{"id":10185,"date":"2017-10-11T21:34:25","date_gmt":"2017-10-12T01:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/?p=10185"},"modified":"2017-11-21T09:06:16","modified_gmt":"2017-11-21T14:06:16","slug":"u-s-pair-legends-tai-babilonia-and-randy-gardner-sound-off-on-the-current-pairs-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/2017\/10\/11\/u-s-pair-legends-tai-babilonia-and-randy-gardner-sound-off-on-the-current-pairs-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Pair legends Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner sound off on the current pairs scene"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Maura Sullivan Hill<\/p>\n

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Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner are the last U.S. pairs team to win a World Championship title, in 1979. They took some time out from preparations for their 50th<\/sup><\/span> anniversary season to share their thoughts on the current pairs scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

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U.S. Pairs at the 2017 U.S. Championships. Left to Right: Mervin Tran, Marissa Castelli, Brandon Frazier, Haven Denney, Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc. (Photo credit Gina Capellazzi)<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n


\n<\/i><\/b>On the U.S. pairs teams:<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n


\nTai:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m going to be honest\u2026I don\u2019t get too attached because I never know if they are going to stay together! It\u2019s pretty wild that just one team is going [to the Olympic Games]. Bottom line, U.S pairs need to stay together. This partner switching doesn\u2019t work. They want this quick fix to be on the Olympic team, but there is no longevity in that. I\u2019m not putting anyone down \u2014 it\u2019s just something I can\u2019t comprehend because it is a different mindset than Randy and I, who were so committed to staying together. I wish them the best of luck, and my advice is to stay together through the good times and the bad times.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n


\nRandy:<\/strong> \u201cThe U.S. teams show promise, however, to stay competitive with the international scene, it might be helpful to have some sort of unified training and coaching strategy to compare ideas, techniques, and the like. Even an exchange with some of the international coaches might be beneficial.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/i><\/b>
\nOn the incredible difficulty and athleticism on display in the pairs event, from quad twists to throw triple axels and side-by-side triple lutzes:<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/b>Tai:<\/strong> \u201cI can\u2019t comprehend that; I don\u2019t even know what that feels like! We did a throw triple salchow, which seems so old school now. It seems too dangerous, and I question the rules. The people who make the rules need to put themselves in these skaters\u2019 skates; try to understand the pounding on the knees and the bodies. Give me a nice Ina Bauer or an edgy, long-held spiral, but with all the skaters have to do [to meet IJS requirements], there\u2019s no time for that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Randy:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s incredible to watch – a great advancement for the whole sport. It\u2019s unimaginable that people can throw those kinds of elements out there on the ice!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>