Babilonia & Gardner began skating together as children, when Babilonia was eight and Gardner ten.[1] Their coach was John Nicks. 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.[1]
Gardner revealed that he is gay in a 2006 interview with Scene magazine.[1] 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.[2] He indicated that he was working on his autobiography which to be released at the end of 2008, but there is no indication anywhere that it was ever published.[3]
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.[4]
(with Babilonia)
Event 1973-74 1974-75 1975-76 1976-77 1977-78 1978-79 1979-801908: Anna Hübler & Heinrich Burger · 1909: Phyllis Johnson & James H. Johnson · 1910: Anna Hübler & Heinrich Burger · 1911: Ludowika Jakobsson & Walter Jakobsson · 1912: Phyllis Johnson & James H. Johnson · 1913: Helene Engelmann & Karl Mejstrik · 1914: Ludowika Jakobsson & Walter Jakobsson · 1922: Helene Engelmann & Alfred Berger · 1923: Ludowika Jakobsson & Walter Jakobsson · 1924: Helene Engelmann & Alfred Berger · 1925: Herma Szabo & Ludwig Wrede · 1926: Andrée Brunet & Pierre Brunet · 1927: Herma Szabo & Ludwig Wrede · 1928: Andrée Brunet & Pierre Brunet · 1929: Lilly Scholz & Otto Kaiser · 1930: Andrée Brunet & Pierre Brunet · 1931: Emília Rotter & László Szollás · 1932: Andrée Brunet & Pierre Brunet · 1933–35: Emília Rotter & László Szollás · 1936–39: Maxi Herber & Ernst Baier · 1947–48: Micheline Lannoy & Pierre Baugniet · 1949: Andrea Kékesy & Ede Király · 1950: Karol E. Kennedy & Peter Kennedy · 1951–52: Ria Baran & Paul Falk · 1953: Jennifer Nicks & John Nicks · 1954–55: Frances Dafoe & Norris Bowden · 1956: Sissy Schwarz & Kurt Oppelt · 1957–60: Barbara Wagner & Robert Paul · 1962: Maria Jelinek & Otto Jelinek · 1963–64: Marika Kilius & Hans-Jürgen Bäumler · 1965–68: Ludmila Belousova & Oleg Protopopov · 1969–72: Irina Rodnina & Alexei Ulanov · 1973–78: Irina Rodnina & Alexander Zaitsev · 1979: Tai Babilonia & Randy Gardner · 1980: Marina Cherkasova & Sergei Shakhrai · 1981: Irina Vorobieva & Igor Lisovsky · 1982: Sabine Baeß & Tassilo Thierbach · 1983: Elena Valova & Oleg Vasiliev · 1984: Barbara Underhill & Paul Martini · 1985: Elena Valova & Oleg Vasiliev · 1986–87: Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov · 1988: Elena Valova & Oleg Vasiliev · 1989–90: Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov · 1991–92: Natalia Mishkutenok & Artur Dmitriev · 1993: Isabelle Brasseur & Lloyd Eisler · 1994: Evgenia Shishkova & Vadim Naumov · 1995: Radka Kovaříková & René Novotný · 1996: Marina Eltsova & Andrei Bushkov · 1997: Mandy Wötzel & Ingo Steuer · 1998–99: Elena Berezhnaya & Anton Sikharulidze · 2000: Maria Petrova & Alexei Tikhonov · 2001: Jamie Salé & David Pelletier · 2002–03: Shen Xue & Zhao Hongbo · 2004–05: Tatiana Totmianina & Maxim Marinin · 2006: Pang Qing & Tong Jian · 2007: Shen Xue & Zhao Hongbo · 2008-09: Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy
1914: Jeanne Chevalier & Norman M. Scott • 1918: Theresa Weld & Nathaniel Niles • 1920-27: Theresa Weld & Nathaniel Niles • 1928-29: Maribel Vinson & Thornton Coolidge • 1930-32: Beatrix Loughran & Sherwin Badger • 1933: Maribel Vinson & George Hill • 1934: Grace Madden & J. Lester Madden • 1935-37: Maribel Vinson & George Hill • 1938-40: Joan Tozzer & Bernard Fox • 1941: Donna Atwood & Eugene Turner • 1942-44: Doris Schubach & Walter Noffke • 1945-46: Donna J. Pospisil & Jean-Pierre Brunet • 1947: Yvonne Sherman & Robert Swenning • 1948-52: Karol Kennedy & Peter Kennedy • 1953-56: Carole Ormaca & Robin Greiner • 1957-60: Nancy Ludington & Ronald Ludington • 1961: Maribel Owen & Dudley Richards • 1962: Dorothyann Nelson & Pieter Kollen • 1963-64: Judianne Fotheringill & Jerry Fotheringill • 1965: Vivian Joseph & Ronald Joseph • 1966-69: Cynthia Kauffman & Ronald Kauffman • 1970-72: JoJo Starbuck & Kenneth Shelley • 1973: Melissa Militano & Mark Militano • 1974-75: Melissa Militano & Johnny Johns • 1976-80: Tai Babilonia & Randy Gardner • 1981-84: Kitty Carruthers & Peter Carruthers • 1985: Jill Watson & Peter Oppegard • 1986: Gillian Wachsman & Todd Waggoner • 1987-88: Jill Watson & Peter Oppegard • 1989-90: Kristi Yamaguchi & Rudy Galindo • 1991: Natasha Kuchiki & Todd Sand • 1992-93: Calla Urbanski & Rocky Marval • 1994-96: Jenni Meno & Todd Sand • 1997-98: Kyoko Ina & Jason Dungjen • 1999: Danielle Hartsell & Stephen Hartsell • 2000-02: Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman • 2003: Tiffany Scott & Philip Dulebohn • 2004: Rena Inoue & John Baldwin • 2005: Katie Orscher & Garrett Lucash • 2006: Rena Inoue & John Baldwin • 2007: Brooke Castile & Benjamin Okolski • 2008-09: Keauna McLaughlin & Rockne Brubaker • 2010: Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett