There is work t be done (05-07-23)
There's work to be done
“Visit for you,” said my wife. The 'visit' was already sitting in the gazebo in the garden with his bicycle next to him, another one from the time of Napoleon, it seemed.
He came by once or twice a year.
He, Frans, must be in his 90s by now, but still had a reasonable head of hair, no glasses, his own teeth. Strange how time has less hold on some fellow human beings.
“No E bike yet, Frans?” I asked him, not knowing what else to say.
“Iebaik?” He looked at me questioningly.
"Electric bicycle" I clarified.
"That's something for old people," the 90-year-old sneered. His smile suggested that he had said this many times before.
Frans is not from here, he raced pigeons elsewhere in a previous life. And you know how it is with people who once had pigeons. Many people never let go of that. They keep following. Now his son plays quite well. I wanted to know how Bourges was for him.
Frans: "He's not crazy. Didn't participate. Could only lose with this wind and his birds had to fly 170 kms more than some others.
He was right. Due to the North East wind the fanciers in the west of the country dominated. 'No sport is more unfair than pigeon sport', you sometimes hear. The odds in this sport are so unequal in many ways that I sometimes wonder if you can even call it a 'sport'.
CHECK
Now, at the beginning of June, many fanciers who live on the east side, but even more on the northeast side of their combine, walk with a long face.
There is no chance of losing once due to the wind, but week after week and even with the best pigeons? It's starting to get out of hand for many.Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about an unfavorable wind, but there is one consolation: One day that wind will turn.
Especially in a climate like ours, the saying 'Today I, tomorrow thou' applies.After all, it happens often enough that the fanciers in the west are better off 'staying at home' at nationals and that will undoubtedly continue to happen.
So let's not worry about things you can't control anyway.
At the end of the season we often see the same podium climbers as before.It gets worse when there is inequality and pigeons without a chance due to our own actions. Or call it abuses.
LIMIT
What especially no outsider can understand is that you can basket unlimited here. In the Netherlands there was indeed a basketing restriction: 150 old pigeons and 250 youngsters.
So it is not allowed to basket more than 400 pigeons there? Indeed. Isn't it unbelievable? One with 5 pigeons and the other with 150 fighting for victory in the same competition?
Madness and has little to do with sports.
But now that people have huge installations with sometimes very expensive pigeons, caretakers have to pay, make pigeons their profession and 'big ones' are pushing down freight rates, you can't go back.
That should have happened half a century ago.What many might be happy with seems to me to be two results. An extra one with limited entry of say 30 birds or so. I've been saying this for years.
ALSO WRONG
Which is also reprehensible and only possible in Belgium: Choice of playing in which combine. Some also use it eagerly. They are called ‘wind players’.
Throughout the week they anxiously monitor the weather forecast and decide as late as possible, depending on the wind, in which combine they will play.
It is also unique that, here and only here, pigeons can be entered in several combines for one and the same race.
Some do this to mask their large numbers of pigeons and to have more chances of a good result somewhere, which can serve for National Championships and special competitions. Some pigeon sites also offer space for fanciers to show off good results.
So more opportunities here too. It would be possible to live with that if every Belgian fancier had those options.But that is not so. Most of them can't even choose between two.
EASY
One solution is astonishingly simple: Let them do it if they like it so much, but let them indicate before the season which combine qualifies them for provincial or national Championships.
Do certain fanciers influence higher authorities? Or are they too lazy, too tired or too stupid, one wonders.
DOUBLES
There was a time when there was also a double for hens. After all, they had to be protected against the widowers. Especially on the short distance. But pigeon sport evaluated. The hens were given a revaluation mainly due to Vanlint with his de Bruijn pigeons.
Later, due to the masterly game of some Antwerp fanciers with hens at all distances, the question no longer became 'who protects the hens against the widowers', but 'who protects the widowers against the hens?'It is logical that the 'double hens competition' came to an end.The single doubling for two yearlings took on laughable proportions due to the predominance of the yearlings. By the way, yearlings? Another thing.
YEARLYINGS
Until recently you had combine in Antwerp where the yearlings were automatically doubled, in other combines doubles were forbidden.
But the possibilities and therefore the chances still differ:
- In Antwerp there is a separate result for yearlings and a combined result for yearlings AND old birds together.
2. Elsewhere three results: one for yearlings, one for old birds and one for yearlings and old birds together. Belgium is the only country in the world where the yearlings fly separately and the results show that you can ask questions. In general, in 2023 yearlings perform far better than old birds.
Because they fly 'together' in Antwerp, they are disadvantaged there when it comes to championships with OLD birds! After all, you can achieve better results if, as in Flanders and Limburg, they are NOT 'hindered' by yearlings.
HONESTLY
Every sport has a moral obligation to make the chances for everyone as equal as possible.
As it is now, the provinces, the KBDB and the NPO are neglecting that duty.
And now that I'm on the critical tour: La Chatre in Limburg is 550 km but still counts as a little Middle Distance race.
The National Bourges is 360 km for the shortest distances. It is a long distance race. I think that the eyebrows of people who are new to pigeon sport often raise. So work to do.
Satisfying everyone will never succeed in a sport like ours. But doing your best is an obligation to the sport and the fanciers.
