Randy Gardner (figure skater)
Encyclopedia
Randy Gardner is an American
pair skater. With partner Tai Babilonia, he was the 1979 World Champion
and the 1976-1980 U.S. national champion.
. The pair were five-time gold medalists at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and won the gold medal at the 1979 World Figure Skating Championships
. They were medal favorites at the 1980 Olympics
but were forced to withdraw due to an injury to Gardner.
Gardner revealed that he is gay
in a 2006 interview with Scene magazine. As an adult he discovered that he was adopted after a relative divulged the family secret and he subsequently tracked down his birth mother, with whom he developed a relationship. He indicated that he was working on his autobiography which was to be released at the end of 2008, but there is no indication anywhere that it was ever published.
Gardner has been featured as a choreographer on the television show "Skating with Celebrities
".
In 2008, Babilonia and Gardner announced their retirement from professional figure skating due to a neck injury suffered by Gardner and their advancing ages.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pair skater. With partner Tai Babilonia, he was the 1979 World Champion
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
and the 1976-1980 U.S. national champion.
Career
Babilonia & Gardner began skating together as children, when Babilonia was eight and Gardner ten. Their coach was John NicksJohn Nicks
John Allen Wisden Nicks is a British figure skating coach and former pair skater. His pairs partner was his sister Jennifer Nicks, and together they were the 1953 World Champions...
. The pair were five-time gold medalists at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and won the gold medal at the 1979 World Figure Skating Championships
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
. They were medal favorites at the 1980 Olympics
Figure skating at the 1980 Winter Olympics
These are the 1980 Winter Olympic Games Figure skating results.-Medal table:-Men:Referee:* Sonia BianchettiAssistant Referee:* Elemér Terták...
but were forced to withdraw due to an injury to Gardner.
Gardner revealed that he is gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
in a 2006 interview with Scene magazine. As an adult he discovered that he was adopted after a relative divulged the family secret and he subsequently tracked down his birth mother, with whom he developed a relationship. He indicated that he was working on his autobiography which was to be released at the end of 2008, but there is no indication anywhere that it was ever published.
Gardner has been featured as a choreographer on the television show "Skating with Celebrities
Skating with Celebrities
Skating with Celebrities is a celebrity reality television show that began airing on the Fox network on January 18, 2006. The show also aired in Australia on Network Ten in early 2006 and in New Zealand in October 2008. The show was the U.S. version of Dancing on Ice, which also aired in the U.K....
".
In 2008, Babilonia and Gardner announced their retirement from professional figure skating due to a neck injury suffered by Gardner and their advancing ages.
Competitive highlights
(with Babilonia)| Event | 1973-74 | 1974-75 | 1975-76 | 1976-77 | 1977-78 | 1978-79 | 1979-80 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
5th | WD | |||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
10th | 10th | 5th | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | |
| U.S. Championships United States Figure Skating Championships The United States Figure Skating Championships is figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".Skaters... |
2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| Nebelhorn Trophy Nebelhorn Trophy The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. The competition is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain.... |
1st | ||||||
| Coupe des Alpes | 3rd | ||||||
- WD = Withdrawn