He’s Skating His Way Back to Where He Began

The Ice Capades will be putting a Westside native on ice this week. Bobby Beauchamp, who grew up in Culver City, is a featured soloist in the skating show at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood today through Nov. 2.

Beauchamp began skating at the age of 9 against a lot of odds. Born with a clubfoot that twisted his left leg, he spent much of his early childhood in corrective casts and braces. In an effort to strengthen his leg muscles, his mother introduced him to ice skating.

Soon afterward, he began taking lessons and decided to pursue the sport competitively. From there, Beauchamp went on to compete as an amateur and twice won the U.S. Eastern Regional Championships and a bronze medal from the Skate America Championships.

He said that competing as an amateur was most difficult. “It was a lot of time, effort and sacrifices for me as a teen-ager. . . . I don’t regret it because I’ve been all over the world, and I love to travel, which has been a great payoff.”

Beauchamp, who begins his sixth season with the Ice Capades this year, is the soloist in the skating number “Tropical Heat Wave,” and he is looking forward to performing in his hometown. “It feels great to be home after being away for four years,” he said.

And behind the scenes, Sarah Kawahara of Westchester has been hard at work creating routines for this year’s show. A skater herself with the Ice Capades, she made the transition from performer to choreographer nearly four years ago.

Kawahara is responsible for developing thousands of steps, patterns, moods and musical interpretations for a cast of more than 80 skaters. Once the music has been chosen, she hits the ice with a tape and spends numerous hours putting together her interpretations.

“I pride myself on thinking up new steps and patterns so that I don’t repeat myself,” she said. “My inspiration (for choreography) comes from nature and other mediums, such as sculpting and painting, because it helps me analyze the creative movement.”

After pulling together the show’s concept and music, Kawahara has only four weeks to work with the skaters and teach the new routines. “The short time frame makes it difficult because patterns and steps have to be worked out,” she said. “The technical and basic learning are also difficult aspects (of the rehearsals).”

In addition to the Ice Capades, Kawahara hopes to do a video project and perhaps, a theater show on ice. “It’s always been a passion for me to do an ice theater,” she said. “I’d like to get back into that.”

Myrna Raeder, a professor of law at Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, was elected a member-at-large of the National Assn. of Women Lawyers during its annual meeting.

Raeder teaches courses in civil practice, evidence and trial advocacy and serves as an adviser to the Moot Court Honors Program. She was recently named the 1990-91 Irwin R. Buchalter Professor of Law in recognition of her outstanding teaching, professional accomplishments and service to the law school.

Raeder lives in Bel-Air.

Los Angeles resident Stan Ross has been elected to the board of directors for City of Hope National Medical Center.

Ross, a managing partner of Kenneth Leventhal in Century City, is recognized for his expertise in solving complex financial problems and frequently lectures at USC. He is also on the advisory boards of the UCLA Center for Finance and Real Estate, Wharton Real Estate Center and Commercial Property World magazine.

Stanley Baumann, partner with the law firm Baumann & Rose in Beverly Hills received the “Spirit of Life” Award from the Lita Dershewitz Chapter for the City of Hope.

Baumann was honored at dinner Oct. 13 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Proceeds from the evening will be used to establish the Stanley J. Baumann Research Fellowship in Pediatric Cancer at the City of Hope in Duarte.

Beverly Hills resident David Wilstein has been selected as chairman of the 1992 United Jewish Fund campaign in Los Angeles.

The campaign is organized and administered by the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles and provides support for humanitarian programs in the Los Angeles area as well as 33 countries around the world.

Michael Goldberg has been reelected president of the board of directors of the Venice Family Clinic.

A resident of Marina del Rey, Goldberg has been an active volunteer for 10 years. He also serves on the boards of the Community Corp. of Santa Monica and the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles.