Blade Runner : Skater Randy Gardner Takes a Spin as Director of World Champions’ Tour

This year’s edition of the Tour of World Figure Skating Champions, which comes Friday to the Pond of Anaheim, will feature the same elements as previous presentations: state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems and about 30 of the sport’s most illustrious soloists, pair teams and dance duos.

But there is a major change behind the scenes: new director Randy Gardner, who won the 1979 world pair championship with partner Tai Babilonia and now directs, choreographs and produces skating routines and shows in addition to performing.

He was chosen by tour producer Tom Collins to succeed Collins’ younger brother, Harris, who died of a heart attack before a June 1996 performance in Chicago.

“Tommy asked me to lunch in Los Angeles just after the tour closed last summer,” recalled Gardner, 39, sharing a phone interview with Babilonia, 37, after an early morning television appearance.

“I’m old friends with him, but I wasn’t sure why he wanted to have lunch. He said, ‘I’m looking for someone. Would you be interested?’ I was excited and thrilled. He said, ‘Welcome to the family.’ ”

Gardner joined his new kin for Collins’ five-week winter tour in January, in which he and Babilonia also performed.

The cast for the current tour, which began in April and wraps up this weekend with the Pond show and performances in Long Beach on Saturday and Sunday includes a strong Southern California contingent: 1996 U.S. and world champion Michelle Kwan, 1996 U.S. pair champions Jenni Meno and Todd Sand and 1997 U.S. bronze medalist Nicole Bobek, all of whom train at the Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead.

Among other skaters are 1997 world champions Elvis Stojko and Tara Lipinski, reigning Olympic gold medalists Oksana Baiul and Alexei Urmanov and dancers Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov, current U.S. champion Todd Eldredge, former world champion Lu Chen and the pair team of Lloyd Eisler and Isabelle Brasseur and, from a generation past, 1976 Olympic champion Dorothy Hamill.

Gardner and Babilonia, who lives in Sherman Oaks, will skate as guest artists for the three weekend shows, performing to a Kenny Loggins’ rendition of John Lennon’s song “Love.”

As a veteran tour performer, Gardner had no trouble when he came on board as director, he said. “I pretty much knew everybody, the crew and the staff. Though it is an emotional situation.”

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Gardner’s duties include staging the opening and closing numbers, helping to plan the show’s running order and periodically fine-tuning skaters’ programs.

“I’ve gotten a little more involved personally with the skaters’ choreography for the opening and closing numbers, where each act has 25 seconds,” he said. “A lot came in with no ideas in mind. I had to start with a blank canvas. I loved it.”

Babilonia said that being partners with her director grants her no special privileges. “Ha!” she said with a laugh. “He’s fair to everyone. That’s why he’s so great.”

“Great” is also how she described audience response to the duo on the winter tour. “People were so happy to see us,” she said, a note of gratitude in her voice. “They went nuts in the opening. It’s a nice feeling. You’re never sure who remembers.”

Skating is less of a focus these days for the soon-to-be-divorced Babilonia, whose son, Scout, is 2 1/2. “My priorities have changed. Being a great mom to Scout is No. 1,” she said. “I appreciate skating more, because we’re not on the road as much.”

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At the opposite end of the age and experience spectrum is the tour’s sole newcomer, Tara Lipinski, the 1997 U.S. champion who in March became the youngest women’s world champion in skating history.

“There haven’t been any surprises on the tour--I knew it would be hard, traveling a lot,” she said by phone recently from a tour stop in Seattle. “I’ve always wanted to be on it, meeting new people, doing new things.”

Her favorite experiences: celebrating her 15th birthday (June 10 in Peoria, Ill.) and skating in her hometown Houston. She tries to maintain some semblance of training for the upcoming competition season, with her coach traveling with her for most of the tour. And the tour experience itself, in which she skates to Gloria Estefan’s “Reach,” will strengthen her bid for a 1998 Olympic medal.

“Performing every night, leaning to deal with nerves and the audience helps a lot,” she said. ‘I’ve learned to use my head more, to look at the audience more. When you do one competition a year, you don’t want to take chances with your presentation. But on the tour, if you don’t do something right, you can fix it the next night.”

* The Tour of World Figure Skating Champions performs Friday at 8 p.m. at the Pond of Anaheim, 2695 E. Katella Ave. $30-$45. (714) 704-2500 (box office) or (714) 740-2000 (Ticketmaster).