Tai Babilonia
{{short description|American pair skater}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2014}}
{{Infobox figure skater
| name = Tai Babilonia
| image = Tai Babilonia, 1979.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Babilonia in 1979
| fullname = Tai Reina Babilonia
| altname =
| country = United States
| formercountry =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|9|22}}
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| height = 1.59 m
| hometown =
| residence =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| formerpartner = Randy Gardner
| coach =
| formercoach = John Nicks
| choreographer =
| formerchoreographer =
| skating club = Los Angeles FSC
| retired = 1980
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry|United States}}
{{MedalSport | Pairs' figure skating}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalGold| 1979 Vienna|Pairs}}
{{MedalBronze| 1978 Ottawa|Pairs}}
{{MedalBronze| 1977 Tokyo|Pairs}}
}}
Tai Reina Babilonia (born September 22, 1959) is an American former pair skater. Together with Randy Gardner, she won the 1979 World Figure Skating Championships and five U.S. Figure Skating Championships (1976–1980). The pair qualified for the 1976 and 1980 Winter Olympics.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ba/tai-babilonia-1.html |title=Tai Babilonia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418074737/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ba/tai-babilonia-1.html |archive-date=2020-04-18}}
Career
Babilonia and Gardner began skating together at eight and ten years old when skating coach Mabel Fairbanks needed a young pair team for a skating show in Culver City, California. They began training with John Nicks in 1971. They won the gold medal as juniors at their first U.S. Nationals in 1973 and as seniors, they came in second place in 1974 and 1975. The pair became five-time U.S. National champions, between 1978 and 1980, and won the gold medal at the 1979 World Championships.{{Cite book |last=Hines |first=James R. |title=Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating |date=2011 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6859-5 |location=Lanham, Maryland |page=29}} They were medal favorites at the 1980 Winter Olympics but were forced to withdraw due to an injury to Gardner, which ended their competitive careers.
Babilonia was the first multi racial figure skater to compete for the United States at an Olympics and win a World Title. Her mother is African American and is part Filipino and Hopi Indian on her father's side.[https://web.archive.org/web/20100228161157/http://www.notablefilipinos.com/USA.htm Notable Filipinos Worldwide]. notablefilipinos.com
Babilonia and Gardner toured with the Ice Capades for four years and with Champions on Ice for two years. They performed in many ice shows and competed professionally, earning first place in the World Professional Championships in 1985.
In 1990, a biographical film of her rise to fame was aired on television,
On Thin Ice: The Tai Babilonia Story.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100292/combined On Thin Ice: The Tai Babilonia Story (1990)]. IMDb
Babilonia appeared in the 2006 Fox television program Skating with Celebrities, partnered with Olympic decathlon gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner.
Babilonia and Gardner also appeared on an episode of Hart to Hart "Silent Dance" (season 5 episode 16) in 1984.
Babilonia and Gardner also appeared in an episode of Diagnosis Murder, “Murder on Thin Ice” (season 4 episode 3).
Personal life
Babilonia was inspired at the age of six to begin ice skating after watching Peggy Fleming on television. Babilonia has a son named Scout with former husband Cary Butler.{{Cite web |date=2002-02-19 |title=Long Path Has Rewards for Babilonia, Gardner |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-feb-19-sp-olywhere19-story.html |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} She was engaged in 2005 to actor and comedian David Brenner, but they never married before their breakup in 2011.
Competitive highlights
(with Gardner)
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | |||||||
| Event
! 1973–74 ! 1974–75 ! 1975–76 ! 1976–77 ! 1977–78 ! 1978–79 ! 1979–80 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Winter Olympic Games | 5th | WD | |||||
| align=left | World Championships | 10th | 10th | 5th | bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd | bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd | bgcolor=gold | 1st | |
| align=left | U.S. Championships | bgcolor=silver | 2nd | bgcolor=silver | 2nd | bgcolor=gold | 1st | bgcolor=gold | 1st | bgcolor=gold | 1st | bgcolor=gold | 1st | bgcolor=gold | 1st |
| align=left | Nebelhorn Trophy | bgcolor=gold | 1st | ||||||
| align=left | Coupe des Alpes | bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd | ||||||
| colspan=8 align=center | WD = Withdrew |
References
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
{{cite web | url = http://www.isu.org/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,4844-148238-165454-56217-0-file,00.pdf | title = World Figure Skating Championships Results: Pairs medalists | publisher = International Skating Union | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131205021633/http://www.isu.org/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,4844-148238-165454-56217-0-file,00.pdf | archive-date = December 5, 2013 | df = mdy-all }}
{{cite news | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-mar-20-sp-elliott20-story.html | title = Tai and Randy's bond is sure and steady off the ice | first = Helene | last = Elliott | work = Los Angeles Times | date = March 20, 2008 }}
{{cite news | url = http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130114&content_id=40951390&vkey=ice_news | title = A life in skating: An interview with John Nicks | first = Amy | last = Rosewater | work = IceNetwork | date = January 14, 2013 }}
}}
External links
- {{cite web | url= http://skatecanada.ca/en/events_results/results/archives/SkateCanadaResultsBook-%20Volume1-1896-1973.pdf | title= Skate Canada Results Book - Volume 1 - 1896 - 1973 | publisher= Skate Canada | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101122231727/http://www.skatecanada.ca/en/events_results/results/archives/SkateCanadaResultsBook-%20Volume1-1896-1973.pdf | archive-date= November 22, 2010 | df= mdy-all }}
- {{cite web | url = http://skatecanada.ca/en/events_results/results/archives/SkateCanadaResultsBook-Volume2-1974-current.pdf | title = Skate Canada Results Book - Volume 2 - 1974 - current | publisher = Skate Canada | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090920093849/http://skatecanada.ca/en/events_results/results/archives/SkateCanadaResultsBook-Volume2-1974-current.pdf | archive-date = September 20, 2009 | df = mdy-all }}
{{NavigationWorldChampionsFigureSkatingPairs}}
{{NavigationUSChampionsFigureSkatingPairs}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Babilonia, Tai Reina}}
Category:American female pair skaters
Category:Olympic figure skaters for the United States
Category:Figure skaters at the 1976 Winter Olympics
Category:Figure skaters at the 1980 Winter Olympics
Category:American sportspeople of Filipino descent
Category:Sportspeople from Ashland, Oregon
Category:Figure skaters from Los Angeles
Category:World Figure Skating Championships medalists