Kurt Forcing The Edge by Browning, Kurt with Stevens, Neil - 1991

Toronto: HarperCollinsPublishersLtd, 1991. BOOK: Light Shelf Rub to Boards; Edges Lightly Soiled. DUST JACKET: Lightly Creased; Lightly Scuffed; Lightly Chipped; In Archival Quality Jacket Cover. CONTENTS: Introduction; 1. The Kid From Caroline 2. "Mr. J." 3. A Full-Time Job Called Figure Skating 4. Life at the World Level 5. Finding the Olympic Spirit 6. History in Eight-Tenths of a Second 7. A Canadian in Paris 8. "Champ" or "Chump"-Life at the Top 9. "Skate God for Life" 10. Being Famous 11. "Medals, Medals, Medals!" 12. Inside My Sport; Acknowledgements; Competitive Record. SYNOPSIS: It all begins with the skates themselves, and the power they contain. I can remember my first skates - and my first bruised knees. That's the beginning of respect. He's the three-time World Champion in figure skating. He's the first skater ever to perform the "quad" - a jump that combines the strength and speed of long jump with the skill and grace of ballet. Canada's own Kurt Browning, undeniably one of the world's outstanding athletes, reveals himself here as a funny, charming, engaging and dedicated person who works hard at his gift, and still believes in the magic of his sport. For the first time and in his own words, Kurt traces the events and the people that have led to his phenomenal worldwide success. With humor and honesty, he reveals the process and the price of preparation that leads to his unique "edge," enabling him to perform his innovative skating with an endless enthusiasm audiences love. Full of wonderful anecdotes about eccentric fans (and he has many of them) and self-conscious meetings with the glitterati of sport, screen and politics, Kurt shares the details of his heartbreaking failures and embarrassing fumbles along with his stunning personal triumphs. The book delivers both the exciting recollections and expectations of a young Albertan in the passionate pursuit of his dream, and a funny, moving and entertaining tale of growing up in a brightly-lit, fiercely competitive world. From the day Kurt first stepped on the ice at the age of six with great visions of a career in hockey, to his current bid for Olympic Gold, Forcing The Edge is a compelling read. It's sure to thrill fans of figure skating and international sport as well as all of us who want to know more about the sweat and struggle that goes into the making of a world-class champion. Neil Stevens has been covering all of Kurt's competitions - the World's, the Canadian Championships and the Olympics - for the national news service. He is a reporter-editor at the Canadian Press in Toronto.. First Edition 1st Printing. Hard Cover. As New/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.