Hi

My Name's Jack Beehler, Ronnie and I skated for the Santa Monica
Speed Club. I first met him when I was about 8 years old. We met at
the old Ocean Park rink and then got to know each other better in
the years at Santa Monica. He was a couple of years older than I
was.In 1962 I was skating Junior Men and he was in Senior Men. We
were on the 4 man relay team where we took home first place in the
State and Regionals.
In 64 Ronnie got me a tryout with Copeland's new league so we ended
up skating against each other for a couple of years.

Which rink did you skate with? You are right about Rains and his
speed. But what made him such a great flat track skater was his
dedication and heart. Before the 62 State and Regionals he and I
trained together and he would just run me to death, we would run on
the beach, we would do long jumps. He had gotten a couple of the
Jack Lalane "Glamour Stretchers" and we would use these in our
training.
He didn't know the word quit. I give him credit for making me a
better skater.
Your right about Ronnie being a little off center. He wasn't always
easy to be around but he was my friend.

Jack



--- In bankedtracknews@yahoogroups.com, tocoelh1 <no_reply@...>
wrote:
>
> -Hello Jim, TC here. I know Ronnie very well. We speed skated on
> different teams way back in 58-62. I would see him about 6 times a
year
> at the bigger speed skating meets. Man he was fast. Unbeatable. He
won
> every thing there was to win. Pycho was a good name for him,was he
was
> naturally crazy. At a state championship meet in Oakland,during
the
> awards for the figure skaters,we were up to skate after the
awards,he
> went out on the floor and started doing figures,which he couldn't
so he
> fell right on his butt. He almost got thrown out of the meet.Him
and I
> got to skate on a two man relay once in a pick a partner relay
race at
> an invitational meet in Fresno in 61. I fell during the race and
when
> Ronnie went out for his laps caught up and put us in first again.
I was
> awsome to watch that guy skate. Never saw him on the bank track.
HE and
> the Warriors came up to skate against the Bombers in 69 I
believe,and
> he was supposed to skate a match race against Roman,but he ad hurt
his
> wrist in a fight just before coming up so the race didn't happen.
> Thanks for the pics and the memories..TC
>
> -- In bankedtracknews@yahoogroups.com, james win <recordnut@>
wrote:
> >
> > According to the Roller Games Gazette dated Jan 3rd , 1964 , the
LA T-
> Birds signed a very young Ronnie Rains to its roster. Rains was
signed
> to replace another T-Bird speedster named Charlie "Specs" Saunders
who
> was hanging up his skates after 20yrs on the banked track.
Attached is
> the gazzete article and an action pic of young Ronnie. Enjoy !
> >
> > Jim
> >
> >
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