Tai Babilonia

Tai Babilonia
Babilonia in 1979
Full name	Tai Reina Babilonia
Born	(1959-09-22) September 22, 1959 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height	1.59 m (5 ft 3 in)
Figure skating career
Country	United States
Skating club	Los Angeles FSC
Retired	1980
Medal record Representing United States Pairs' figure skating World Championships 1979 Vienna Pairs 1978 Ottawa Pairs 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.

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. 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 African American figure skater to compete for the United States at an Olympics and win world titles. She is also part Filipino on her father's side and part Native American.

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.

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. She was engaged in 2005 to actor and comedian David Brenner, but they never married before their breakup in 2011.

Competitive highlights

(with Gardner)

Event	1973–74	1974–75	1975–76	1976–77	1977–78	1978–79	1979–80
Winter Olympic Games			5th				WD
World Championships	10th	10th	5th	3rd	3rd	1st
U.S. Championships	2nd	2nd	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st
Nebelhorn Trophy	1st
Coupe des Alpes	3rd
WD = Withdrew

External links

• "Skate Canada Results Book - Volume 1 - 1896 - 1973" (PDF). Skate Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 22, 2010.
• "Skate Canada Results Book - Volume 2 - 1974 - current" (PDF). Skate Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2009.