{"id":18674,"date":"2021-01-18T23:07:07","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T05:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=18674"},"modified":"2021-01-18T23:15:45","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T05:15:45","slug":"debi-thomas-tai-babilonia-rory-flack-burghart-mabel-fairbanks-richard-ewell-richard-ewell-richard-ewell-surya-bonaly-and-more-are-the-figure-skating-kings-and-queens-at-there-best-in-p","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=18674","title":{"rendered":"Debi Thomas , Tai Babilonia, Rory Flack Burghart, Mabel Fairbanks , Richard Ewell Richard Ewell Richard Ewell, Surya Bonaly , AND MORE ARE THE FIGURE SKATING KINGS AND QUEENS, AT THERE BEST, IN PICTURES AND PRINT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Famous African-American King and Queen Figure Skaters, IN PICTURES AND PRINT…..<\/h1>\n
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Certain African-American figure skaters are remembered for their impressive achievements. This short article highlights just a handful of those skaters.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\"Babilonia<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>
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Tai Babilonia, an African-American, and her partner, Randy Gardner, have skated together since the 1960s. They won the National Junior Pairs title in 1973. In 1976, they won the U.S. Senior Pairs event. They went on to win five consecutive national titles, and in 1979, they won the world pair skating title. They went on to star in ice shows and to skate professionally in several other skating shows. They became American ice skating legends. The names “Tai and Randy” have forever made the two figure skaters “like one.”\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Rory Flack Burghart <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Rory Flack Burghart won the bronze medal in the Junior Ladies event at the U.S. National Figure Skating \u200bChampionships in 1986. She also was the 1995 U.S. Open Champion and 2000 American Open Pro Champion. She had a very successful career as a professional figure skating performer.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mabel Fairbanks <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\"Mabel<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>
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Mabel Fairbanks was an African-American figure skater and ice skating coach. Her strength and determination paved the way for African Americans and other figure skaters from minority backgrounds to be part of the sport.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Debi Thomas<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\"Debi<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>
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Debi Thomas was the first African-American to win the Championship event at the United States National Figure Skating Championships<\/a>. She won the title in both 1986 and 1988 and also won a bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics. She is the only African-American who ever won a medal in the Olympics in figure skating. She also won the World Figure Skating Championships in 1986.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Richard Ewell <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Richard Ewell<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Richard Ewell was the first African-American to win a national title in both pair skating<\/a> and single skating. He won National Junior Men in 1970, and in 1972, won the National Junior Pair skating title with Michelle McCladdie, another African-American.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1965, he became the first African-American to be accepted into a figure skating club.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After winning the U.S. National Junior Pair title in 1972, Richard went on to star in Ice Capades<\/a>, and now coaches figure skating in the Los Angeles area.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Surya Bonaly<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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French figure skater Surya Bonaly became a U.S. citizen in 2004. She is known for being one of the only skaters who can land a backflip on one foot on the ice. She is remembered for being disqualified for making that move in the 1998 Olympics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

She participated in three different Olympics and became known for having a defiant attitude. She won the French National title nine times and the European title five times. She placed second at the world championships three times.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Surya now lives in the United States and has toured with Champions on Ice for many seasons.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Atoy Wilson <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Atoy Wilson was the first African-American to win a national title in figure skating. He won the National Novice Men’s event in 1966. He went on to star in Holiday on Ice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the same week that Richard Ewell was accepted into the All Year Figure Skating Club, Atoy was the first African-American to be accepted for membership into the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Bobby Beauchamp <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Bobby Beauchamp was the first African-American to win a world figure skating medal. At the Junior World Figure Skating Championship in 1979, he took the silver. That same year, he won the silver medal in Junior Men at the 1979 U.S. National Championships. He skated professionally with Ice Capades for many years.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tiffani Tucker and Franklyn Singley <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tiffany Tucker and Franklyn Singley are considered the first African-American ice dance team in the United States. They were the first African-American ice dance team to win a medal at the United States National Figure Skating Championships. In 1993, they won the bronze medal in the Junior Dance event.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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