Olympian ice skater Tai Babilonia coming to The RINX at Wyandanch Plaza

Olympian ice skater Tai Babilonia is coming to Long Island to celebrate the annual opening of the outdoor RINX at Wyandanch Plaza Dec. 3, from noon to 3:30 p.m. The free event will feature skating sessions, lessons, photo-ops and a chance to meet Babilonia, who hopes to inspire kids to get out on the ice. Attendees can look forward to Spanish language caroling by Parranda Navideña and an appearance by Santa. 

“I’ll be there to skate with the kids, the parents, sure — but it’s also to get a message out," Babilonia says.

 She wants to acquaint people with the late Mabel Fairbanks, a U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Famer who she credits for helping to open the door to skating for people of color.  Fairbanks is responsible for pairing Babilonia with figure skater Randy Gardner, with whom she went on to win the 1979 World Figure Skating Championships, and qualify for the 1976 and 1980 Winter Olympics. 

“I’m teaching young skaters of color about this amazing woman, who broke barriers,” she says, adding, “she wasn’t an Olympic skater because she wasn’t allowed to join any skating clubs in the '30s, '40s and '50s.” Babilonia is also coworking on an autobiographical project about Fairbanks' life.

“I’m all about paying it forward,” she says. Babilonia also credits the late Olympian gold medalist, actor and philanthropist Rafer Johnson, the first African American athlete to ever carry the U.S. flag during an Olympic procession, for personally pulling her aside and telling her “just start giving back … that’s all I needed.”