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 This week has been as sad week
for roller speed skating in Great Britain. One of it's greatest unsung heroes passed
away peacefully at his home in Birmingham after a long fought battle with illness
Leon Francis Goodchild was
born in London on 22nd February 1923. However, in his teens he travelled to
Birmingham and for the next 70 years has made it his home.
Leon had always been keen
on keeping fit and sport in general, and looked towards roller speed skating as his
"chosen" activity. The outbreak of World War II put on hold any plans Leon had of
achieving early successes. Soon after the war roller skating saw one of it’s biggest
boom periods. It seemed that a new roller rink was opening up nearly every week, and
Leon once more took to his roller skates.
At that time Leon was a
member of the Birmingham Roller Speed Club, who were based at the old Embassy Rink in
Walford Road, Sparkbrook. Quite handy for Leon really, who was now living in the
Bordesley Green area of the City. Leon was totally dedicated to his sport and trained
virtually non-stop in his quest to become a shining star. Despite his efforts success in
the form of medals were not to be. Leon was widely recognised as a supremely strong speed
skater, but his lack of any finishing sprint meant that gold would never come his way.
These were the days before mass participation skating marathons and race distances were
simply just too short for him. Five miles being the maximum distance competed over. His
only racing success would be a silver medal in the 1951 Midland Counties Championship held
on his beloved Birmingham Embassy Rink.
 Recognising that winning races
simply wasn’t the way forward for him, Leon looked for another way of achieving success
in roller speed skating. In 1954 Leon took to the Embassy rink and set a new British
Record for 10 miles. The record would be broken a year later but Leon had finally had a
taste of glory.
1956 and again Leon set a new
British Record, again on the Birmingham Embassy rink, but this time at 5 miles. He was on
a roll.
By now a new rink had opened in
Birmingham. The Mecca Olympic in Springhill. With it came a new club, Midland Olympic. The
club consisted of breakaway members from the old Birmingham Roller Speed Club and included
the likes of World medallist Les Woodley and World Champion to be, Danny Kelly. In such
highly rated company Leon would soon be looking to better his own achievements.
In 1958 he set new British
Records for 10, 15 and 20 miles and a new 1 hour record. In 1959 he again set new records for
these distances adding 25, 50 and the maximum 100 miles to his ever increasing tally.
 With a string of long distance
British Records under his belt, by 1960 Leon had his sights firmly set on establishing a
World Record. There were bigger and faster rinks now throughout the country, Brixton being
the most popular for record attempts. However, as it had been for all his previous records,
Leon was determined that Birmingham should be the venue. He knew the rink inside and out, and
after all, he was a Brummie! In June 1960, all the training and preparation had been done and
Leon stepped onto the Embassy rink with a view to conquering the world. And he did just
that.
In those days measurements were
taken both as imperial and metric, and Leon set World Records for 30km, 50km and 100km and 25,
30, 50 and 100 miles. Averaging over 19 miles per hour for the 25 miles and an almost
unbelievable 18 miles per hour for 100 miles on roller skates on a 200 metre lap rink was a
truly remarkable feat of both physical and mental endurance. Remember, these were the days of
cup and cone bearings and wooden wheels, just over 2 inches in diameter!
These records stood for the next 10
years, but as true testament to just how remarkable this achievement was, Leon’s record for the
50km still stands to this day as a British Track Record, some 47 years on!
At the age of 37 Leon had satisfied
himself that speed skating was not just about winning gold medals. It was about personal
achievement and being the best you could be. In his case, that meant being the best in the
world!
By the early 1970’s roller skating
had seen a decline and with it the mass closing of roller rinks. The Embassy became a warehouse
and the Mecca a car showroom. No new rinks were planned and Leon decided that if he was going
to keep himself fit it would have to be in other ways and not on his beloved roller skates.
By the early 1980’s the sport had
moved on considerably. Races were now being held outdoors rather than indoors, but with the
distinct lack of national facilities these were mainly on road circuits or car parks. Then in
1983 Britain had it’s first ever dedicated roller speed skating, state-of-the-art banked track.
The location? Birmingham Wheels Adventure Park, Bordesley Green!
 The Birmingham Wheels Roller Speed Club
was born out of the old Midland Olympic Club, and at the ripe old age of 60 Leon Francis
Goodchild came out of retirement and showed the youngsters in the club just what hard training
was. He helped coach the club youngsters and every Saturday he would be seen skating around the
perimeter of the athletics track at Fox Hollies Leisure Centre, doing his customary 100 laps
(about 30 miles!). Starting before the training session started, and finishing long after they
had all gone home. He renewed his competitive membership and once again represented Birmingham’s
speed skaters across the country and the continent. By now there were marathons,
and at 67 years of age Leon took part in his first one…in Le Mans, France. The distance just
over the 25 miles he was World Record holder of some 30 years earlier.
By the 1990’s Leon had come to
recognise, or rather his body had, that sometimes the ravages of time simply have to be
succumbed to. He was now well into his 70’s and the years of skating those ultra-long distances
had taken it’s toll, but still he could not let go totally.
In 2005 Leon was eventually
recognised as a true sporting hero. Aged 83 he was presented by the Birmingham Sports Council
with a Lifetime Achievement Award for services to his beloved sport and the community. An
honour which he so truly deserved.
 For the past 17 years Leon had
been the Honorary President of the Birmingham Wheels Roller Speed Club in all it's guises.
Until recently, he could still be found at the Birmingham Wheels track, making the teas,
presenting the trophies and generally lending a hand to those youngsters whose parents and
even grandparents can remember a time when Leon Francis Goodchild ruled the skating world.
He will be sadly missed.
John C Fry
Leon's funeral will be held at Yardley
Crematorium, Birmingham at 10 a.m. on Friday, 19th January.
No flowers by request but anyone wishing
to make donations please send them direct to UNICEF.
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