More and more Native American women are participating in national and international sports. In times past it was harder for indigenous women to be able to engage in sporting activities. The limitations were lack of funds, lack of programs, and prejudice. The women who made it to the top had to do it from sheer perseverance. A few women had help along the way.
Our stories this week are about two skaters who worked hard from their childhood to achieve their goals – Naomi Lang and Tai Babilonia.
Naomi Lang (b. 1978, Karuk Tribe)
Naomi Lang was born in Arcata, California. She moved with her mother to the Upper Midwest as a child to help care for her grandmother. A turning point came in her life when her mother took her to see the Ice Capades in Kalamazoo. She recalled, ““Ice Capades and Disney on Ice were there the same week. I fell in love with the performance value of what the skaters were doing. I actually went down to the ice and got pulled around on a sleigh and driven around by the skaters. I could feel the wind in my hair and the freedom, even on a sleigh, just to be on the ice. I fell in love with that feeling right away. So I asked my mom to sign me up for skating classes.”[1]
Just to be sure she would like skating, Naomi went to a public skating rink. She quickly realized how much she loved skating and how good she was at it. Within an hour she was faster and smoother than many of the other more experienced skaters. She knew she would excel at it.
Naomi was already prepared for performance skating because she had been taking ballet lessons since she was three years old. She had participated in a production of The Nutcracker. Naomi had good posture and a sense of body positioning which she excelled in while continuing ballet lessons and skating lessons. Because she practiced for so many hours Naomi missed other school activities that the other kids grew up with. She was determined to succeed and knew that she had to work hard to make it to the top. At age 15 she gave up ballet and concentrated on skating.
Naomi participated in all four skating disciplines – figures, freestyle, pairs skating, and ice dance. Her coach told Naomi that her natural grace and ballet background made her more suited to ice dancing. Naomi agreed. In 1995 she and her partner John Lee won the 1995 U.S Novice title and the next year a silver medal in junior competition at the U.S. National Championships. Then she was on her way to the Olympics where she became the first Native American Winter Olympian as a member of the U.S. team in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002. A special event for Native Americans was held at these Olympic games.
She continued to skate professionally and she made appearances in ice shows. Naomi has toured Europe and Russia performing in Art on Ice, Kings on Ice with Evgeni Plushenko and violinist and composer Edvin Marton, and he Katarina Witt Farewell Tour. She performed at Jim Carrey’s private Christmas party in Hollywood.
Naomi has been instructing figure skating for many years. Her goal in teaching is to inspire students to do their best. She tries to pass on the wonderful feelings associated with achieving their dreams with a combination of hard work and fun. The feeling of accomplishment is her gift to them.
She wanted to inspire the indigenous youth. She connected with her tribe by going to ceremonies. She says that “Representing the Indigenous community on a world stage was probably the coolest thing that happened to me at the Winter Olympics. Becoming the first Indigenous female to participate in the Winter Olympics was quite an incredible feeling of accomplishment and pride. Being the first person to actually do that, and showing that my hard work and my perseverance and just working through all my struggles through life and sport. … It hopefully set an example for other future athletes along the way to pursue their dreams as well.”[2]
Naomi was a five-time national champion and placed in the top ten in each of five world championships. Naomi has been included in the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame.
Naomi is a teacher at the Chandler Ice Den in Arizona. She continues to encourage young skaters to pursue their own dreams on ice. In 2023 she was inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame.
Tai Babilonia (Hopi, Multi-racial, b. 1959)
Tai Babilonia is Filipino and Hopi on her Dad’s side and Black on her mother’s side. With her partner Randy Gardner she was the first person from any of those ethnic groups to participate in the Olympics or win a world title.
Tai and Randy won five U.S. championships, medaled in three world championships and qualified for the Olympics twice. They were pairs champions from 1976 to 1980. In 1979 they became the second pair to win a World Championship. Their win came after Irina Rodnina had won ten straight titles (1969-1978). Irina took a year off to have a baby and came back in 1980. It was expected to be a very competitive battle, but unfortunately Randy pulled a groin muscle preventing him and Tai from competing. The doctors tried to give him pain medication but he could not control his leg and he and Tai had to withdraw from the competition.
Randy and Tai continued their career together up until 2008. Randy suffered neck problems and he retired. There was an interruption in their career when Tai suffered from an addiction problem with amphetamines and also attempted suicide. She went through treatment, recovered and returned to skating.
Tai became active in charities. On one occasion she gave private lessons for a fundraiser for “Charlie Bubbles Cares for Kids” in 2022.
Tai spent time in coaching and in sportswear design. She designs her own line of clothing with Hill Sports, called Tai. She is a motivational speaker, and a mental health and sobriety advocate. She remains close as a friend to Randy Gardner. They participate in adult skating camps and media interviews about their skating career.
Tai is currently single. She had been married to musician Cary Butler from 1991-1998 and they have a son together. She is a proud grandmother. She is recognized and honored today for being the first figure skater of mixed race – African American and Native American.
[1] From: Ice Dancer Naomi Lang Rediscovers Her Roots
https://www.visitcalifornia.com/experience/ice-dancer-naomi-lang-rediscovers-her-roots/
[2] From: ‘Dream Big Things’: An Indigenous view of the Olympics, By Dan Ninham
https://ictnews.org/news/dream-big-things-an-indigenous-view-of-the-olympics/
