I began raising Birmingham Rollers in West Los Angeles, California many years ago.  My first pair of birds was some red checks I bought from a friend across the street.  I built a makeshift loft and attached it directly to the side of the house.  When my father came home from work, he explained the realities of renting property and the necessity of keeping my birds across the street.  The birds, of course, had no problems with the arrangement; they simply flew home and flipped a bit on the way. 

The birds we were raising back then were called Pensom Rollers, but our rollers were far below the class of spinner described by the great breeder.  We would count the number of flips or rolls performed by each bird in the air as a 6 or and 8, and if the bird somersaulted a 10 foot roll we were very pleased.

Like many junior fanciers in the hobby, I raised those Pensom Rollers for several years only to abandon the fancy in my early adulthood.  I did not start up again until 1974 when my daughter was two years old.  I had built a chicken coop in the backyard so my daughter could experience raising baby chicks, but this plan was quickly abandoned when the allegedly fixed rooster began waking up the entire neighborhood at 5:30 a.m.  My wife was rather disappointed for our daughter.  Naturally, being a good father, I had to save the day and suggested that we could raise pigeons!  She said, “Pigeons!”  I believe she had been programmed at the time to think of pigeons as rats with wings.  I explain that pigeons were quiet, clean, and easy to keep, and would never disturb the neighbors.

This is me with one of my kit boxes in Yuba City, California

I began raising Pensoms again and joined the local San Fernando Valley Pigeon Club and The Roller Association (TRA).  I began flying competition, and like many who pursue this hobby I became obsessed with breeding a better, stronger and more effective family of roller.  Because I could not reach this goal with the hodgepodge of birds in my loft, I began looking for a family of birds that would fit the bill. 

One day, I drove from Los Angeles to San Diego to meet a breeder named Richard Jaconette.  When I saw Richards birds perform in the air, I bought twenty yearlings and gave away all of my other stock birds.  Now-a-days, these birds are referred to as Old Line Jaconettes from his Black Rain family. 

I was very pleased with this family of birds, and I was particularly pleased with the Black Selves.  In fact, the only champion I have raised was from this line.  She was a small, strong, and confident hen that took the TRA by storm. 

I remember Ron Anno who judged the TRAs single bird fly that year offered me $500.00 on the spot for the bird.  She was the epitome of the Roller class.  She could roll 50 ft., 100 ft, or 25 ft. and she would spin with inconceivable rapidity while falling through the sky like a black, blurry ball.  Unfortunately, one day due to my poor management–I should have stopped flying her right away– she spun so fast that she lost her reproductive organs.  I was never able to breed her.  Every year, I hope she’ll be reincarnated; because real and true champions like this hen are rare commodity in this sport.

This is #440 one of my stock hens, bred by Dave Henderson

These days I am living in Northern California and a charter member of a local roller club up here we have called the Hi~Five Roller Flyers

I am flying birds from my good friends Joe Urbon and Dave Henderson, also HFRF members, and things are really shaping up for me.  I am now breeding up another exceptional family of rollers and I will be participating in my first World Cup Fly this year.

Hi Five