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Canadian Spotlight: My Interview With Kurt Browning

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Kurt Browning 2013

When I found out that Investors Group Stars On Ice was coming to Ottawa’s Scotiabank Place (4pm on April 21st), my first thought was about how great it would be to be able to interview one of it’s stars, Kurt Browning, who is also a Canadian Dad and one of the best skaters that has ever come out of Canada. He is definitely the most entertaining figure skater I have ever watched and is actually the reason I ever got into watching figure skating in the first place. Honestly, he oozes Canadian in everything he does and I’m proud that he’s one of ours.

Kurt has always had a knack for entertaining crowds with his amazing routines, crazy footwork and infectious personality. Seriously, this guy seems to be always smiling and it’s something that I try to model my life after as well. Kurt was gracious enough to grant me the said interview and I have included his answers below. They are a mix of skating and fatherhood questions and it was an honour corresponding with him. I’ll be heading over to Scotiabank Place with my daughter today to catch the show and we are both very excited.

1. How do you feel about the state of Canadian Figure Skating at the moment and do you feel there is enough support from fans and government alike?

After the World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ontario it would seem that the fan base is strong for Canadian skaters and that the skaters themselves are doing very very well. With medals in 3 of the disciplines and even our lady skating to a wonderful standard in the short program shows a strong all round team.

2. Are there any charities that are close to your heart, and why?

I have never really supported one charity more than another actually. It seems that as a skater I have been pulled down certain paths by my career or by the people that I have met along the way.

3. How has fatherhood changed you and has it affected your skating, whether it be the types of routines you do or ability to train as much as you’d like?

Fatherhood has made training harder because I get caught up in lego or tag and sometimes don’t even make it to the rink to practice. Lego is really tough on training 🙂 On a more serious note I have made a few programs that were for my sons and will skate with them in a show featuring skaters with children this fall. My boys don’t really take serious lessons, but they can certainly skate and have fun on the ice.

4. What has been your biggest challenge as a father?

My biggest challenge has been my schedule. Because of what I do I have to travel to do shows and being away from them has been the toughest part.

5. Other than skating, what is your favourite activity to do with your kids?

Other than Lego, we enjoy video games and bouncing on a trampoline as well as playing in the snow in winter. My family in Alberta own off road vehicles and any visit out west is very high on their list of ‘cool things to do’.

6. If you could only choose one, would you rather be a friend or a hero to your children, and why?

I would be selfish and choose friend but maybe a bit of both would be great if it was not asking too much.

7. How hard was it to learn how to jump on hockey skates? Were you scared?

Jumping on hockey skates is super tricky but I have been skating on them since I was a kid and actually enjoy the challenge.

8. Often in sports, we talk about home ice advantage. Have you found that the quality of ice in different rinks around the world creates an advantage for the hometown skaters?

Actually, we very rarely train on the exact ice we compete or perform on so we hardly ever have an actual home ice advantage. It is mostly the fans that create our advantage when we compete.

9. Finally, what is next for you after Stars on Ice? Any plans to hang up the blades? Maybe a Major League Baseball career?

After Investors Group Stars On Ice I will switch back to fatherhood and enjoy a couple of weeks off before going to China and Korea for 3 weeks to skate more shows.

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I’d like to say thank you to Kurt for taking the time to answer all of my questions. It’s just one more reason why I love this space so much. The Investors Group Stars On Ice hits Scotiabank Place in Ottawa at 4pm on Sunday, April 21st and tickets are still available by visiting the Scotiabank Place website. Along with Kurt Browning will be other Canadian stars such as Patrick Chan, Joannie Rochette & Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. I hope to see you there!

Here’s Why You Never Insult A Member Of The Harlem Globetrotters {Video}

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Canadian Dad Buckets Blakes

I had the special opportunity to interview Harlem Globetrotter, Buckets Blakes, leading up to their big show at Scotiabank Place on April 11th at 7pm in Ottawa. He was so much fun to work with and is amazingly talented, but didn’t necessarily like my line of questioning and we ended up facing off in a one on one challenge! Check out the video to see who won!

I can’t say enough good things about Buckets. He was down for everything I asked him to do and we had a great chat about his being a Dad as well. I’ll link up the full interview very soon but I hope you enjoyed my experience in the meantime! I would like to thank Amanda from Scotiabank Place and Troy Baker for shooting an editing the video. You guys are helping make lasting memories for me and I really appreciate it!

Cheers!

Catch The Harlem Globetrotters at Scotiabank Place on April 11th

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Globetrotters

It’s funny to think that I have never been to a Harlem Globetrotters game. I mean, they’ve been around almost three times longer than I have and are beloved by almost everyone who has seen them. Well, all that is about to change at 7pm on April 11th, when I will be bringing my family to a game for the first time. That’s right, the Globetrotters are bringing their 2013 “You Write The Rules” World Tour to Ottawa’s Scotiabank Place and I will be front and center for all the action. Or maybe middle and left, I guess. Who really knows where seats are anymore.

The “You Write The Rules” Tour will be the first time that the fans will have a say in how the game will be officiated. Fans can vote for which rule(s) they want the Harlem Globetrotters to implement during their game by visiting www.harlemglobetrotters.com/rule and voting on rules, such as the use of two basketballs, double points, a 4-point shot (Buckets Blakes’ specialty), the dreaded penalty box and playing 6-on-5.

It sounds like a great time for the whole family and I can’t wait to get there! Tickets to see the world’s most famous basketball team start at $15 and can be purchased by visiting www.CapitalTickets.ca, by phone at 613-599-FANS (3267) or 1-877-788-FANS (3267); in person at The Sens Store at Carlingwood Mall and Place d’Orléans, any Ottawa Sports Experts location; Les Galeries de Hull and at the Scotiabank Place box office.

Also, thanks to my friends at Scotiabank Place, I will have the opportunity to interview Globetrotter Buckets Blakes in the coming days and will share that experience with you once it’s done. Hope to see you at the show! For more info on the Globetrotters, you can follow them on Twitter or on their Facebook Page.

My Day With The Cast Of Disney On Ice

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Disney on Ice2

When I pitched the idea of me skating with the cast of Disney on Ice, I was only half joking. In my mind, there was no way they were going to take time out of their busy touring schedule to let me do this. As it turns out, the joke was on me when they gladly accepted my offer.

So, after a rigorous hunt for a videographer, I set out to Scotiabank Place at 6am on a Friday morning and had my opportunity in the Disney on Ice spotlight. After attending the amazing show with my family the night before, I was more nervous than I had been in a long time. Even as I left the arena that day, I still hadn’t processed how awesome the experience was. That was, until I saw the video that Algonquin College student and life saver, Troy Baker, had put together for me.

This was my first experience with live interviewing someone and also with creating my own video and I’m proud as heck at how everything turned out. I want to say a huge, huge thank you to everyone at Scotiabank Place and Feld Entertainment for helping facilitate my request. I also want to thank Whitney Thomas and the rest of the cast from Disney on Ice for being so friendly and welcoming, even though I made them wake up very early to watch me humiliate myself. Finally, thanks to Troy Baker for stepping in and shooting and editing all the footage, you saved the day, man! I realize that life changing sounds like an exaggeration but that’s exactly what it was in a lot of ways and I am very grateful to have had the experience.

Without further ado, here is a quick recap video of my day with the cast of Disney on Ice. The show was amazing as well and I highly recommend checking it out! Enjoy!