Scott Hamilton has served as a figure skating commentator for CBS television and NBC television. He hosted the FOX television program "Skating with Celebrities" in 2006.

These, then, are the abbreviated biographies of 4 of the world’s most famous and outstanding Olympic and/or world champions in men’s figure skating.  No doubt, it should be obvious to anyone who reads this that these men’s lives and careers each have their own unique features and each man has made significant contributions to the sport of figure skating.

copyright 2014, Anne Shier.  All rights reserved.