9/26/2006
The gold band race results are posted on my site. They
will also be mailed to everyone who participated. I took several money
places, including 7th place, which pays a bit. It was my own bird that
came in first to my loft.
The results are still unofficial, but I suspect that they will stand. See
how your birds went, especially in my own loft. There were 1051 bands
sold, and only 355 birds that actually went to the race. It was an
incredibly tough season. We sold 300 bands less last year and had almost
the same number of birds.
http://home.comcast.net/~edrenckh/PigeonArea/2006-RaceResults/2006-YB-RaceResults.htm
9/25/2006
I have attached a file of my LOFT results. I believe that I took at least one top 10 positions, but by my unofficial tally, I do not have a top 5 position. Race figuring is this evening, so more will be known soon....
http://home.comcast.net/~edrenckh/PigeonArea/2006-RaceResults/2006-YB-RaceResults.htm
9/19/2006
The excitement is building for the Gold Band Race as I write this. I have a heavy week of motivational training for the race ahead. Last weeks races were a blow home, with speeds near 2000 YPM. I shipped a few Gold Band Birds to make sure I capped the average speed awards for the club. My rough calculations indicate I took the Concourse Classic Series and Overall Average speed.
The race results are posted on my site, the loft, club and Concourse level. I have updated the Bird Inventory.
I will be road training this week, combined with wind sprints on Thursday evening. Some intense motivational seminars and pep-rallies for the birds.
Looking back, it has been a good season. I picked up the Twin City Classic Series Average Speed and Overall Average Speed. There are 18 flyers competing. I won the High-Point bird in the Classic Series races and took three club wins and a Concourse Win.
Now, it’s time to win the Gold Band Race!!
9/9/2006
As I write this, the birds are ready to be released for the second 200-mile race. It will be the 6th race of the season. Only one more 300-mile race to the regular season then comes the Gold Band Race on 9/23/2006
While I have had some setbacks in regards to a few birds lost early on, I have had quite a few club wins and a few near misses. I had a first place Concourse win in the Classic series race last week. I am currently in first place for the Concourse Classic Series Average Speed and Second Place Overall Concourse Average Speed. There are 75 lofts competing. So I have been flying as well as anyone and expect to place a few birds in the money on the Gold Band race.
The birds are a bit heavy this week, but the winds were predicted to be a strong headwind (10 MPH). The birds may need the extra energy during the second half of the race. The birds went for several training tosses and loft flew, but I poured the feed on. I will see if that helps me later today if we actually get a release.
The birds have been flying well, and I believe are still coming on stronger. Next week, depending on weather, I may not ship any Gold Bands to the 300-mile race. The following week is the actual Gold Band Race. I will make a preliminary decision around Thursday afternoon and a final decision as I prepare the race forms for shipping night. If there is a reasonable wind and clear skies, I will ship a few.
I have been marking pairs of the YBs, and will try to force pair the remaining birds that have not yet selected a mate. I am hoping that will provide some extra motivation. Most of the YBs have paired, but I have a few extra hens (or cocks that have not shown their colors) that may need a helping hand from my Old Bird team. I will use the final week to really motivate them, probably including a few wind sprints in the last days. I believe that was a part of my success last year.
I am heavily involved with our 2007 Midwest Convention Race, so that has been taking a bit of time. I still attend to the birds regularly, but I don’t go in the loft as much just to “Look at them”. Maybe that’s what is bringing the season on for me…
My variance for the city codes was approved this past week. What that means, is that I am clear to apply for my pigeon permit. I do not see any problems with getting that permit, but I also need a building permit and an electrical permit. Once again, I should not have a problem, as I try to build with building codes in mind. But there could be a few minor issues I have to correct.