Digital Edition. $125 per perch, 6 for $600 or 8 for $700! See Website for Details!

Transcription

1 FALL 2015 Newsletter Digital Edition $125 per perch, 6 for $600 or 8 for $700! See Website for Details! The ORIGINAL PREMIER one loft$ race series S##WAUI miles average speed SS##WSI## YPM Total Prize ESUU$T## HBased on T3# b H Pays CH Bird H Pays on all - Races H Sstg from each state wins ES### H CH Breeder Wins ES### H Pooling on all - Races H SU3 Chances to win H KSRace Series in USA wwwgplymouthpeakgcom Perch Reservations for Next YearFs Race Open March S$ U#SL Our Goal is to Keep Every Bird in its Finest Competitive Condition New Pedigree Challenge Guaranteed EUI## in Prizes Brad Hoggan TAIW-L#W#33I Cell PgOg Box S-T Fielding$ UTg 3TASS

2 FALL 2015 NEWSLETTER Published two times each year and distributed to all CSRPO members Publicity Directors Gary and Judy Berthiaume 2401 Wegis Ave. Bakersfield, CA or Deadlines Spring issue: January 1st Fall Issue: July 1st (electronic only issue) calpigeon.org Digital Preparation Dick Tristao TwoBitGrafix 2120 E. Kaweah ct. Visalia, Ca CONTENTS Editor s Corner... 4 With Apologies to Bill Milestone... 5 We Are The CSRPO... 6 Where Are You In The CSRPO?... 7 We Remember Those Who Passed... 9 Celebrating 70 Years of CSRPO STRONG!...10 News From 70th Anniversary CSRPO Convention...11 Convention Hotel and Lofts...12 Directions from Holiday Inn to Race Lofts...13 Convention Registration...15 Convention Itinerary...16 Convention Family Photo Ads...17 CSRPO Show Rules...18 CSRPO Show Classes...19 Ladies Auxiliary From Our President...20 Did You Know?...21 Ladies Messages/Voices...23 Ladies Membership Form...25 Virginia s Invite...26 CSRPO Officers...27 Ladies Auxiliary Itinerary & Registration for 2015 Convention...28 Ladies Auxiliary Scholarship Guidelines and Application...29 Letters from 2014 Scholarship Recipients...30 Hall of Fame Awards...33 Will Waterhouse Award: In Case You Were Wondering...36 Waterhouse Award Winners, 1981 to Present...37 Checking in on Charly W...38 Meet Matt Hans, 2014 CSRPO Disney Award Winner...43 The Disney Award, A Journey Behind the Scenes of the Happiest Place on Earth...49 The Annual Walt Disney Awards...53 Disney Award Winners, 2001 to Present...54 Bakersfield Racing Pigeon Show and Auction...56 Martinez RPC/Carap-T-Syndicate Auction California Late Hatch Classic...61 Meet Leonard Lee...65 Ordinance Assistance Protocol...68 Building the Sport...69 Building the Sport in the BCC...69 Fort Sutter News...70 Pigeons on the Menu at the Rotary Club...72 Coming Soon!...75 Fly For Hope-Silver Wings Part Into the Lion s Den...77 ADVERTISERS Plymouth Peak Pro Challenge... Cover American Racing Pigeon Union... 3 McLaughlin Lofts... 8 Dove Supply...27 McKnight/Mellinger...32 Joe & Loli Martino/Coldwell Banker...37 Volkman-Winner s Cup Pigeon...55 Harvest Moon Loft CSRPO Fall 2015

3 True national rankings via the National Database Guidance for beginners Personal band options Personal service ewinspeed race calculating Help running & growing your club CSRPO Fall

4 The Editor s You had us at congratulations! First, we d like to thank the many, many members of the CSRPO who sent us well wishes, thanks, and congratulations for our work on the spring issue. It was very gratifying. Wow, 2015 is the year of anniversaries. Can you believe this is the 40 th anniversary of the iconic film thriller, Jaws? It s also the 60 th anniversary of the Happiest Place on Earth, Disneyland! And Elvis may have left the building, but had he lived, this would be the 80 th anniversary of the birthday of the King of Rock and Roll! Well, not to be out done, in this, our first electronic edition, we re celebrating 70 years of CSRPO STRONG! That s right; the California State Racing Pigeon Organization is 70 years old! What a milestone to celebrate, and can you believe how things have changed since our rather humble beginnings in 1945, not only in the way we enjoy the sport but especially in the way we communicate it? Who would have guessed 70 years ago that one day you could send an entire magazine through the air and read it on something called a computer and even on your phone! Incredible!! With this maiden voyage of an electronic issue, then, the CSRPO Board of Directors is hoping to address the call by a good portion of our membership, and of our advertisers, for an electronic edition of the newsletter. It s just a trial run and we ll have a print copy for the spring issue. But for now let s catch up to the 21 st century. Here it is and we hope you enjoy it. Since our last issue we ve been busy encouraging clubs and individuals to get involved with spreading the good news of what s happening in their lofts, clubs and combines. And we re hoping more and more of you will join us in bringing the membership closer together through the stories you share. Beginning at the club level, Publicity Directors, Presidents, and Secretaries should send us the information they would like included in the newsletter. Individual contributions are also welcome. Race results and awards, special events and people making noteworthy contributions to your club and the sport always make good reading. And advertisements are always appreciated. So please be a contributor. Let us know what s going on with you, your club or combine. A Peak Inside: In this issue Judy digs into the roots of the Ladies Auxiliary and shares comments from today s leaders of that honorable society of sisters who give so generously of their time to the sport. Greg McKnight helps us understand the significance of the Will Waterhouse Award with a 4 CSRPO Fall 2015 Corner

5 little history lesson. Some Hall of Fame winners pop in to share with us pictures and pedigrees of their heroes. There s an in-depth look into the history of the Walt Disney Award that will take a lot of our readers way back. We ll visit with Mark Razwadowski at the California Late Hatch Classic for a really fun day. The Bakersfield Racing Pigeon Club s Annual Show and Auction is always a favorite with fanciers and we cover the action there. We also hear from Manny Dias about an auction at the Martinez Club that brings in some nice revenue. We ve found a lot of people out there doing what we call, building the sport, some just through their encouraging words while others take the message of pigeon racing to the community. So we share some examples from Reece Bishop, Gary Brasiel, Ted Little, and Frank Meder. It s an anniversary year for a lot of events and people including Judy and I celebrating our 46th. We ll celebrate by taking a trip up to the gold country to meet Steve and Kim Sterci of the Sierra Ranch Classic. We ll try our luck by entering a couple of birds and also get the background on Steve s South African prize winner, Charly W. Then it s a short jaunt over to Garden Valley to renew acquaintances with Jon Hans and enter a couple of birds in the Gold Country Challenge. But our primary interest here will be to interview Matt Hans, the most recent recipient of the Disney Award. Matt has some great ideas and gives quite the interview. A former, multiple Disney Award winner and current Hall of Fame winner, Mr. Leonard Lee, gives us a little background on his success. And, finally, there s a reprint of our Digest article on our trip to the South African Million Dollar Race. It was all Leopards and Lions and Pigeons, Oh My! Whew! Well it s all here and we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did putting it all together. A special, Thank You to all of our contributors; we really couldn t have done it without you. And we apologize ahead of time for any errors you find along the way. Enjoy! CSRPO STRONG! Gary and Judy Our youngest son, Alan, introduces our youngest grandson, Silas, to pigeons. And so it begins! With apologies to Bill Milestone: In his wonderful, Fragments from the Past article (pages 28-31) that appeared in the Spring Newsletter, it was Randy Greenlee rather than his friend Stanton Woody who gave Bill the story about John Myer and we missed that correction. CSRPO Fall

6 We Are The CSRPO! N 2 C Your Representatives Northern Section: Vice President -Joe La Fauci Ladies Auxiliary Representative - Pat Siino Central Section: Vice President Dan Severns Ladies Auxiliary Representative Sharon Hickman Southern Section: Vice President Jim Vander Heide Ladies Auxiliary Representative Ardis Simmons Randsburg 47 S Map locations and section boundaries are approximate. Boundaries courtesy of Mickey and Sharon Hickman The Southern Section includes the Tehachapi Mountain Range and all the area south of that range. The Central Section includes all that G area north of the Tehachapi range and South of Hwy 17 to 680 to 580 to 5, and including all of Stockton and then South of Hwy 88 to the Nevada State line. This section will include all of the authorized areas of Nevada. The Northern Section is all that area north of the Central line. Article 1.7 Membership Map by Gary and Judy Berthiaume 6 CSRPO Fall 2015

7 WHERE ARE YOU IN THE CSRPO? As of July 1 st, the 2015 CSRPO Roster included the following clubs and membership MAP LOC. CLUB NAME # OF MEM. 1 Apple Valley (AVC) 17 2 Auburn 16 3 Antelope Valley Open (AVO) 7 4 ** Bay Area Invitational (BAI) 5 5 Bakersfield (BAK) 34 6 Butte Creek Invitational (BCI) 11 7 Corona-Norco-Arlington (C-N-A) 16 8 California-Oregon Coast (COCO) 2 9 Compton (COM) Coronado 4 11 Central Valley (CVI) Diablo 5 13 Freemont (FMT) Fort Sutter Fresno (FRC) Fernando Valley (FVC) See new club below 18 Golden State Flyers (GSF) Hanford (HAN) 5 20 Hangtown (HANG) 5 21 Hayward (HAY) * Honorary 6 23 Humbolt (HUMB) 5 24 Inland Empire (IEIC) * Individual 2 26 Kern County (KERN) Lake 6 28 Manteca (MAN) Mother Lode (MRC) 8 30 Martinez (MTZ) North County (NCC) 9 32 Orange County Homing (OCC) Orange County Flyers (OCF) Palomar (PAL) 20 MAP LOC. CLUB NAME # OF MEM. 35 Paso Robles (PASO) 9 36 Pigeons of Paradise (POP) 6 37 Palm Springs (PSR) 5 38 Red Bluff (RBPC) 7 39 Riverside (RIC) Santa Barbara 6 41 San Bernardino (SBV) San Diego Homing (SDH) Selma (SEL) San Francisco Racing (SFR) See new club below 46 San Luis Obispo (SLO) 8 47 Santa Maria (SMR) 5 48 Sonoma County (SOC) Shasta (SRP) Salinas Valley (SVH) Santa Ynez Valley (SYV) 8 52 Tri Cities (TCH) Thousand Oaks (TOC) Topper Tule West End Flyers (WEF) West San Jose (WSJ) Y2K 12 Welcome New Clubs! 17 Central Valley Colombofilos 28 (CVC) 45 La Puente (LAP) Goodfellas (GRP) 4 * Honorary (#22) and Individual (#25) categories have members who live in Capistrano Beach, Castro Valley, Glendora, Placerville, Redding, San Jose, Santa Rosa, and Visalia. ** BAI inactive for 2015 Membership numbers were provided by Joyce Stierlin and compiled by Gary and Judy Berthiaume. CSRPO Fall

8 8 CSRPO Fall 2015

9 Farewell We Remember George Affrunti I m sad to report that longtime flyer George Affrunti passed away from a heart attack. He was in his 90 s. No memorial service was planned at the time of reporting From Bob Mitchell (Manteca Club) Ray Doc Arnold Our friend Ray Doc Arnold passed away on February 28th at the age of 94. There will be a celebration of his life on Saturday March 21st, 1pm at his home in Manteca. Rest in peace, Doc From Joyce Stierlin Kenneth (Kenney) Bloom Kenneth (Kenney) Bloom, passed away on Saturday, February 28, Kenny was a longtime member of the Orange County Homing Pigeon Club. His humor, comments and friendship will truly be missed by all. From Dennis Bunker Eileen Fitzgerald As reported in the spring issue of our newsletter, Eileen Fitzgerald passed away on February 4, We have since learned that Eileen and her husband shared a... love of Racing Pigeons in both the men s and ladies organization of the American Racing Pigeon Union. Eileen was a charter member of the CSRPO Ladies Auxiliary and held... numerous offices from President, to Northern Representative. Victor Grecu It is my sad duty to inform you that Victor Grecu of Riverside passed away June 12, Victor was a CSRPO member since 1985 and a member of the Corona-Norco- Arlington Club for 21 years. He was a past Vice President of the 395 Concourse of Southern California. A great and knowledgeable pigeon flier who helped many fellow fliers with advice and birds, he will be greatly missed. From Fred Rocha CSRPO Fall

10 10 CSRPO Fall 2015

11 News From The 70th Anniversary CSRPO Convention The old bird season is now over and I hope that the season has been good for you. We are completing the final details for the upcoming CSRPO convention in Selma at the Holiday Inn and the Spike and Rail. Some of our discussions have been about the meaning of a state convention and has this convention only become a glorified one loft race? I would hope not. This is a great time to visit with friends and renew old acquaintances and also recall that this is 70 years of gathering for a state convention for the CSRPO. To celebrate the nostalgia of the past 70 years, we would like to include a Remembering the Past segment at our banquet. Please send me photos and notes about our past conventions so that I can prepare a DVD to show at the banquet on Saturday evening. My address is Ed Harmon, 9252 East Elkhorn Avenue, Selma, CA, If you have , you can send the photos and notes to me at (edwlll@wildblue.net). The three letters in the middle are lower case Ls. I look forward to receiving your information for the show. The state loft is at Chic Brook s place (6852 S. Walnut Ave., Fresno) and he has now received all the birds for this year s race. Abel Castellanos is managing the Jr. Race and has also received all the birds for our junior members. Abel s loft is not far from Chic s place (13584 S. Chestnut, Selma) so going between the races will be easy on race day. The birds are settling in well and we re looking forward to two great races. Thank you to all our participants. We have planned a first rate barbecue out at Chic s place and I am sure that it will be the best. Our speakers include Karen Clifton of the AU, and Ed Minvielle from Siegel s and a speaker that will make a presentation in Spanish for all of our Spanish speaking fanciers. The Spanish speaker will be named later once we have finalized arrangements. We will have an auction of birds donated by none other than Chic Brooks of HAPYCO. These will be some of his best, after all what would you expect from a nationally top ranked loft. Chic and his crew will make this a most memorable event for the activities out at the HAPYCO loft. Remember; please send me photos and notes to include in the banquet presentation to celebrate our 70 years of gathering. Ed Harmon, Convention Chairman CSRPO Fall

12 THE NORTHROAD COMBINE WELCOMES YOU! The Selma Holiday Inn at 2950 Pea Soup Anderson Blvd. is the site of the 2015 CSRPO Convention. And a pigeon sits atop the sign to greet you, of course. Rod Brooks, John Figueroa and their best friend help with the intake process at the State Loft. Abel Castellanos will manage the Junior Loft and race. 12 CSRPO Fall 2015

13 Directions from the Holiday Inn Selma to the State Race Loft Follow Me! 1. Start out going west on Pea Soup Anderson Blvd. toward Highland Ave./CA Turn right onto Highland Ave/CA43 Chevron is on the right If you reach the end of Pea Soup Anderson Blvd., you ve gone too far 3. Merge onto CA-99 North, toward Fresno 4. After approximately 2.6 miles, take the Manning Ave. exit, EXIT Keep left at the fork in the ramp. 6. Turn left onto E. Manning Ave. Port of Subs is on the corner. 7. After approximately 7 miles, turn right onto CA-41, (signal) CA-41 is 0.2 miles past S. Cherry Ave. If you reach S. Elm Ave., you ve gone too far. 8. After approximately 1.9 miles, turn left onto E. Adams Ave. (signal) E. Adams Ave. is 0.8 miles past E. South Ave. 9. After approximately 1.4 miles, turn right onto S. Walnut Ave. S. Walnut Ave. is 0.5 miles past S. Fig Ave. If you reach S. Fruit Ave., you ve gone too far S. Walnut Ave. is on the right. If you reach W. Clayton Ave., you ve gone too far. TOTAL MILEAGE: About 13 miles 11. ALTERNATE ROUTE: After getting on the 99 northbound, go approximately 5.8 miles to the Clovis exit. Take the exit which goes left under the freeway and you will be heading south again for.5 mile. The first intersection is Adams, turn right and continue for about 6 miles to Walnut. Chip s house is on the corner of Walnut and Adams. Approximate distance is also 13 miles. CSRPO Fall

14 Directions from the Holiday Inn Selma to the Junior Race Loft Follow Me! 1. Start our going west on Pea Soup Anderson Blvd., toward Highland Ave. /CA Turn left onto Highland Ave. / CA-43 (1.0 mi) Chevron is on the right If you reach the end of Pea Soup Anderson Blvd., you ve gone too far. 3. After approximately 1 mile, turn right onto Mountain View Ave. 4. After approximately 6 miles, turn left onto S Chestnut Ave., it is the first road just past the railroad tracks Chestnut will be approximately.5 mile on the left; it is a large home and has high rod iron fencing with the address on the fence. TOTAL MILEAGE: About 8 miles 14 CSRPO Fall 2015

15 2015 CSRPO CONVENTION REGISTRATION Name (s) Street Address City Zip Phone November 5th, 6th & 7th Hotel Reservations: Under "CSRPO" Questions on the Convention Registration Holiday Inn Contact: Ken Larrey Pea Soup Anderson Blvd Selma, CA Room Rates: $99.00 With a Breakfast Voucher Worth $10.00 For Each Day Registration for All Events Number - Total Adult Price $140 = Children $25 = After October 15 - $150 Late Registration Friday Loft BBQ Swan Court Trapping Dinner (Buffet) Children's Dinner Saturday Loft Lunch Children's Lunch Awards Banquet (Choice) New York Steak Salmon Chicken Marsala Children's Dinner Friday Registration for Individual Events Qty Total Loft BBQ Lunch $25 = Swan Court Trapping Dinner $40 (Buffet) Children's Plate $15 Saturday = = Loft Lunch $ 25 = Children's Lunch $15 = Awards Banquet $40 (Choice) New York Steak Salmon Chicken Marsala Children's Dinner $15 Seminar $25 Total enclosed = = = = = = For the above events please make checks payable to the North Road Combine and send them to; Ken Larrey, 6339 South Orange, Fresno, CA CSRPO Fall

16 NOVEMBER 5TH TO 7TH CONVENTION SCHEDULE HOLIDAY INN - SWAN COURT, SELMA, CA HIGHLAND AVE. & FLORAL AVE. & HIGHWAY 99 Thursday November 5th Location 1:30-5:00 Convention Registration/Check-in... Swan Court 2:00-5:00 Receiving Show Birds Adams & Walnut Avenues... HAPYCO Loft 2:00-5:00 Hospitality Suites Open... Swan Court 3:00-9:00 Vendors Open... Swan Court 3:30-6:30 Race Entry Fees Paid-See Joyce... Swan Court 6:30-7:30 No Host Bar... Swan Court 6:00- Food Available... Hospitality Room 7:00- Shipping Race Birds and Classes... Swan Court Friday, November 6th 8:30-2:00 Receiving Show Birds-LAST CHANCE... HAPYCO Loft 8:00-9:00 Late Registration/Check -In... Swan Court 9:30-11:00 State Meeting... HAPYCO Loft 10:00- Viewing Auction Birds... HAPYCO Loft 12:00-1:00 Loft Barbeque... HAPYCO Loft 1:00- Junior Race Arrival... HAPYCO Loft 2:00- State Race Bird Arrival... HAPYCO Loft 4:00-6:00 Vendors Open... Swan Court 4:00-5:30 Hospitality Room Open... Swan Court 6:30-7:30 No Host Bar... Swan Court 7:00 Trapping Dinner... Swan Court Banquet Room 9:00 Free Saturday, November 7th 9:00-10:00 Convention Speaker s... Swan Court 10:00 Show Judging... HAPYCO Loft 10:00-12:00 Auction of 30 HAPYCO Birds... HAPYCO Loft 12:00-1:00 Lunch... HAPYCO Loft 1:30-2:00 City of Hope Auction... HAPYCO Loft 10:00-3:00 Vendors Open... Swan Court 2:00-5:00 Hospitality Suites Open... Swan Court 6:30-7:00 No Host Bar and Reception... Swan Court 7:30- Awards Banquet... Swan Court Banquet Room Sunday, November 8th Departure 16 CSRPO Fall 2015

17 Convention Family Photo Ads for the 70 th Anniversary Convention Book The CSRPO Convention is always like a family reunion, so we would like to devote one section of the yearbook to families. The cover of last year s yearbook was what inspired that idea, an ad with your grandkids or your children a few years ago and then a photo of them may be with you and a recent photo now. Or any kind of a family ad. Send your ad and check to: April Serrins A- Rd 168 Visalia, CA eyecandy63@aol.com Prices for the ads are; Color Ads ¼ page... $80.00 ½ page... $ Full page... $ Black and white ¼ page... $40.00 ½ page... $75.00 Full page... $ Tech specs: Older photographs need to be scanned at 300dpi for best print reproduction. Current photos at high resolution settings from a good digital camera work well. Cell phone photos can be marginal. Ads can be built in Mac or Windows desktop publishing programs, Microsoft Word, Wordperfect, etc. Save them as a high quality print level Acrobat PDF. File size may be too large for so plan on mailing a disc or Flash Drive to April. CSRPO Fall CSRPO Spring

18 California State Racing Pigeon Organization Official Show Rules 1. All birds in Flying Classes, (such as Diploma and Record) Sections 1 and 3 must be owned and flown by the exhibitor showing them and must have been flown in California. 2. Record birds must have been clocked and appear on official club or combine race report for the class entered in the current year. Bring race report for proof of entry. All birds will be checked before they are put into the show. 3. All birds in section 1 and 2 compete for the CSRPO perpetual Silver Belt Buckle. These birds are judged to a standard. These birds need to be prefect or nearly so. Birds with lice anywhere in the show are automatically disqualified. 4. Entry forms may be received up to Wednesday, 11/4/15. Entries will be accepted at the door. 5. All birds must be checked in by 6:00 p.m., Friday, 11/6/15. All birds will be fed and watered in the show pens. The show room will be open on Thursday and Friday for bird check in, times to be determined. Birds must be picked up after the show on Saturday or by 8:00 a.m. Sunday. 6. Judging will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, 11/7/ Ribbons will be awarded to the 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd, place birds in each class. Trophies will be awarded to all section winners. 8. Only CSRPO judges will be judging. 9. Judges will not judge in any class or section in which they have birds entered. 10. Entry fees MUST ACCOMPANY ENTRY. Each entry is $3.00 per bird. Juniors may enter birds at $1.00 each. 11. All birds will be monitored for sickness. Any sick bird will be disqualified without refund. 12. Once entered, only the bird owner and show committee will be allowed to handle the birds. 13. All exhibitors must be in good standing with the CSRPO. 14. National regulation seamless bands are required on all birds. All name bands must be covered by the owner exhibiting the birds. All non-seamless bands must be removed. 15. CSRPO and the Convention Host assume no responsibility for lost or stolen birds. However, the showroom will be locked during off-hours and monitored by the show committee during the hours listed in Rule 5 above. Birds can only be picked up after the show by the owner. The show committee will check out each exhibitor. 16. Protests must be presented to the CSRPO Show Chairman. He and his committee s ruling will be final. 17. All entrants shall abide by the rules. No talking to the judges during judging. 18. Substitutions are allowed but only for birds in the class to be substituted. 19. Non-standard means that pin holes, broken or nicked flights, flat head, dented keels. Ordinary faults are okay. This is a big area where some fliers have not been involved because they did not know the birds would qualify. Any birds with lice or mites will be disqualified. 18 CSRPO Fall 2015

19 2015 CSRPO Convention Show Classes CLASS 1 RECORD OLD COCKS: MILES CLASS 22 SHOW TYPE COLOR: OLD HENS CLASS 2 RECORD OLD HENS: MILES CLASS 23 SHOW TYPE COLOR: YOUNG COCKS CLASS 3 RECORD OLD COCKS: MILES CLASS 24 SHOW TYPE COLOR: YOUNG HENS CLASS 4 RECORD OLD HENS: MILES CLASS 25 RACING HOMER COLOR: OLD COCKS CLASS 5 RECORD OLD COCKS: 401-UP CLASS 26 RACING HOMER COLOR: OLD HENS CLASS 6 RECORD OLD HENS: 401-UP CLASS 27 RACING HOMER COLOR: YOUNG COCKS CLASS 7 RECORD YOUNG COCKS: MILES CLASS 28 RACING HOMER COLOR: YOUNG HENS CLASS 8 RECORD YOUNG HENS: MILES CLASS 31 LIKELIEST TO PRODUCE: NON-STANDARD OLD COCKS CLASS 9 RECORD YOUNG COCKS: MILES CLASS 32 LIKELIEST TO PRODUCE: NON-STANDARD OLD HENS CLASS 10 RECORD YOUNG HENS: MILES CLASS 33 LIKELIEST TO PRODUCE: NON-STANDARD YOUNG COCKS CLASS 11 DIPLOMA OLD COCKS: MILES CLASS 34 LIKELIEST TO PRODUCE: NON-STANDARD YOUNG HENS CLASS 12 DIPLOMA OLD HENS: MILES CLASS 35 RECORD BIRDS COCKS: NON-STANDARD MILES CLASS 13 DIPLOMA OLD COCKS: MILES CLASS 36 RECORD BIRDS HENS: NON-STANDARD MILES CLASS 14 DIPLOMA OLD HENS: MILES CLASS 37 RECORD BIRDS COCKS: NON-STANDARD 301-UP CLASS 15 DIPLOMA OLD COCKS: 401-UP MILES CLASS 38 RECORD BIRDS HENS: NON-STANDARD 301-UP CLASS 16 DIPLOMA OLD HENS: 401-UP MILES CLASS 39 RECORD YOUNG COCKS: NON-STANDARD MILES CLASS 17 DIPLOMA YOUNG COCKS: MILES CLASS 40 RECORD YOUNG HENS: NON-STANDARD MILES CLASS 18 DIPLOMA YOUNG HENS: MILES CLASS 41 RECORD YOUNG COCKS: NON-STANDARD 251-UP CLASS 19 DIPLOMA YOUNG COCKS: MILES CLASS 42 RECORD YOUNG HENS: NON-STANDARD 251-UP CLASS 20 DIPLOMA YOUNG HENS: CLASS 21 SHOW TYPE COLOR: MILES OLD COCKS CSRPO Fall

20 Ladies Auxiliary It has been 7 years (?) since I joined the Ladies Auxiliary. It was an accidental meeting. Very blurry since then as to why I joined the Auxiliary and my total engagement. I served as President, Convention Chair and Coos Publisher all during this time. The blur may be attributed to Gus Lopez strong pours at the bar. The Ladies Auxiliary was to me an induction-total engagement-orientation-type membership organization. My husband, Randy Blackwood, brought me to the C.S.R.P.O Convention held in Bakersfield. I attended the men s events and the Auxiliary s Saturday Luncheon. It was a beautiful day and we loved the outside eating and meeting site. Randy and I were at the convention scouting for ideas to implement at the Mid- Valley Combine s Convention in Stockton. I met several ladies and a few joined me to serve on the Auxiliary Board of Directors. These ladies made my term as president, convention chair and Coos publisher painless, freeing and accomplishing. Sharon Hickman is one of these ladies. When Mid-ValleyCombine hosted the Stockton Convention in 2009, Sharon was quick with the knife in my kitchen preparing food for the hospitality room. Gratefully, to this day, attendees brag about the delicious food and our enjoyable hospitality. Ann Lee is another big hearted Auxiliary member. Ann writes birthday cards to members and sends cards to encourage or lift a member s spirit. I am grateful to Margaret Gwinnup for handling the monies and financial books for the Auxiliary and the Martha Apel Scholarship funds. One of my goals as president was to raise $10,000 for the scholarship fund and to name the scholarship after its founder, Martha Apel. Thankfully, both goals were achieved including raising $10,000 each year. All of us at the Ladies Auxiliary would like to thank you for making it possible. We are grateful for generous giving from Siegel s donation of a Benzing clock in the last 10 years (?), donations from C.S.R.P.O Club Members, and raffle and auctions at conventions. Thank you to Fay Leighton for processing the Martha Apel Scholarship applications and the ladies giving prizes for the raffle and auction at conventions. I close my presidency praying for many more successes for the Ladies Auxiliary. Thank you for allowing me to be your president, convention chair and publisher of Coos. I had fun. Randy and I thank you for the honor. Virginia Camacho 20 CSRPO Fall 2015

21 Ladies Auxiliary: by Judy Berthiaume I was looking on the CSRPO website for some information about the Ladies Auxiliary as well as a membership form. Information about the Ladies Scholarship program does appear on the website, but not about the history of the Ladies Auxiliary itself. So, I gathered up what information I had collected already and began to work on this article for the newsletter by contacting Fay Leighton, Historian and Scholarship Chair. Fay was extremely helpful and sent me a lot of historical information about the organization. I also got some much needed information from Virginia Camacho, the current President, as well as from my Area Representative, Sharon Hickman. Sharon would come to my aid again later with the help of her husband, Mickey when Gary and I were trying to update the CSRPO map. They actually drew in the lines of the CSRPO boundaries for the three sections on a map of California and mailed it to us. That information really helps the new CSRPO map in this newsletter come to life. In addition to this brief historical review, I asked the officers to add a few lines about what the Ladies Auxiliary means to them. You will find those messages in the next few pages. I would like to thank those ladies for their efforts to help me bring the Ladies Auxiliary into clearer focus for our membership. Helen Brancato and Eileen Fitzgerald were among the founders of the CSRPO in 1945 and then helped institute the organization of the Ladies Auxiliary of the California State Racing Pigeon Organization in The first meeting was brought to order by Helen Brancato and Hazel Walaschek was elected as the first President. They proceeded with the nomination and election of the other officers as well as adopting the Constitution and By-Laws. The object of the Ladies Auxiliary is to, promote the organization and to maintain social and fraternal relations between all Sectional areas of the Ladies Auxiliary in the State of California. There were 82 Charter Members that first year. Less than half of that number makes up the membership today, but they are still very involved in supporting the role of women in the sport. Membership in the Auxiliary is for, any lady who is a resident of the State of California and is a member of a family of a racing pigeon fancier in good standing with the American Racing Pigeon Union Inc., or the International Federation of American Homing Pigeon Fanciers, Inc., or the California State Racing Pigeon Organization. The ladies pay annual dues to support the organization and they have a ladies newsletter called the Coos. The annual meeting of the Ladies Auxiliary is held during the CSRPO Convention and it is at that time new officers are elected. During the Convention, the ladies have their own array of activities organized by the Convention Chair for that year. They usually arrange some type of fun outing for the ladies to enjoy along with the meeting, dinner and a raffle. Very girly and fun is the idea and the gals enjoy every minute of it. CSRPO Fall

22 Ladies Auxiliary: by Judy Berthiaume During her term as president, Martha Apel started a scholarship program for students who were a member, spouse, child, grandchild, or a stepchild of a member in good standing of the CSRPO Ladies Auxiliary or a member of the CSRPO, in good standing of at least one year. It was her goal to establish the scholarship program and Fay Leighton along with the help of her sisters made the first quilt to be raffled off to start the fundraising. Fundraising took off from there and the quilt became a yearly and much anticipated tradition. The scholarships are now called the Martha Apel Scholarship, in her honor. Currently, there are five scholarships awarded each year with the scholarship committee deciding on the amount of the awards. And we are proud to feature some responses from a few of our most recent scholarship recipients in this issue of the newsletter. In 1999 the Helen Brancato Award was initiated in honor of Helen Brancato s groundbreaking efforts to establish a Ladies Auxiliary. The recipient of this award is chosen by the 1 st and 2 nd Vice Presidents. It is awarded to someone, for services to the CSRPO Ladies Auxiliary above and beyond the official duties of any office to support our organization. As you can see, there is quite a bit involved with membership in the Ladies Auxiliary, and sixty-eight years since that first meeting in 1947, we re still going strong. And you only thought we came to the Convention once a year to have fun and watch the guys race pigeons! Well, we do that too and hope that you will join us and invite someone to come along and see what the Ladies Auxiliary is all about. See you in Selma! 22 CSRPO Fall 2015 An early picture of the Ladies Auxiliary (undated)

23 ...of The Ladies Auxiliary Where have the years gone? It was 1961 when I joined the CSRPO Ladies Auxiliary. At that time, the dues were $5.00 and the membership fee included our luncheons and activities. I was also a member of the Whittier Coo-etts. I can remember other club names like the Blue Bar Belles, the Featherettes, the Nestmates and others. Leonard and I were married in October of 1962 and we attended our first State Convention a month later. We stayed at the beautiful Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, California. It was a wonderful event! We enjoyed 12-piece band and danced all night. I would guess that there were close to 500 people in attendance. I currently serve as First Vice President of the Ladies Auxiliary and my term will end in November, It is my hope that some of our newer members will consider running for office this year. In over 50 years of pigeon club membership, I feel honored that I am still a part of the Auxiliary. I have many fond memories of my friends in the sport past and present. I m looking forward to seeing everyone in Selma! Best wishes, Ann Lee When I first joined the Ladies Auxiliary I felt a little bashful but it didn t take long to make friends with other Ladies and we all had the pigeon world that tied us together, I met my best friend ever at the second convention I attended (the first one as a member of the Ladies Auxiliary). I have not only formed friendships with some wonderful Ladies, but I have also mourned their deaths, and shared in prayer for their loved ones. When we get together for those few days at convention once a year it s like wonderful reunion, I truly look forward to it every year. We have had many wonderful lunches and tours; the trip to Bodega Bay that Martha Apel Chaired was one that I cherish, but there have been many that I have very much enjoyed. I have served one term of Secretary / Treasurer, two terms as Sergeant at Arms, two terms as Vice President, two terms as President, ten years as Historian, numerous with the Rules and Bylaws and have been Scholarship Chairman since 2010, although a couple of those years were under Martha Apel. I also co-chaired one convention with Margaret Gwinnup in Sacramento and Margaret and I helped Ann Cook with the convention the year City of Hope hosted. I love the fact that the Scholarship has helped many of our children with the expensive cost of education, and in the last four years we have been able to award $10, a year to five deserving students. I know this is only possible because of all the help and generosity of all the members, and my goal is to continue with this amount as long as possible. The size of our members and their willingness to open their hearts and wallets will be the ultimate determination of the longevity of the Program. Fay Leighton The Ladies Auxiliary is very important to me. Not only have I met a great deal of Special Ladies, it is also a special time for me when we all get together at convention. I met a very special person in 1989 CSRPO Fall

24 ...of The Ladies Auxiliary at a Ladies Auxiliary outing. We have been great friends since. Fay Leighton is a new special person in my life. So just being in the Ladies Auxiliary can be so special to everyone. I have met so many nice people being with the Ladies Auxiliary. I have had so much support from the ladies since my husband passed away last year. This means so much to me and certainly helps. I so enjoy helping by being the Secretary/Treasurer for the CSRPO Ladies Auxiliary. Thank you, Margaret Gwinnup Without joining the Ladies Auxiliary, I am sure I would never have felt comfortable attending the Conventions with my husband Lee. It was through the friendships I have made in the Auxiliary, that I learned more about the racing of pigeons, the City of Hope and all that this hospital does and our participation and contributions. And of course, I have enjoyed the many cities we have visited and various programs arranged in these areas for the ladies...always learning something new and different. These past 20 years has been a most interesting journey for me and afforded me the ability to give back to the community through the Scholarship Program and the City of Hope. Mary Ann Serpa Sargent at Arms For the wife or significant other of a pigeon flier who would like to attend the CSRPO State Convention but does not want to do pigeon stuff, the CSRPO Ladies Auxiliary is the answer. While the agenda related to the birds is going on there is a ladies agenda as well. Various activities may be arts and crafts, Bingo, BUNKO, day trips to area places of interest, luncheons and dinners that always include raffles and auctions of wonderful items, and lots of visiting with old friends and making new ones. The serious side to the auxiliary is the scholarship fund to raise money to help our children attend college which is so important now. To take advantage of the ladies activities, membership in the auxiliary is not required but members get special convention perks and the Coos, the auxiliary newsletter. But most important, the warm feeling and satisfaction of supporting your partner in the sport that he dearly loves as well as helping to provide a college education for our kids it s a win, win, win!!! Pat Siino Northern Rep, CSRPO Ladies Auxiliary I look forward to seeing all the ladies every year. I ve gotten to know so many over the years; it is a bit like a family reunion each year. The convention is my vacation each year, with the girls. Love it! Tami Cain 24 CSRPO Fall 2015

25 CALIFORNIA STATE RACING PIGEON ORGANIZATION LADIES AUXILIARY MEMBERSHIP FORM NAME ADDRESS CITY, CA ZIP BIRTHDAY MONTH DAY SPOUSE ANNIVERSARY MONTH DAY PHONE # - - DUES $20.00 PER YEAR Cut on line and mail the top portion with a check for $ Make your check out to The C.S.R.P.O. Ladies Auxiliary. Send to the Representative nearest you. Northern Rep. Central Rep. Southern Rep. Pat Siino Sharon Hickman Ardis Simmons 2261 Schaeffer Rd S. Austin Rd Jalisco Rd. Sebastopol, CA Ripon, CA Elcajon, CA Ph Ph Ph Membership dues are payable January 1st and are delinquent March 1st. An additional charge of one dollar shall be paid by delinquent members. Dues must be paid by March 1st to receive all issues of Coos. All members receive any issue of the Coos Newsletters published during the year. All members may attend all of the Ladies activities at the convention for a discount registration fee. CSRPO Fall

26 Virginia s Invite Ladies, Randy and I pray you are having a fabulous year thus far. In a few months, we will be enjoying the hospitality of the North Road Combine, host of the C.S.R.P.O and Ladies Auxiliary Convention in Pack your bags and I will see you at the Holiday Inn in Selma on Thursday, November 5th, to Saturday, November 7. Here is a glimpse of the preliminary plans for the Ladies. On Thursday, we will have the Ladies Auxiliary State and Membership General Meeting at the hotel at 6 p.m. to follow with dinner, entertainment (surprise) and raffle to benefit the Martha Apel Scholarship Fund. Ladies will enjoy a lingering day before dinner. Last year, the ladies had a blast joining the men at the Loft Race and BBQ at Julia and Carl Perry s ranch. So, by popular demand, we are joining the men at Chic s ranch on Friday. The BBQ lunch will be 12 noon to 1 p.m. Our Saturday outing will include a visit to Bravo Cheese, lunch at Diane s Village Bakery & Café followed by shopping in historic Kingsburg. In the meantime, please start shopping for items to win an extra 30 raffle tickets should your item be chosen Thursday night as center piece for Friday or Saturday dinners. From all of us at the Ladies Auxiliary, cheers and thanks to the North Road Combine for hosting the Convention in Selma, 2015! See you soon! Virginia Camacho, President, Convention Chair and Coos Publisher 26 CSRPO Fall 2015

27 President Frank Meder 8902 Quartzite Cl Granite, CA Publicity Director Gary and Judy Berthiaume 2401 Wegis Ave. Bakersfield, CA or Northern VP Joe La Fauci 704 Willow St. Redwood City, CA, Secretary-Treasurer Joyce Stierlin 2910 Eagle Rock Penryn, CA Auditor Jim Ryan 5546 Portola Circle Rocklin, CA Central VP Dan Severns 962 W Mathews Road French Camp, CA relaxlofts@aol.com. Past President Bill Barger 3756 Hackett Ave Long Beach, CA bilyjack@aol.com Finance Chairman Mike Brazil 5385 Edna Valley Rd San Luis Obispo, CA brazilredbarn@aol.com Southern VP Jim Vander Heide 5285 Rural Ridge Cir. Anaheim, CA Website Information Sonny Cangiarella calpigeon@hotmail.com CSRPO Fall

28 28 CSRPO Fall Ladies Auxiliary Itinerary & Registration

29 California State Racing Pigeon Organization Ladies Auxiliary SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION GUIDELINE All applicants must be a member, spouse, child, grandchild, or stepchild of a member in good standing of the C.S.R.P.O. Ladies Auxiliary or a member of the C.S.R.P.O. in good standing of at least one year. 1 - The applicant must continue his/her education to a school of higher learning during the six months following the presentation of a scholarship award. 2 - If more than one application is received from the same family, each applicant must have a grade point average of 3.0 or better. 3 - All applicants must include a recent sealed transcript of their grades. In the event that an envelope has been opened, the applicant will be disqualified. 4 - All applications must be completed and received by the Scholarship Chairlady no later than October 1 st. 5 - Applicants may only receive a Scholarship award four (4) times. 6 - Special consideration will be given to applicants attending Veterinary School, as this could help our sport. 7 - Winners will be notified prior to the C.S.R.P.O. Convention. The winners are announced at the Saturday night banquet and may be there to receive their award in person. A party not affiliated with our sport or its family does the judging. Five (5) awards are given each year. The Scholarship Committee of the C.S.R.P.O. Ladies Auxiliary will determine the amounts awarded. Ladies Auxiliary of the California State Racing Pigeon Organization Scholarship Application Name Address City Zip Telephone numbers Age M F School or College currently attending School or College you will be attending in the fall Address City State Telephone Major area of study College completed, if any Extra Curricular Activities or Jobs Hobbies How are you affiliated with the CSRPO? Do you have a financial need for Scholarship funds? Please explain Any additional information that should be considered, please attach along with your sealed transcript. Please include a self-addressed envelope in the event you do not attend the banquet. Mail your applications to C.S.R.P.O. Ladies Auxiliary Scholarship Chairlady: Fay Leighton 9923 Salmon Creek Rd. Redding, CA CSRPO Fall

30 Notes from Scholarship Recipients CSRPO Fall 2015

31 Notes from Scholarship Recipients... November 10, 2014 To whom it may concern: I want to start by saying that I have been to pigeon bandings on a Friday night, which of course was followed up by Saturday morning race day. To say there was excitement in the air is a mild understatement, but the excitement was contagious to a child. Watching your dad run to the loft when a bird would come in to get the band, and print the time in seconds was always good entertainment. To be awarded a scholarship by the club that my father has been a part of for so many years, and has given me some great memories is truly an honor. This scholarship will go a long way in helping me further my education, so thank you very much. My family and I are greatly appreciative of your kindness. Thank you again Cara Jones (daughter of Bob Leighton) CSRPO Fall

32 The Test of a Good Decision Is THE TEST OF TIME! These three line-bred families have 100 years of field testing with excellent results worldwide as flown by many different fanciers. Champion Red Danial All these families have both withstood the test of time and the test of race results. MR MONEY Meuleman Sire to Sin City Winner of Race and Only Bird to Return in Race Time. I DEE CLARE Van Reet Key Foundation Hen of Our Loft. VAN REET: Staf van Reet purchased eight birds from his grandfather s auction in As many as 22 times, his birds have been the fastest in the entire capital city of Antwerp, Belgium. This is a Janseen, Hofken line bred family specializing in short to middle distances. With the help of Dean Pallatt, fanciers Keith and Linda Turner entered the Staf van Reet world. Since 1989, Keith and Linda have cultured a family around the Red Danial, beginning the Red Danial Dynasty. World wide they have won at every level of competition that has been asked of them. MEULEMANS: We ve maintained this family for over 25 years. We owned 7 grandchildren of Karl Meuleman s Golden Couple pair. I believe to be the greatest pair of breeders in the history of the sport. We started with imports from W. Wulfmeyer and H. Nordmeyer of Germany along with Herman Beverdam of Holland, George Litherland and Albert Babbington of England, and directs from Karl Meuleman. We cultivated our current stock loft from these originals. These birds are extremely line bred to the original birds and all up close to the famous pair. Today many customers purchase these for there Janssen based families to cross for that hybrid vigor. Many of the modern families are down from these fabulous pigeons. Layout: Bekaert Birds Continue to Win for Over 50 Years. 32 CSRPO Fall 2015 The 2014 Winner s Cup 325 mile race winner... This old line is still winning after 50 years! BEKAERTS: This American Family as I call them has been established since the mid 1930 s in America and with me for over 50 years. Hector Vanneste and was a neighbor of Leo Bekaert in Belgium and after his death Hector purchased many of his best and migrated to Detroit, Michigan and flew partnership with his brother under the name of Vanneste Bros. They we re the champions of Detroit for 8 consecutive years and then Hector for health reasons moved to Orange County, California and Mr. Will Waterhouse held his birds for him until Hector was set up in his new location. Jack Conway another local flyer also housed a few of his birds. The year was 1946 and the impact of these birds by both Jack and Will we re immediate. In 1950 the foundation bird of the most famous Bekaert was hatched AU 50 OCC 1045 and and the rest is history. Greg McKnight (714) / Dick Mellinger (574) Anaheim, CA gregmcknight92804@msn.com

33 CSRPO STRONG! 2014 HALL OF FAME FIRST PLACE WINNERS By Gary and Judy Berthiaume CSRPO Fall

34 CSRPO STRONG! 2014 HALL OF FAME FIRST PLACE WINNERS 34 CSRPO Fall 2015

35 CSRPO STRONG! 2014 HALL OF FAME FIRST PLACE WINNERS CSRPO Fall

36 The Will Waterhouse Award: In Case You Were Wondering It s been a long standing tradition of the CSRPO to present the Will Waterhouse Award to a fancier who demonstrates outstanding support for the sport, such as our 2013 recipient Bill Barger. But who was Will Waterhouse that we should name an award after him. I asked several members that question and was finally put in touch with Greg McKnight who was kind enough to provide the following information about Will Waterhouse. Will Waterhouse When Mr. Waterhouse passed in June of 1975 his widow Janette gave money from the estate to the CSRPO for this continued award with the agreement to have it inscribed Will Waterhouse Award for the fancier from the state who earned it for their continued support of maintaining the best for our California sport. I was Will Waterhouse s loft manager from and his passion for pigeons was long standing from early days in the 1930 s with a monthly publication distributed to the youth of the sport. (I still have some issues) When WWII broke out he enlisted and while stationed in England met the top fanciers of the time like F.W. Marriott and after the War imported the English birds to California. A devoted fancier his whole life he was the CEO & CFO of American Safety Equipment Corporation. With his travels around the world, his pigeons were often maintained by his wife and daughter Nancy. He had a Heart attack then recovered and returned to work with a trip to England and there he died of a Cerebral Hemorrhage at only 58 years old. His birds even at this writing are mentioned to me daily by fanciers around the U.S. and overseas for their continued winning tradition and I know he would be proud of these testimonials. His short life made an impact on racing in the Americas and we were blessed to have him as a member of the CSRPO. Yours in the sport, Greg McKnight Finding dedicated persons who are willing to freely expend time and effort, (Will Waterhouse, 1967) This quote probably sums up best the qualities demonstrated by Will Waterhouse, himself, attributes that are now recognized in the recipients chosen to receive the award named in his honor. 36 CSRPO Fall 2015

37 Waterhouse Award Winners 1981 To Present 1981 Carl Stone 1982 Eddie Evans 1983 John Pavon Jack Wenzel 1986 Nick Corini 1987 Doug Cox Bob Rapozo 1991 Mike Brazil 1992 Bob DiClemente 1993 E.R. Bud Freitas 1994 Jack Sampson 1995 Dino D Ercole 1996 Larry Cook (Researched by Larry Cook and compiled by Joyce Stierlin) 1999 Judy Brooks Joyce Stierlin John Garzoli 2002 Martha Apel 2003 Dr. Warren Shetrone Dr. James VanderHeide 2004 Carl Perry 2005 Lee Hatch 2006 Jim Cain 2007 Larry & Anne Cook 2008 Jim Richesin 2009 Mike Gonigan 2010 Karen Silveira Mary Richesin 2011 Frank & Dorothy Martinez 2012 Tom Shelton 2013 Bill Barger 2014? Come Fly With Us In Northern California Let Us Help You Find That Perfect Property For You and Your Birds See us on Facebook at: Greenway Terrace Lofts Joe & Loli Martino Redding California Contact Us For Your Real Estate Needs Joe Loli Bre Lic # Bre Lic # Photo: Diestelhorst Bridge Crossing The Sacramento River Downtown Redding Ca CSRPO Fall

38 By Gary Berthiaume Retirement has its perks. One is that it s easier to mix business with pleasure and on March 28, 2015, Judy and I set out to do just that. It was the weekend of our 46 th wedding anniversary and we wanted to take a short trip up into the gold country around Auburn, California. There are lots of antique shops in the little towns that dot the landscape along picturesque Highway 49 that just beg us to stop and peruse their wares. We usually get up that way at least once a year with friends, but on this trip we were also going to deliver our entries for the Sierra Ranch Classic run by Steve Sterchi and then the Gold Country Challenge managed by Jon and Matt Hans. The two races are about 40 miles apart so it was easy to map out a route that would give us the opportunity for some sightseeing and shopping in the old mining towns of Grass Valley, Auburn, and Placerville. But it wasn t only shopping and race entries we had as our objective. In our official capacity as publicity directors we saw the trip as an opportunity to pick up a couple of stories for our readers. It was with Steve that I wanted to get a little more background on his top 100 prize winner, Charly W from this year s South African Million Dollar Race. And stopping at the Hans meant I d get a chance to interview one of the two Disney Award winners this year, namely Matt Hans. So business and pleasure seemed a perfect mix for us on March 28 and 29. Our first stop was Saturday afternoon at the beautiful 50 acre ranch of Steve and Kim Sterchi, situated in the rolling hills just north of Auburn. Kim met us when we arrived and gave us a little history of their operations. Sierra Ranch is a working ranch and the Sterchi s make their living from breeding and selling Ringneck pheasants, minature horses, and Australian Sheppards. It s a 24/7 business and somehow Steve still finds time for racing pigeons, something he does very well. And then there s the one-loft race. Kim told us that Steve just always wanted to run a one-loft and had actually managed the High Sierra Classic years earlier before establishing the Sierra Ranch Classic in Kim is quite the successful entrepreneur herself. She manages and trains the miniature horses, gives training lessons to clients and is a show judge with an international reputation, having traveled to Europe on several occasions to judge in some very large international competitions. The minis were very calm and friendly and walked right up to us when Kim called out to them. One cool piece of technology Kim employs for her pregnant horses is a collar that sends a signal to her if one of the horses lies down, thus applying pressure to the collar s emitting device. Apparently lying down could mean the horse is ready to deliver so the collar helps Kim be ready to help in the delivery process. The pheasant side of the business is nothing but huge and originated in 1978 when Steve sold his auto body shop and purchased an established pheasant business he saw in the paper one day. Steve says most of the 25,000 pheasants 38 CSRPO Fall 2015

39 they raise each year are bought by the California Fish and Wildlife Department and private hunting clubs. It s a sizeable task raising and caring for that many birds and it requires two employees to help them with all the ranch projects. The property sports a beautiful logcabin style house and garage, large barn, several outbuildings, acres of netted canopy enclosures for the pheasants, corrals for the horses, kennels for the dogs, and an expansive loft set-up for his own pigeons and of course a 100 foot or so race loft for the Sierra Ranch Classic. None of which existed when they bought the property in 1983 and began construction. At that time it was just 50 acres surrounded by some barbed wire fencing and nothing else, not even a well for water or electricity. To look at it now you d never know it wasn t always as beautiful and fully functioning as the visitor encounters upon arrival. Once we got down to the lofts I was looking forward to seeing Charly W s parents and any siblings but first Steve did an intake of our entries in the Classic and went over how he prepares and trains the birds. As I said, the loft is huge and can hold up to 1,000 birds. The Classic is a favorite with flyers all over the U.S. and Steve said he already had reservations for about 900! On this day the loft count was around 500 already and Steve said he d probably have to turn entries away to ensure ample space and continued health. As we approached the Kim introduces Judy to two of her prize ponies, Sierra s Suzette and Sierra s Surf & Turf Kim with Sadie (red) and Sheba. Arent they cute! Baby pheasants by the ca-zillions! The pheasants are a big part of the Sierra Ranch business CSRPO Fall

40 Recent arrivals relax in the fresh air. Steve begins the intake process for our entries in the garage with some of his awards on the wall. Below, now that s a race loft! Huge! loft the birds were sunning themselves on the enclosed landing boards in any one of a number of sections. The earliest arrivals began coming in the first week of February and were housed in the sections furthest to the left of the loft. Each succeeding section had fewer birds as new entrants arrived. At the far right were empty sections awaiting new arrivals. The newest arrivals are vaccinated for PMV and POX and then spend a few days in smaller quarantine cages before moving into an empty section for two weeks. After that they are transferred to the general population and released to fly about the loft with the settled birds. It s a quite well thought out and efficient system and all the birds seemed very healthy. Training is another thing altogether. Living where he does, training is an adventure to say the least. Steve said it takes 103 miles of driving to accomplish a 30 mile toss. That s dedication. Eventually we made our way over to the breeders and I got to see Charly W s parents and its nest mate. I had taken pictures of Charly W during the post-race auction in South Africa last year and sent them to Steve. I remembered it as a nice handling medium to small, light blue check so I was interested in seeing if the parents looked and handled similarly. The 40 CSRPO Fall 2015

41 Steve with our entries for the Sierra Classic. Charly W s papa. Charly W s dam was a super handling bird. Sire is very valuable to Steve and has his own small breeding loft. He is a medium size blue bar banded in His sire was a great, great grandson of Voyager 1, the famous D46 Janssen line of Campbell Strange. And his Dam was full Golden Mattens from Mike Ganus bloodlines. Charly W s mother is also part Golden Mattens but with Hofkens on the Sire s side and Peter Van Osch and Schellens on the Dam s side. So there s quite a mix of successful bloodlines in Charly W and Steve allowed me to handle the mother. She has the most beautiful eye I ve ever seen on a pigeon but her body was much larger than her mate s. Steve said she might even be twice his size but apparently that works and it obviously works well. This was the first time Steve put them together but it won t be the last. Individually, they both produce winners with different mates. In fact, Steve said that the father alone has sired at least a dozen one-loft winners or equal first places over the years, while the mother has produced a number of offspring with different cocks that have been very successful. Wow, a pre-potent breeding pair! I ve heard and read about such breeders but never had the opportunity to see any in the flesh, let alone handle one of them, and I m very grateful to Steve for his kindness in allowing me such a close encounter. Finally he took me to another breeding section and let me handle Charly W s nest mate. He handled just like his brother only he had his father s blue bar coloring. He was very balanced and very strong. It required a firm hold to keep him from flying off and that s the kind of energy I remember in Charly W at basketing for the Million Dollar. What a great family of birds. And by the way, I asked Steve how he came up with the name Charly W and he said he didn t. He sent his team of birds to South Africa without names and the Directors picked the name and he has no idea of how or why. So of course I wanted to see if I could find out for him so I sent one of the Directors at the Million Dollar an asking him the same question, but to no avail. They couldn t remember either. CSRPO Fall

42 Two of Steve s South Africa entries for this year. Steve shows me Charly W s nestmate. Sorry Charly. However, the postscript is that Steve now say s this year s birds from that pair will bear some version of the name Charly. He s particularly fond of the name Charlie Harper from the character on the hit television show, Two and a Half Men so that might be one of his Charlies to look for. Well it wasn t much longer and we had to take our leave of our new found friends. But it happened that all the while that Steve and I had been talking pigeons, Judy and Kim had been talking about Kim s horses and comparing notes on our trips to South Africa. Steve and Kim went in 2012 and Judy and I went this past year. The conversation led quite naturally to if either of us were returning for this, the 20 th anniversary race, what the directors are calling the, Platinum Edition. It s sure to be an extravaganza and we both agreed to give it a good think and stay in touch in case we took the plunge again and wanted to travel together. Hmmm, we ll see. So then it was back on the road toward the old mining town of Grass Valley for a little more shopping before checking into our motel and heading back to Auburn again for some dinner. I was hoping for a nice steak and maybe a television to catch up on the NCAA Elite Eight match-ups. Luckily we found a nice steak house and got there just in time to see unbeaten Kentucky barely hold off Notre Dame in a thrilling contest. It was a nice way to end a very long day of traveling and visiting with the Sterchi s and a late night watching basketball. But somehow we managed to get some rest that evening and even sleep in a little before heading out to our meeting with the Han s. We were looking forward to another great day, an opportunity to enter a couple of birds in the Gold County Challenge, and get an interview with Disney Award winner, Matt Hans. Our plate was full. 42 CSRPO Fall 2015

43 CSRPO 2014 Disney Award Winner By Gary Berthiaume We awoke Sunday, March 29 the actual day of our 46 th anniversary, raring to get going. We had arranged with Matt and Jon to arrive around noon so that gave us time for a nice breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants in Auburn, Awful Annie s, and a little time to hit some of the antique shops. It was a beautiful warm, spring morning in Auburn and after a hearty breakfast we dove into a few shops and checked out the wares. Judy loves all things cats but we were on the hunt this day for something unique. However, nothing really grabbed her attention so we headed off toward the Hans in Garden Valley resolved to keep looking for that unique purchase later that day in Placerville. Our drive from Auburn was a bit of an adventure, wrong turn here, wrong turn there, stop and call Matt for directions again, then back on course and about an hour later we finally located the beautiful property of Jon and Matt Hans. Matt met us with bottles of water as we pulled into the driveway, a nice welcome indeed after our wandering through the countryside. I was keen to get right into my interview with Matt but he graciously took the time to help us get our entries for the Gold Country Challenge settled in with his dad first. We could see Jon climbing down from a ladder at the race loft where he d been working on a new addition and new aviaries. He quickly came over to introduce himself and I reminded him that this was actually the second time we had entered the race but the first time that we had met. The first time was in 2007, the race s inaugural year, and on that occasion we were traveling with friends and Jon was at work at his job as a ceramic tile installer when we came through the area. So he kindly arranged to have a crate available in a secure area so I could leave my entries before continuing on with our trip. Here, some seven years later, he remembered that event as though it were yesterday. Like Steve, Jon also likes to keep new arrivals separated for a short period before introducing them to the general population and he CSRPO Fall

44 had a set of combine shipping crates arranged on the front porch, each separated from the one below it by some boards to allow for maximum ventilation. New arrivals stay here for the first week and are then settled into the main loft. It s an ideal location as the house sits on higher ground than the loft and the birds can see the loft below and the other birds as they exercise and I m sure that helps them acclimate to their new surroundings more quickly. Jon is now retired and that aids in his work with the race birds. But he s also the hauler for the Camillia Combine, a job he s done for the past 9 years so it s pretty much all pigeons now. The race loft is actually the second one Jon s built and is 62 feet in length with the new aviaries being installed off the back. At present the landing boards running the length of the loft are enclosed and also serve as aviaries. It was here we found the race birds basking in the sun as we approached and boy did they look healthy. It must be that fresh mountain air along with Jon s expert care that keeps them in fine fettle. The original loft sits up behind the house and now houses the young birds and I would get to see that later with Matt. The Han s property consists of about 7 acres nestled in the rolling hills of Garden Valley and it s a very picturesque setting. But their location poses Jon the same training problems that Jon checks out our entry, Trapper. Jon s quarantine system for new arrivals 44 CSRPO Fall 2015 Jon and I look over the work on his new aviary

45 Steve experiences, and that is a 100 mile journey to get in a 30 mile or so toss. But Jon loves it and, even more, he loves the success his son has had with his race teams. Jon said of Matt, He s the brains of the outfit, no pride there, right? So with the entries in their new homes for a week and the tour of the new loft over, it was time to go one-on-one with Matt, the brains of the outfit as dad liked to say. Matt is 34 and unmarried. (Did Some of the race entries enjoy the sun in the newly completed avairy Matt believes stronly in the use of individual cages for a successful breeding program you hear that ladies? Unmarried!) Matt also works in the ceramic tile business but he s the manager of a small retail tile and natural stone store with three employees. So I guess dad is right, why labor installing the tiles when you can manage the store that sells them? Matt took us into his old bird loft to begin the interview and I was really impressed with what I saw. Here were two sections about 8x10 each with mixed cocks and hens and only perches to rest on but you didn t see any fighting or serious attempts of the birds to couple. Matt calls it a celibate system as he never separates the sexes in an attempt to artificially motivate them. So no widowhood and no natural flying, just mixed sexes in comfortable surroundings and all seemingly getting along very well. In fact, the birds were very calm as we stood in their home discussing Matt s ideas, even walking right in front of our feet as they moved from section to section. The electronic exhaust fan whirring above us probably made more noise than the birds in the presence of our intrusion. It was remarkable to be sure. I was here to talk about Matt s Walt Disney Award, an honor that is very difficult to achieve as you must earn the highest points in your division in both Old and Young Birds. The Old Birds must fly at least 8 races and a minimum of 2,500 miles while the Young Birds must fly at least 5 races accumulating no less than 1,000 miles. Matt won his award in the lofts category in the Camillia Combine. The highlight of his season was winning first place in 5 of 6 Young Bird races and garnering a second in the sixth race! Outstanding! But hold on. Come to find out, Matt is no stranger to the awards arena. Yes, this was his first Disney Award but he could also boast of more than 40 Digest North American Ace Pigeon Awards and Thoroughbred Magazine American Ace Pigeon Awards since 1999, in all three categories, Sprint, Middle, Long Distance and the Overall category. In addition he s had two, CSRPO Fall

46 1 st place North American Ace Young Bird Loft awards, 2010 and 2013 respectively, and a 4 th place North American Ace Old Bird Loft award in And what about other CSRPO awards? Well the answer is Matt s earned more than 20 Hall of Fame awards since 2003 including two first overall Hall of Fame Young Birds in 2003 and 2004 in the Lofts category. Wow! I mean WOW!! Throw in a host of seconds, thirds, and other top ten Hall of Fame awards and multiple first place finishes in some of the toughest one-loft races in America, and it becomes clear that Matt s success story has waited long enough to be told, lucky me. After just a few minutes of listening to Matt s philosophy about pigeon racing I could see why he has been so successful. Matt believes health, proper feeding, and quality stock are the three most important ingredients to achieve a winning loft of pigeons. For stock he has some outstanding blood coursing through the veins of his teams. He began racing in 1996 and over the next two years started bringing in Van Loons from Mel Miroth, especially from Mel s Wildthing. Kwoka and Red Fox Janssens followed and Matt s number one breeding hen for several years, Cher, came from Mel s best Janssen, Broken Wing. Matt blended these bloodlines to create his own highly successful family, and then in 2010 he started experimenting with some Kees Bosua and Van Elsacker birds from Sal Rodriquez and the SDP Lofts in Utah. Matt says he s especially fond of the Kees Bosua as they are, most similar in body, temperament to my own existing family. Today his loft is made up of about 50% his original family and 50% the new imports. And not just new imports but Matt looks for specific performances before he lays out his money. He only wants brothers, sisters, and direct children of national award, champion birds, or one-loft winners. The offspring of his breeders are then tested in the races and he only breeds from those racers that achieve the highest awards. Focusing only on performance may account for the dizzying array of colored pigeons I watched cooing and milling about the loft as we talked. Grizzles, The Old Bird race loft. Matt s Young Bird loft Lots of color and the mixed sexes were quite relaxed 46 CSRPO Fall 2015

47 splashes, mealies, as well as the more traditional bars and checkers that make up the teams of most lofts, graced the perches of the loft. It was quite refreshing and Matt allowed me to handle his top Old Bird hen, a beautiful grizzle that was also his top Young Bird hen the previous year. For feeding, Matt relies on his own mixes during the race seasons. He never feeds already packaged commercial feed, it s never, out of the bag, as he says. Barley, Kaffir (white milo), wheat, safflower, brown rice, and sometimes whole corn or hemp (very little of the last two), in a light to heavy mix depending on the type of race they ve flown or will fly with adjustments during the week as needed, makes up his feeding program for the racers. He handles a few birds about mid week to ensure they re not too heavy or light with an eye to, tailoring the feed to my specific group of birds, and how the birds are responding. Matt says, I don t think any loft can be as successful as they should be if they are just feeding some pre-made out of a bag and not customizing it to their own birds, sage advice for someone so young. Breeders only get 100% Purina Nutriblend Green Pellets while feeding, and then a 15.5% combination and barley once the babies are weaned. The youngsters are weaned and trained on the same 15.5% mix with a little barley as they get older. Matt with his best YB hen last year and his best OB hen this year. Matt with one of his previous top racers and now a top breeder as well, Shakira. He does believe in some supplements in the water, clear water every day is a thing of the past, in Matt s mind. Apple cider vinegar, herbal teas, liquid minerals, Vitapreen, glucose plus vitamins and a good pro-biotic are essential for success today. For his youngsters he ll add a little Echinacea to the water to boost their immune system and some whey powder on the feed. He also treats for canker and PMV but nothing else. The overuse of antibiotics actually does more harm than good, he cautions and further, really good pigeons just don t get sick and to an extent that s something you can breed for as well. Training is another important issue for Matt and the bottom line is less is more. He says other flyers don t believe him when he says he doesn t train his old birds much, something widowhood flyers say is one of the perks of the widowhood system. But Matt doesn t have to go through all the trouble of setting up a widowhood system. After an initial few tosses where both sexes are trained together, he doesn t train his old birds any more. I asked him how he came to some of the conclusions he s reached about racing and he said that about 6 or 7 years ago he decided to eliminate everything about racing he found to be unimportant. First to go was the idea of artificial motivation. It just didn t seem to make any sense that a bird would fly faster to get home to its nest, its mate, or youngsters, etc. They fly to get home, period, and some are faster than others, he believes. For him, the key is having healthy and fit birds of quality breeding. The next change he made was in feeding. He doesn t think CSRPO Fall

48 you can get pigeons to their optimum health feeding commercial feeds and that s why he mixes his own. But he also has issues with the fancier that thinks birds need to go to the race hungry, especially the short to middle distance races. How hunger is a motivation or an incentive to race home at top speed and trap fast doesn t make sense to him. We have to consider the birds athletes and feed/water them accordingly. That said, Matt feeds twice a day, even on race day and lets them eat all they want in the evening. Young birds are raised under the light system, experiencing hours of lights while in the nest, switching to hours once they make the move to the race loft. Once training begins they get about 20 short tosses out to 60 miles and then, Matt allowed me to handle his best race hen, very calm, very healthy like the old birds, he doesn t train once the races get underway. For races, Matt sends every bird to every race, in Old Birds that s up to 400, 500, and even 600 miles. At the longer distances he s more selective, choosing those birds that have proven their distance ability. But all the other birds still race at shorter distances on the Friday before the long races, so that s every bird to a race every week. Matt also wanted to share some thoughts for new and experienced flyers alike. He say s, not to be afraid of trying new things when it comes to feeding, training, etc. He s observed that, so many pigeon flyers are stuck in some sort of formula in doing what everyone else does because that s what they were told or what they read years ago. I discovered years ago you have to customize your system to what works best with your particular birds and situation, and it obviously works for him. Like sound bites of wisdom, Matt s words captures the listener s attention, Race your birds every week, focus on learning what methods work best, Your attitude plays a role as well thinking positive and eliminating excuses will lead to better results, and, the only way to know if something does or doesn t work is to try it. Well it was an education. Matt is clearly a student of the sport and also a keen observer of his birds, and he s not afraid to experiment and find what works best for his team. The proof is in the pudding, as they say and Matt s many awards and now a Disney Award is the proof his system works. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting him and listening to his theories and I hope I captured the essence of his ideas in this article. It was late afternoon when we said our goodbyes to Matt and Jon and headed out to Placerville. We had promised ourselves a little more antique shopping and Placerville has lots of shops. On our way, though, I had time to think about the two families we had the pleasure of visiting on our trip. What great people. Genuine and outgoing, they are wonderful ambassadors of our sport and we wish them the very best. Man, what a trip, what an anniversary! We were able to see some beautiful mountain communities, get in some fun shopping (Yes, Judy found a unique cat lamp), and meet some really super people. As we headed home we were quite content and to boot I had the makings of two new articles for the newsletter. Not bad. Not bad at all. 48 CSRPO Fall 2015

49 The Disney Award A Journey behind the Scenes of the Happiest Place on Earth By Gary and Judy Berthiaume This year we have two Disney Award winners. Joyce Stierlin returns to the winner s circle after her win last year and Matt Hans make his first appearance as a Disney Award recipient. We asked both fanciers if we could have an interview and Joyce graciously deferred to Matt, since it was his first time, so that he would have the limelight. Matt agreed to an interview and that follows this introduction to the history of the Disney Award. We had no idea at the beginning that our quest to understand how the Disney Award began would take us several months to achieve and include so many contacts. We d like to thank CSRPO Secretary-Treasurer Joyce Stierlin, Disney Historian Jim Korkis, Disney Archivist Ed Ovalle, and Disney Corporate Legal representative Maxine Hof for their contributions to this article. In the beginning, we went to Joyce in early March and asked if she could give us some background on the award and she agreed to put together an article and have it to us by the first of June. She actually sent it to us before her promised deadline and provided us with some great information that included a short summary of the award s history, the rules that determine how it s earned, a list of all the winners since 2001 and the great photo here of the actual Disney Trophy. This is the one that Walt Disney had presented to the CSRPO, thus beginning the tradition of a yearly Disney Award. Each of her pieces are included here and they really help complete the picture of the Disney Award. The original Walt Disney Perpetual Trophy (Photocopy provided by Joyce Stierlin) But while we were waiting for Joyce s contribution, we decided to dig into the history from a different angle, by contacting the Disney Studios directly. We figured that Walt had to have some connection to the origins of the award that bore his name so we felt pretty confident that someone could tell us how it all began if we just sent an with our request. Well that was naive, to say the least, as almost no one we contacted initially knew anything about Walt Disney s interest in pigeons, his idea to make a pigeon release part of the daily parades, or where the pigeons were housed at Disneyland. It was a bit disconcerting but we were determined someone there knew what we were looking for and we were going to press on until we got some answers. I have to pause here and say that everyone we worked with at Disney was simply wonderful, helpful people who went out of their way to put us novices on the right track. Our initial forays were actually quite comical as we first got a young lady in Guest Relations who said her name was, Jazmin. Over the course of several contacts with, Princess Jazmin, as we came to call her, she eventually put us in touch with a gentleman in the Disney Fan Club D23. But progress stalled there as we were told that we d have to join the club to go any further, so Judy signed up. It took several weeks before she was approved for membership but once she was in we began to move forward again and had contact with a fella in the club who tried to narrow down the specific department and contact person we should be sending our request to. Help me Obi-Wan, you re my only hope, was our plea to him over several s even though CSRPO Fall

50 that line didn t come from a Disney film. He thought it was cool though and got us to contact the Archivist for Disney, Mr. Ed Ovalle. You have to understand that weeks and weeks have gone by now and with each contact we had to retell the story of racing pigeons, the CSRPO Disney Award, and our interest in getting someone at Disney to help us tell the story of Walt s connection to the award and perhaps get us a picture of Walt with pigeons. It was quite draining but we persisted. Initially, Mr. Ovalle didn t think that Walt had any connection to the creation of the award but then, Eureka, he found a wood and gold plaque awarded to Walt Disney from, the Racing Pigeon Association, with the inscription, For the greatest contribution ever made to the sport of pigeon racing. There it was, the connection or at least a connection. Mr. Ovalle went on to say the plaque was, accepted on Walt s behalf by a representative of the production company who worked on the film, The Pigeon That Worked a Miracle (1958), and then it was mailed to Walt in December So now we were on our way. We didn t have anything that expressly said Walt had worked with the CSRPO to create the Disney Award, but we could see how it could easily come about in the wake of the movie and since it was the Santa Barbara-Ventura Combine that helped with the pigeons in the movie. Our next step was to ask if we could obtain a picture of Walt with pigeons, maybe with Pidge from the movie, and here we hit another snag. Mr. Ovalle said that if we wanted a picture from the archives it would come from the Photo Archives and that was the domain of another archivist. But first we had to get permission to use a picture from the archives from Disney s legal department, Corporate-Legal Disney Enterprises, Inc., to be precise. Oh boy! What had we gotten ourselves into? Our new contact at Corporate Legal was Maxine Hof, Permissions Coordinator. So a new round of s ensued between Ms. Hof and ourselves with little progress for another couple of weeks, mainly because we forgot that there s a lot of people out there that would like to make a buck off the, Happiest Place on Earth, by using Disney images without permission, even though we weren t one of them. So both sides proceeded with caution. Ms. Hof eventually called me to say that some images that might work for our article had been discovered in the archives but we had a few legal hurdles to clear first that were simply standard operating procedures. No sweat, right? About this same time Joyce sent us her information and that great picture of the trophy and smaller trophies Walt had made for the CSRPO. So I sent the picture to Ms. Hof and to the Archivist to show them both, AHA, see there is a connection. But my bravado was short lived as Ms. Hof explained that in order for me to receive a picture from Disney archives, I would need to write the article first, submit it and any other images of Walt Disney, and other references we might make to Walt or Disney Enterprises for perusal by the legal department. Then, if the text of the article and images I intended to use were approved, I would be sent a form for a license to use a Disney image which would cost $50. Eeeeeegads! Was there no end to this? Were we never to get a picture of Walt Disney with pigeons? Well, not to worry. It was simply the only legal way our quest would be fulfilled and you can bet that by this time both Judy and I were determined to get that picture, no matter what it was. So I sat down at the computer, rummaged through all my notes, wrote and submitted the article. And at the end of June I finally received an reply from Maxine asking if the attached photo would work for us. Wow a photo! The photo was a picture of Walt feeding pigeons, apparently during one of his visits to Europe. I asked again if there wasn t a picture of Walt with pigeons at Disneyland or at the lofts where the birds were held but she said that would take even longer to research. So with our deadline to get the newsletter to our graphic artist for final preparation looming and exhaustion on our part setting in, we relented and said we d take it. At least we would have a photo from the Disney Archives. I have to admit that afterwards I felt like Don Quixote shouting to his trusty companion, Sancho, we are victorious; we shall joust with windmills no longer! But hold that thought because at the end of that week I called Maxine and asked if we were any closer to finalizing this process and she said the executive that made the final decision would be out for another week, way past our deadline. So try as we might it wasn t going to happen. In the end, the Happiest Place on Earth couldn t come through for us in the time frame we gave them. They did suggest, however, that we try again in the future. We promptly replied that we d like them to continue the process even though it was beyond our deadline and maybe we could show our readers the picture in our spring 2016 issue. No reply yet. Yeah, but what about the connection to Walt Disney, you say? What was this trophy Walt had made and presented to the CSRPO, where does that fit in, you ask? Okay, okay. Now, The Rest of The Story, if I may borrow that iconic phrase from the late, great radio commentator Paul Harvey when he was about to reveal the startling truth behind the story he was telling. 50 CSRPO Fall 2015

51 Well it seems, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, no, no, no. That s another movie. Let s not go there. But it was a long time ago. In fact it was 1960 and Walt Disney was serving as the Chairman of the Pageantry Committee for the VIII Olympic Winter Games being held in Squaw Valley and Lake Tahoe, California. Now much of what follows here is furnished compliments of Jim Korkis, Disney Historian and author who now writes articles about his years working at Disney. His web page is called, appropriately enough, Mouse Planet. I discovered one of Jim s articles about Walt and the 1960 Winter Olympics during the course of researching for this article and sent him an hoping to get a picture of Walt with a pigeon. Jim didn t have one but he was kind enough to give me permission to cite information from his article and his in which he shared some great facts about Walt and pigeons. include a blurb about pigeons in Disney films, he said. Obviously Mary Poppins encourages people to feed the pigeons. Tramp refers to Lady as Pidge for pigeon. There are pigeons in Snow White, Cinderella and lots of other animated films, including Valiant, Bolt and some of the more recent Disney films. Yes, it was quite clear that Walt Disney had an interest in pigeons, especially white pigeons. Even the neighbors in That Darn Cat have a loft of white pigeons! Now if we could just tie that interest into the Disney Award. Korkis credits Tommy Walker, Disneyland Entertainment Director, for the original idea of pigeon releases at Disneyland, and the first release coincided with Disney s Grand Opening in Walker s interest in pigeon releases would loom large in events that followed three years later. But first, it was also 1955 that the Winter Olympics was awarded to Squaw Valley, California and over the next three-four years all the infrastructure was added to accommodate the thousands of athletes and spectators that would descend upon the mountain community in the near future. Infrastructure was great but what about entertainment? According to Korkis, in 1958, Organizing Committee President Prentis Hale flew down to a luncheon with Walt to convince the entertainment - entrepreneur that no Olympic entertainment program would be complete without, the Disney Touch, and Hale offered Walt the chairmanship of the Pageantry Committee. Walt gladly accepted and over the next two years tackled the daunting task of organizing all the festivities of the Opening and Closing ceremonies, as well as all the entertainment activities and much more. And of course each event was bound to be sprinkled with a generous amount of Pixy Dust magic the way only Walt Disney could do it. For pigeon enthusiasts the story gets even more interesting as Korkis says that it was while Walt was researching for his Olympic responsibilities that he came up with the idea for a movie about pigeons for his weekly television show, The Wonderful World of Adventure. Anyone who s seen The Pigeon That Worked a Miracle (1958) knows that it was the Santa Barbara - Ventura Racing Pigeon Combine that helped build the loft, supply the pigeons for the movie and organized the pigeon release for the climatic race in the movie. So it was at this point we began putting two and two together. We deduced that it must have been that combine that presented the wood and gold plaque to Walt Disney in 1958 for, The greatest contribution ever made to the sport of racing pigeons. The Ventura Club no longer exists but I did contact President Dan Lionello of the Santa Barbara Club hoping the club still had some old photos of the making of the movie or any other artifacts that showed their participation in the movie. But Dan said he didn t know of anything that remained from that time period and he thought all the club members that helped out had passed away by now. He did remember that it was club members Jim Temperly and Hal Conn who build the loft for the movie and he thought Hal worked with Walt in some phases of shooting the movie. So the movie came out in 1958 as Walt continued work on the 1960 Olympics. And at some point he decided that the Opening Ceremonies of this Winter Olympics needed a pigeon release. Enter Tommy Walker again, stage right, the same Tommy Walker who gave Walt the idea for pigeon releases at Disneyland. Walt gave Walker the title, Director of Pageantry, and a pigeon release was quickly added to the ceremonies to symbolize the doves of peace that had been a central part of all Opening Ceremonies for the summer games, commencing with the 1920 Summer Olympics. But a winter release had yet to be attempted. This was uncharted territory. And a pigeon release at this Winter Olympics was going to be a challenge. Many of you might remember that the Opening Ceremonies in 1960 have been called, The Miracle of Squaw Valley, because of the weather. Korkis says, a heavy snowstorm and freezing winds dampened the dawn. Snow had been falling since 6 a.m., eventually leaving 10 inches of snow on the ground. But as we all know, the show must go on and he continues, Tommy Walker staged the release of, between 2,500 and 3,000 racing pigeons (the accounts vary), from each CSRPO Fall

52 side of the stadium. And further, Once released, they spread out in many different directions. We have no information on how many birds returned safely to their homes that day or in the days to follow, but we all know the courage and tenacity of our own birds and most probably made it. But significantly, that event, that pigeon release was essentially the beginning of The Disney Award. Quoting Korkis again he says, It (the release) was done with the cooperation of the California State Racing Pigeon Organization. A group of twelve officials, headed by Executive Secretary, Jim Lewis of San Francisco, handled the transportation and care of the birds to the ceremonies. He goes on to say, Our grandkids get ready to watch our DVD of the 1958 movie. twenty-five trophies were awarded for each of the clubs participating in the ceremonies (You can see five smaller trophies in Joyce s picture of the perpetual trophy). A special large perpetual trophy also was established at that time to be raced for annually by the organization s club owners. The prize, to be known as the Walt Disney Perpetual Trophy, was to be awarded for the best flier in California based on the birds fastest average times for long and short racing distances. But beyond that, and as stated on the trophy itself, the award was, A program to enhance the sport of racing pigeons within the State of California, and to commemorate the name of Mr. Walt Disney. So there you have it. That s how we got the (Walt) Disney Award. The standards for the award have changed as you can see in Joyce s article, but now you know where The Disney Award came from and just how Walt Disney was connected to it. For Judy and I, knowing now what those original racers endured that frigid morning of February 18, 1960, we can only think of them as true Olympians in their own right. What a magnificent effort each bird must have made to get home. It s only fitting, then, that the standards to receive the Disney Award be of such high caliber that only the top performing lofts and handlers should obtain it. So we salute each and every member who has ever earned a Disney Award. Well done, very, Executive Secretary, Jim Lewis very well done. Post Script: Jim Korkis once worked as Merlin the Magician for Walt Disney World and used a small pigeon in his act. He says Disney World stopped its pigeon releases in 2005 due to hawk attacks. His article, Walt Disney and the 1960 Olympics, is an informative and fascinating read and I encourage every member to read it at, mouseplanet.com. It has much more detail about Walt Disney s incredible orchestration of the Olympic Ceremonies than we were able to include here. And on another note, we d like to hear from any CSRPO member or club who knows of artifacts relating to the movie or of people who have recollections about the making of the movie. And we think some of those original small trophies for clubs who participated in the Olympic release must be in some club s dusty trophy case and we d love to get a picture of one and any other information that may still be out there. The actual perpetual trophy has been missing for some time and someone out there may know what became of it so please contact us. 52 CSRPO Fall 2015

53 The Annual Walt Disney Awards By Joyce Stierlin The background information for the Disney Awards was given to me by Jim Lewis, one of the original CSRPO directors when it was organized in Jim was my predecessor as CSRPO Secretary-Treasurer and served our organization for almost 50 years. He was instrumental in establishing the Disney Awards. When Walt Disney was appointed chairman of the Pageantry Committee for the 1960 Winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, he and Jim Lewis organized a release of 2,000 pigeons for the opening ceremony. In appreciation, Disney sponsored a perpetual trophy to be presented annually to the best pigeon fliers in the State of California based on the birds fastest average speeds for short and long distance races in old and young bird racing. Over the years the CSRPO Awards Committee has refined the rules for the Disney Awards. Unlike the CSRPO Hall of Fame awards (which are determined automatically from data in the AU National Database) flyers must submit an application to CSRPO Awards Chairman Mike Gonigan by December 31st. See the CSRPO website in the CSRPO Information section for complete details and the application form. An additional award may be given to the outstanding junior flyer in the CSRPO. The junior may qualify by the standards below or by outstanding achievement determined by the Awards Chairman and the CSRPO Vice Presidents. Senior applicants must receive at least 1 point in each of 8 Old Bird races and 5 Young Bird races in a calendar year. The loft s best bird in each race determines the number of points earned for that race. Points are earned according to the average number of lofts competing in the qualifying races in six divisions lofts: 1st place 5 pts, 2nd place 4 pts, etc. down to 1 pt for 5th place lofts: 1st place 10 pts, 2nd place 9 pts, etc. down to 1 pt for 10th place lofts: 1st place 20 pts, 2nd place 19 pts, etc. down to 1 pt for 20th place lofts: 1st place 30 pts, 2nd place 29 pts, etc. down to 1 pt for 30th place lofts: 1st place 40 pts, 2nd place 39 pts, etc. down to 1 pt for 40th place 101+ lofts: 1st place 50 pts, 2nd place 49 pts, etc. down to 1 pt for 50th place Total loft mileage from the 8 qualifying races in Old Birds must be at least 2500 miles and from the 5 qualifying races in Young Birds it must be at least 1000 miles. Applicants who meet these requirements and earn the most points in each division are awarded the Disney plaque at the annual CSRPO Convention Awards Banquet. The high level of achievement required of a loft s birds and its owner over the entire year makes this award a great honor. CSRPO Fall

54 DISNEY AWARD WINNERS 2001 TO PRESENT (Researched by Larry Cook and compiled by Joyce Stierlin) lofts Chic Brooks lofts John Bellandi lofts Chic Brooks lofts Tim Perry lofts Ken Wetzel 101+ lofts John Bellandi lofts Bob Rapozo lofts John Bellandi 101+ lofts Gary Gudaitis 2004 no qualifying applicants lofts Ed Hogue Junior Alyssa Gonigan lofts Tim Perry lofts Jerry Stone 2008 no qualifying applicants lofts Tim Perry lofts Jerry Stone lofts Jesus Morales lofts Jerry Stone lofts Alex Bieche lofts Leonard Lee lofts Mike Cambra lofts Leonard Lee lofts Joyce Stierlin lofts Joyce Stierlin lofts Matt Hans lofts Mike Brown lofts Tim Perry lofts Jerry Stone 54 CSRPO Fall 2015

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56 Bakersfield Racing Pigeon Club Show and Auction By Gary Berthiaume The Annual Bakersfield Racing Pigeon Show and Auction was held Saturday, January 31. A favorite of pigeon fanciers for many years, more than forty attendees came from far and wide to enjoy the day s festivities. This year s event featured Ramon Ortega at the helm as long-time, Show Chairman, Jim Morrison was taking a much deserved hiatus from his usual leadership duties. But not to worry, under Ramon s watchful eye and with the help of other cub members, the day would prove to be another great success for the BRPC, and a fun day for all in attendance. Sitting in the judging rings would be a trio of the finest judges in California, namely, Mike Brazil, Vidal Gonzalez and Bill Bilyjack Barger. And it would take all their skills this day to narrow down the field of 104 top contenders entered in one of the twenty-four categories, as entrants brought some super specimens to the contest. When it was all said and done, Miss. Ashlyn Mayfield would wear the crown of Grand Champion with, always tough-to-beat, Ted Little garnering the Reserve Grand Champion title from some excellent competition. While things were heating up in the show ring, head chef and master of the barbecue, Jean Daramy was heating up his classic tri-tip luncheon with style and precision. Wielding his barbecue tongs like a trusty saber, Jean would poke, prod, and slap the huge slabs of richly seasoned and sizzling tri-tip on the barby to the delight of everyone watching. The incredible smell had us all drooling and egging the judges on to make an end of it so we could eat! In fact the smell was just too much of an assault on the judge s senses to finish their duties without distraction and a halt was called to the judging so we could all dig in. Actually it was the place where we were going to break for lunch anyway but it makes a better story the way I m telling it here. Thanks for a great lunch Jean. With lunch in the books and plenty of aching tummies to testify to the delicious nature of our gorging, Ramon Ortega Jr. and Austin Hill got the raffle going. As usual, club members had chipped in or donated a bevy of pigeon products, feed, lots of cool gadgets and tool sets, a big box of fresh oranges, Tom Shelton and Darryl Coston arrive for set up day. Ted Little, Jim Morrison and Tom W. Shelton getting the crates. 56 CSRPO Fall 2015

57 and even a pair of splash rollers for the lucky ticket holders to choose from. The rollers were a big hit with one little girl holding the winning ticket. I m not too sure mom and dad were as enthusiastic, but like good parents throughout the fancy that want to instill the love of pigeons in their children, the birds went home with them and with a very happy little girl. The auction that followed lunch featured some fine birds from both club members and wellknown fanciers outside the club. Tom Shelton was the high bidder on the top selling bird bred by longtime friend of the club, Jerry Stone of Fresno. In all, there were 15 birds up for bid and at the end of the eye winking, finger raising and head nodding, the club realized a tidy income of over $1,500 in auction proceeds. The BRPC wishes to thank all those who donated birds and to the lucky bidders who took them home. And a special thank you goes out to all the club members who worked hard to make the day a success and to all those who came to share their day with us. We hope you had a wonderful time and we look forward to seeing everyone again next year. Long-time club supporter, Adam O Rullian is here. Mike and Vidal givin m a good look. Who s in and who s out, Bill The judges have their attention. The master at work, Jean Daramy CSRPO Fall

58 Come and get it! Roger Sikora and Jim Edgeworth get in on the good eats. Ramon Ortega Jr. and Austin Hill head up the raffle. And the winner is Ted Little wins Reserve Champion bird 58 CSRPO Fall 2015 Ashlyn Mayfield with Grand Champion bird Tom Shelton checks out a potential auction purchase.

59 2015 Bakersfield Racing Pigeon Club Show Results 104 Entries As reported by Show Chairman, Ramon Ortega Record Class Old Birds: Best Cock AU BAK- 715, blue checker/ white flights (Ted Little) Best Hen AU KERN , blue checker (Ashlyn Mayfield) Record Class - Young Birds: Best Cock AU BAK- 050, blue bar (Ted Little) Best Hen AU BAK- 659, (Austin Hill) Diploma Class Old Birds: Best Cock AU BAK- 1029, blue checker (Jim Morrison) Best Hen AU BAK- 115 blue checker ( Ashlyn Mayfield) Best Hen AU BAK- 332, blue bar (Darryl Coston) Non Standard Class Old Birds: Best Cock AU COOK- 1722, blue bar (Larry Cook) Best Hen AU CSNEO- 1411, grizzle (Carlos Parra) Non-Standard Class - Young Birds: Best Cock AU BAK- 1623, blue bar (Ted Little) Best Hen AU SMR- 1449, No color supplied (Bill Willoughby) 2015 BRPC Show Grand Champion: AU KERN , blue checker hen (Ashlyn Mayfield) -Note: This bird was bred from last year s grand champion. Diploma Class - Young Birds: Best Cock AU BAK- 414, blue bar (TW Shelton) 2015 BRPC Show Reserved Champion: AU BAK- 715, blue checker/white flight cock (Ted Little) CSRPO Fall

60 News from the Martinez Club The Carap -T- Syndicate Auction The Carap-T-Syndicate is made up of Bob Rapp, Joe Corini and Tom Medeiros. On Saturday, February 7, 2015 the syndicate held an auction at the Martinez Invitational Homing Pigeon Club House. The team offered 46 birds for sale in both a live and online auction. Most were a combination of Vernazza/Lumachi/Devriendt crosses and other strains. Considering the late date, it was still a fairly good turnout with about 20 bidders. The birds sold fairly well, averaging $132 a bird with the highest bird going for a cool $1,520. That bird, a Tangonan/Devriendt cross, had won a first place in the club and combine from 500 miles and was only one diploma away from achieving AU Champion status. In all, the auction brought in $6,110. We wish to thank all of our participants for attending, and say congratulations to the successful bidders who took home some top birds from the Carap-T-Syndicate. Manny Dias Secretary, Martinez Invitational Homing Pigeon Club 60 CSRPO Fall 2015

61 2015 California Late Hatch Classic By Gary Berthiaume Thirteen on the drop! Wow, what an exciting finish to a great three-race series at this year s California Late Hatch Classic, hosted by Mark Rozwadowski in Perris, California. We contacted Mark the week before the final 300 mile race from Little Field, Arizona and asked if Judy and I could come out and cover the event on Sunday, February 15. Those of you who know Mark also know the answer to that question. It was a resounding, Yes, we d love to have you here. We need to keep this sport going. So early Sunday morning we headed out of smoggy Bakersfield (The weather forecasters call it haze!) and up and over the Grapevine (La Canada de Las Uvas) to much clearer skies on our way to Perris, just off Interstate 215 in the Inland Empire. We missed the exit the first time around, but only by two miles, and quickly reoriented and got our bearings sorted out. Mark lives up in the hills away from town. His home is actually in Galvin Hills, just outside of Perris, and he chose a property that perfectly suits his hobby of racing pigeons. So when we arrived we weren t surprised to see this huge loft commanding our attention as we found a place to park. The loft backs up to an adjacent field and faces the road you drive in on to his home. There s an expansive open field area in front of the loft, perfect for birds coming in on their final approach for landing, flaps up, gear down. There was a large crowd of almost a hundred people milling about when we walked into the yard. Most had plates of food as the barbecue had been going on for about twenty minutes. I quickly cast about for Mark and found him on the porch in front of his house. Big smile, extended hand, he rushed right up and gave me a warm welcome. First order of business was to outfit Judy and me with California Late Hatch T-shirts. This was accomplished by Mark s right-hand-woman and daughter, Lacy, who was just one of several volunteers Mark relies on to host this event. In fact, Mark said if it wasn t for the help of Lacy, his friends, and the many club members of the Inland Empire Invitational Club, he simply couldn t pull it off year after year. Steve Whitmer, Steve and Iris Boe, Danny and Pat Garcia, and a host of others were always on his lips when I asked him what it took to put on a oneloft race. Great barbecue! Mark presents Judy and I our Classic T s CSRPO Fall

62 Whoa baby! Thirteen on the drop!! Hurry, hurry! Chance seems unimpressed by the perfect landing technique. 62 CSRPO Fall 2015 With introductions over and shirts in hand, Mark told me a little about his expectations for the race. He said there were 158 birds in the final today and each had already successfully flown a 150 mile and a 200 mile race, so he was confident they were well prepared for this 300 mile contest. And with a 7 AM release time he felt sure we d welcome the first bird or birds shortly after 1 PM, so we d have time to grab some grub and meet people. Wrong! We hadn t been there but a few minutes and I still had the lens cover on the camera when someone yelled, Birds, and Mark ran off toward the loft as I fumbled to get the cover off the lens, the power switched on, and the zoom, zooming in the direction of the birds. Count m, 1,2,3 oh boy, big drop! As the birds descended toward the landing board, Mark raced in behind them and started whistling. He probably didn t need to do that as the birds had obviously been well trained to hit and enter and that s exactly what they did. Fortunately for me, I was able to get the birds somewhat centered in the view finder and snapped a picture as they made their way to the traps. The first drop included 13 racers and first through the trap was a dark-checker hen with white flights entered by the team of Canto-Wiltz. The Average Speed winner, another dark-checker hen with white flights, was also in the first drop. That bird was entered by the team of Larry Mikessell and Brian Crossen. It was happy campers all around as the first drop was followed shortly thereafter by a steady stream of arrivals. Mark, of course, was the happiest camper of all as the good number of returning birds proved he had done an exceptional job again this year. But as he reminded me it s not all him, but the many members of the IEIC, his friends, and his daughter Lacy, that make it all come together. In fact, Mark wanted to give a special thank you to Rich and Iris from High Point Pigeon Supply for raffle items and feed and all those at Volkman Seed Factory for their sponsorship of feed, as well as John Vance from Pigeon Mall for all the pigeon supplements, and Kip Hass of MOX Racing for creating the web page. As I said earlier, a host of people came together to make this a successful event and it s not lost on Mark for even one moment.

63 Well what is a one-loft race without a barbecue, raffle, and perhaps a magician? Yup, I said a magician. It doesn t matter what race you go to, no one likes to sit around and wait for birds with nothing to do to pass the time. And Mark solved that problem by bringing in one of the coolest magicians we d ever seen, the one and only, Johnny Ace Palmer, World Champion Magician! Johnny kept everyone in rapt attention with his tricks. He set up his table right in front of the crowd. I mean mere inches away from people in the front row who stared in amazement as rope knots disappeared from ropes, a $1 bill became a $100 bill, and yes he even pulled a rabbit out of a hat. But he also turned a flaming pan into two doves sitting on his arm and then made baby chicks appear from beneath three cups where he had placed foam balls! Sleight of hand at its best and a true crowd pleaser to be sure was Johnny Ace Palmer. A raffle followed the magic tricks with some great items up for grabs, as well as a closest-to-thearrival time pool, and a countermark pool. The lucky winners included Roger Sikora from the FVC who we saw a couple of weeks earlier winning raffle prizes at the Bakersfield Show and Auction. Today he won the countermark pool for something like $158. Lucky guy indeed or maybe a bit of a magician himself! But to top the day off, Mark had made arrangements with the Down SyndromeAssociation of Hemet to have a representative in attendance to receive a $500 donation in honor of that association s work with Down Syndrome patients. It was a very happy, young Marisa Cox, a Down- Syndrome patient herself, and her mother, Adele, who gladly accepted Mark s check. Later Mark showed Marisa how to hold a pigeon and it was a touching moment. Well, as the excitement was slowly winding down I couldn t help thinking about what Mark said when I first called him. We need to keep this sport going. In reflection, this is the kind of event that will help the sport do just that. It had been a good day for everyone, with lots of fun, entertainment, and excitement. It was the kind of day the sport But the next group has his attention. Mark with first-through-the-trap from Canto-Wiltz. Average Speed winners, Crossen and Mikesell really needs to, keep it going in the future. For his part, Mark sure knows how to keep it going with his helpers. He told me he was taking the entire crew out to dinner the next Friday to show his appreciation for them. Wow, job well done, Mark. CSRPO Fall

64 With final congratulations to Mark and handshakes with friends we hadn t seen in a while, Judy and I turned our attention to the trip home. So it was back in the car and on the road again. Four-hundred and twenty-eight miles round trip and we pulled into the driveway just in time for Judy to catch up on what s been happening on Downton Abbey! Whew, what a trip! Time to relax in my recliner with my dog at my feet, cat on my lap, and to think a little bit about the great time we had with Mark and all the things I wanted to say in this article. Hope I said it. Johnny Ace working the magic. Luckiest guy we know, Roger Sikora. Three balls and then... Big smiles all around. Presto! Three balls become three chicks! 64 CSRPO Fall 2015 Presentation of the check. Thank you Mark.

65 Meet Leonard Lee By, Gary Berthiaume Leonard in front of his wall of awards and then with some of his prize widowers We d like to thank Ann Lee for encouraging us to include a little information about her husband, Leonard, in this issue of the CSRPO Newsletter. Leonard is one of our eleven, 2014 CSRPO Hall of Fame first place winners, and he was kind enough to send us the following biography that first appeared in the 2011 AU Update with an added piece about his latest interests in flying the Western Open Race. Excerpts from the Update are reprinted here with permission of the ARPU. Thank you, Ann and Leonard Lee, Karen Cliffton and Beverly Brezinski. Leonard was born in Missouri but moved to California at a young age. When he was in the 6th grade, his dad brought him home a pair of common birds for pets. He also got into tumblers, and one day when the kit of tumblers came down, they had a stray race bird along with them. Lee shares, I looked this bird over very closely and from that day forward, I started collecting as many race birds as I could. When I was able to drive, I got acquainted with a pigeon flyer named Sam Sabella. He flew birds in the L.A. Combine. After I knew him for a while, he gave me some race birds. These birds were responsible for winning the Walt Disney Award two years in a row. I still have some of this blood in my loft. I call them the Old Blood Stuff. They won fifty years ago and they are winning today. Lee retired at 56 so that he could have more time with the birds and could enjoy other hunting and fishing hobbies. He began racing with the South East Club as a junior member and he fondly remembers how exciting it was to go to the club and listen to all the old timers. He went CSRPO Fall

66 Meet Leonard Lee from the South East Club to the Compton Club and during that time, moved to Whittier, California and then flew with the Whittier Club there. Just prior to retiring, he lived in Santa Paula and flew with the Ojai Club as part of the Try City Combine. He currently competes in the Apple Valley Club, which is part of the 395 Concourse. He has been able to fly old birds or young birds for every season during his racing career. He enjoys the old bird season more than the young birds and prefers the longer races of 400 miles and up. Lee explained his feeding and health regimen. I feed my race birds a 16% mix by Leach Grain and Milling. I do add some safflower and corn to the mix on the longer races. I vaccinate for PMV for both young and old birds. Additionally, I treat for respiratory and canker before I start training. I also give the birds apple cider vinegar 2 days a week. The young birds are exposed to 24 hr. lights from the time they are born to the time I start training. My young birds are trained at least three days a week from 50 miles away. The old birds are trained up to the 100 mile distance before the races start. From there, they get their exercise at home. The cocks are let out 1 hour in the morning so they can do what they want and are locked up in the loft for the remainder of the day. The hens are made to fly for 1 hour in the morning and then are locked up for the rest of the day. With this system, you can fly the hens and cocks almost every race for the season. Lee attends auctions for the social aspect of the sport and to look for new birds. I think the birds you find in the U.S. can compare to other countries, he said. I think that it is a 50% bird and 50% flyer that wins races. You have to have good birds and you have to know what to do with them. I stock some of my flying birds when I need them to carry on a family of birds and when they get older and have flown well. I have been successful in breeding and keep some stock birds that are never let out of the loft. For the beginners in the sport, he suggests you get the best birds you can and ask a lot of questions. He encourages anyone getting started to not be afraid to try something new. Leonard keeps good records of breeding as he feels it is necessary if you want to carry on a family of birds. Lee has held many offices in the club and concourse, and is currently Vice President of the Apple Valley Club and Vice President of the Combine. He also served as the California State Racing Pigeon Organization President. Beverly Brezinski, AU Publicity, Summer CSRPO Fall 2015

67 Meet Leonard Lee May 8, 2015: The Western Open I have been involved in the Western Open Race. (I) and one of the other members transport the birds to Winnemucca, Nevada where we meet up with the other flyers from the other states and enjoy the fellowship. This trip is 500 road miles plus. At the release spot it gets very exciting knowing that your birds will be released with all the birds from the other states and locations. After the release we start the long trip home. You can see all the obstacles the birds will face on their trip home, the winds, the weather conditions, the terrain and the big mountains, (and) most of the time I think that it is impossible for any of the birds to make it home in a day. I am always tired and I am only riding in a truck. (But) when you see the birds pitching for the loft you forget how tired you are and you gain a lot of respect for the birds. It makes all the time training and cleaning and taking care of the birds worthwhile. Leonard s beautiful 1966 Walt Disney Award. Photocopy of Leonard s 1967 Disney Award. Leonard is holding the actual perpetual trophy. (Photocopy courtesy of Larry Cook) CSRPO Fall

68 Direct Bloodline, Proven Results. Pure Gaby Vandenabeele Contact Steve Serrins Harvest Moon Loft (559) Ordinance Assistance Protocol If any member in good standing with CSRPO requests assistance with an ordinance problem, we first assure the flyer has: 1. No CC&Rs restricting the keeping of racing homing pigeons. 2. Conformed to local zoning laws regarding the keeping of racing homing pigeons. 3. Followed building codes and obtained required permits. 4. Complied with licensing requirements regarding the keeping of racing homing pigeons. 5. Kept his/her racing homing pigeons in a healthy atmosphere. The CSRPO will then endeavor to help the fancier to the following extent, provided that he/she has furnished information requested by the Ordinance Chairman and that he/she is in compliance with the aforementioned restrictions. A. Match local funds raised and paid to a law firm for fighting the ordinance problem. Such matching funds are not to exceed $3,000 per case unless prior authorization for more money has been obtained from the full Board of Directors. In all cases, the CSRPO will not reimburse the locality more than the portion they have raised and paid as their share of the matching funds. B. Request ARPU to assist with funding of the ordinance litigation. For further information, contact your regional vice president. 68 CSRPO Fall 2015

69 Building the Sport We re calling this next section, Building the Sport. The title comes about from our conversations with fanciers around the CSRPO and through our travels to meet different pigeon flyers. We ve found that a great many individuals are out there telling people about our wonderful hobby or encouraging members in their clubs and combines in an effort to, build the sport. We salute them and their efforts and in the following pages we ve captured just a few examples. Rotarian Jim Jenner Building the Sport in a 2011 Rotary Club Magazine (Picture provided by Robin and Ted Little) By Gary and Judy Berthiaume Dear BCC members, Building the Sport in the BCC I would just like to introduce myself as your new Combine President, I know a lot of you but I m sure there are some of you that we have not had the chance to meet yet. I would like to outline some of my goals for my term as president. Your out-going President Mike Cambra did a fantastic job of getting us back on the right track and flying as a Combine again especially in Young Birds, My Goal is to keep that going, and hopefully make it even better. I have asked for a committee to be formed to look at ways we can promote our great sport, I remember when I first joined the Hayward club in 2001 we would get at least 20 lofts in old birds, now we are struggling to get the 5 loft minimum. Some clubs are doing better as far as getting new members, and even growing in leaps and bounds. I feel if we come together as a Combine on this issue it can only help the sport grow and in turn the Combine. I would hope to have a least 1 member from each club on the committee, anyone interested please contact me at or you can at reecebishop@sbcglobal.net. I have been going to combine meetings now for a few years either as a delegate or an officer of the combine, and it is basically the same people going to meetings as it was years ago, Do not get me wrong anyone willing to give up their time deserves a big thank you for that. It just would be nice to see some new people get involved and hopefully bring in some new ideas. Also something for us all to think about, if we all asked ourselves what can I do to help the sport and not so much what can the sport do for me, If we all did that, the skies the limit. Thank you for your time and I look forward to serving you as your President. Reece Bishop, BCC President CSRPO Fall

70 Fort Sutter News Fall 2015 Gary F. Brasiel (Publicity Director FSC) The 2015 Old Bird Series was a tough one. We had a new flyer named Eduardo Esquivias come to the forefront with his first two wins. Fort Sutter continues to add new members every year although not all continue in the sport. At this time FSC is the only club in the Sacramento Area. We do fly in the Camellia City Combine with the Mother Lode RPC, The Auburn RPC and The Hangtown Club. This year the Reno RPC came on the Combine Truck as a guest club. This helped considerably to keep costs down. Reno is about 100 miles short of us and came in at the third station which is Winnemucca, Nevada. Gone But Not Forgotten The passing of a flyer is always a tragedy not only to his family and friends but as a loss to the sport. Deceased FSC members are never forgotten. Over the years we have lost Barney Lazansky who was a stalwart of the club. We also lost Bob Rapozo who was the clubs auctioneer, a CSRPO State Judge and a fantastic flyer. Frank Kwoka was another great flyer who was also an excellent breeder. He was famous for his strain of Janssens and Janssen Tournier crosses. Another deceased member who (as Frank Meder put it, has flown about as many races as his years as a member ) had Fort Sutter blood flowing through his veins. He took care of club feed sales, was the club treasurer and always donated to the auctions with expensive purchases. Also gone but not forgotten is Ozzie Hendricks who was famous for his all black strain of racing homers. One of the most dedicated deceased members was George Schluckebier. Before the club had a clubhouse he hosted shipping at his garage for many years. The current meeting hall is named in his honor. Moving The Sport Forward Just as in its beginning in the United States, the sport is currently being kept alive by an insurgence of immigrants. In FSC we have members from Russia, Bulgaria, Taiwan, Mexico, the Azores and The Philippines. When I came into the sport in the 60 s it was primarily a sport of the Rednecks. At least as far as the Sacramento Racing Pigeon Club was concerned. Fort Sutter had a little different social order. It was the Downtown club. FSC Today Today Fort Sutter is one of the most progressive clubs in the country. We have an excellent facility, supply state of the art Benzing clocks to the flying members and offer birds and information on racing systems to new flyers. Last year we held a live internet auction to coincide with the auction at the clubhouse. It was an exciting event to be a part of. After basketing in a garage off an alley and meeting in various school rooms (procured by current president Frank Meder) for many years we have come a long way. 70 CSRPO Fall 2015

71 Fort Sutter Racing Pigeon Club Fireworks Stand Dear Members: June 8, 2015 As this is being written, the old bird series is nearing completion. So far, Steve Devriend and Eduardo Esquivias have been some of the biggest winners. Others winners on the board include the Larios Loft, Gary Chin, and Cain Family Loft. The young bird season begins for eight weekends on August 22, In between for seven (7) days it is FIREWORKS SEASON!!! Anyone associated with our club knows that the Fireworks program is the biggest and most important fund-raiser each year. Most of the comforts and conveniences that we have come to enjoy at Fort Sutter have been funded largely or entirely by the funds earned during this yearly seven-day event. Our electronic clock program receives one-fourth of the profits of the sale to pay for the timers, timer updates, club house timer needs and electronic bands for our birds flying during both the old and young birds of each year. The member s mandatory commitment to this event just paid for the improvements for our timing systems and some audio visual and computer equipment. The stand also pays for awards, banquet costs as well as clubhouse upkeep and improvements like the new paved parking lot, security fence and gate and parking lot lights. Over the years fireworks funds have helped make the Fort Sutter Racing Pigeon Club what it is today Fireworks Stand Update The Fort Sutter Club s Fourth of July fireworks stand was a success again this year. The white pigeon release was especially exciting for spectators and club members alike. Frank Meder said, This year was our biggest attendance ever with in excess of 100 people. We had two members Pictures by Norm Meder in reflector vests block the traffic for the release after a short presentation. That sign was up for a week (same sign we use for everything!) and really attracts people...it is a yearly event for some people. Both Jim Cain and I were interviewed by an interested observer after the event. Financially the event was successful, but wow two days of 109 heat made it tough though. President, Frank Meder Frank Meder Takes the Message to the Community! Frank gives a presentation to students at Marengo Ranch Elementary School in Galt with a group of Rotarians who volunteered to help with a pigeon release outside the Ground Cow Restaurant in Penryn after a dinner presentation. Note the one bird in flight at the top right of the picture. A big, thank you to the AU for providing many of the artifacts used in both of these presentations. President, Frank Meder CSRPO Fall

72 Pigeons on the Menu at the Rotary Club By Gary Berthiaume Nice idea, came the reply. It was Thursday, March 5, 2014 and Judy had opened our a little late that day to see a congratulations from Robin (Robie) Little for our work on the Spring issue of the CSRPO Newsletter. Then she mentioned that hubby Ted would be speaking to the local chapter of the Rotary Club that evening and the topic would be pigeons, of course. So Judy and I checked our schedule and asked if we could come up and cover Ted s talk for our next issue, hence nice idea. Dinner and a short Rotary meeting at 6 PM were to precede Ted s presentation so we didn t have much time to finish up our errands. But we quickly accomplished those and were soon off to the small mountain community of Wofford Heights, a few miles from Lake Isabella in the Southern Sierra Mountains, to catch the everpopular guest speaker Ted Little on yet another quest to spread the word about his beloved pigeons. It took us just over an hour to drive up the winding canyon from Bakersfield and we arrived just in time to meet up with Ted and Robie and be introduced to some of the Rotary members. The Littles had set up a wonderful display table with AU Brochures (Ted wanted to thank them for their donations), leaflets, some magazines, WWII messenger capsules, pigeon art and a bevy of other pigeon artifacts sure to capture the imagination of all the attendee s as to just what this sport of pigeon racing was all about. And of course Ted had brought along one of his favorite pigeons, one that, as it happens, had recently won Reserve Grand Champion Show Bird at the Bakersfield Racing Pigeon Show and Auction in late January. No pride here, just a beaming owner that couldn t say enough about his beautiful blue checker cock bird, and quite rightly. Ted s birds always do well in the shows and everyone looking at this bird tonight could see why. It was a beautiful specimen. Ted and Robbie are longtime residents of Kernville, another small mountain community a few miles northeast of the Elk s Lodge in Wofford Heights where the Rotary Club meeting was being held tonight. Both Ted and Robie are well known and respected for their support of issues dealing with community improvements and are often called on to volunteer. Such was the case this evening as a friend of Ted had called him to ask if he d be willing to make a presentation about his pigeon hobby to the Rotary Club. Duh! For those of you who know Ted you also know he doesn t seek the limelight but does seize any opportunity to discuss his passion for pigeons when asked. So here he was in a very familiar spot. 72 CSRPO Fall 2015 Ted discusses the pigeon s unique abilities.

73 Dapper Ted with his lovely wife Robie before the presentation. Ted s display table with many items donated by the AU. Ted fields questions from attendees. Before dinner I took the opportunity to mill about and find out a little more about just what the Rotarians rotate. Well it didn t take long to get an answer as members were more than willing to give me a brief history of the service club. Interestingly enough the name Rotary actually comes from the fact that in the early years of the club s existence the meeting location rotated on a regular basis, but it has always been service oriented. Locally, the club had recently raised thousands of dollars to purchase a service dog for a local woman in need of a service canine. And on a larger scale, this particular club had joined with others to have a well dug in a small Nigerian village so the village s women and children could be freed from carrying water 7 miles each day. It was the club s hope that in doing so the children could attend school and the women might be able to become involved in home industry businesses. It was quite refreshing to hear about people helping one another in a world where the media focuses mostly on the negative events of the day. And it was also nice to be among a group of people who began their business by asking everyone to stand and salute the flag. A short business meeting then followed, during which a delicious dinner was served with time afterwards to chat with people at our table. After dinner a dapperly dressed Ted took to the lectern to begin his presentation, only to be stopped by Robie who asked that he remove his tweed coat so everyone could see his very smart looking sweater with a large picture of a pigeon sewn into the front. Now appropriately attired for a discussion of pigeons, Ted commenced. He began by holding up a copy of a Rotary magazine from 2011 with a story inside of a Rotarian who was also a fairly well-known pigeon enthusiast. It was none other than famed videographer and now novelist, Jim Jenner. I made sure to take a picture of the page with Jim on it to send to him later. Ted spoke for several minutes about the amazing abilities of pigeons and the sport of pigeon racing in general and then drew everyone s attention to the movie screen. He had brought along probably Jim Jenner s most famous video, Marathon in the Sky, narrated by the late actor and pigeon fancier, CSRPO Fall

74 Michael Landon. And for the next 20 minutes or so people sat in quiet amazement, trying to take in all they were seeing and hearing about the thoroughbreds of the sky. At the end Ted fielded questions and hands shot up immediately. Almost everyone wanted to know more about these wonderful animals and Ted didn t disappoint. In fact, I think we ran a little over our allotted time as people just couldn t get enough information about these incredible creatures, or as Jenner would say, man s oldest feathered friends. But without doubt the show stopper was when Ted and Robie related the story of a woman, part Native American, who once called Ted to say that a pigeon had landed at her home and had been visiting now for several days. She was able to get the band number and wondered if Ted might be able to contact the owner. Ted did just that and the owner said she could keep the bird if she wanted. It was then that woman told Ted and Robie that she was dying of cancer and, being part Native American, believed that the bird had come to her to help her Ted takes to the lecturn in his cool pigeon sweater. make the transition to the next life. It was so fitting then that the owner wanted her to keep it. It was truly a beautiful story but you could have heard a pin drop when Ted said that once the woman died the bird disappeared and never returned. Wow! Goosebumps!! There wasn t much to say after that. People hung around for several minutes more and visited the display table again where, now, both Littles had taken up residence to explain the different artifacts they had assembled. Judy and I snapped a few more shots and sought out some of our hosts to say thank you, especially master of ceremonies for the evening, Erie Johnson, who insisted that our dinners Jim Jenner s classic film on pigeons was a big hit. be on the house. It was Erie that answered most of our questions about Rotary history and went out of his way to make us feel right at home. Finally we were able to wedge into the crowd surrounding Ted and Robie and say goodbye and thank you to them and then it was back down through the canyon to Bakersfield. Along the way we talked about Ted s presentation and what a great evening we had. But we couldn t help but wonder how many other fanciers around the CSRPO go out of their way to spread the word like Ted and Robie through presentations, school visits, pigeon releases, etc. and we never hear about it. Well maybe this story will encourage some of you to get those stories to us so we can share them with your fellow members. Ted and Robie answer questions after the presentation. 74 CSRPO Fall 2015

75 Coming Soon! Back in April Judy and I received this exciting which said, in part: Hey Guys, MY name is Shaughn Crawford the second half of the photo team Shaughn and John (shaughnandjohn.com) We are contacting you because we are interested in doing a documentary on pigeon racing for our portfolio We have been in discussions with ESPN Magazine and depending on the results of our project there is the possibility of getting the story run in their publication. However, the real goal is to create beautiful imagery that highlights this unique sport. Please let me know if there is someone that I should reach out to in order to make this happen. We are very eager to begin this story. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Well over the next month or so I attempted to put these gentlemen in contact with a club in the Southern California area that might work for them and eventually Mike Cassidy of the FVC took them under his wing. I checked in with Mike recently and he told me that Shaughn and John spent all of the Old Bird season with them snapping photos, like the ones here, to jump start their project. It will be an, egg to racing documentary, Mike said, and, I really think the best is yet to come. So we wish them the very best in their efforts to capture every facet of the sport, and we want to thank Mike Cassidy and the FVC for working with Shaughn and John on this project. Good Luck. For our readers, be sure to look for another update in the spring issue as we will be following their progress right up until then. Clay MacBeth, Transporter extraordinaire Joe Drummen (facing) Mike Cassidy Very cool! CSRPO Fall

76 Fly for Hope By Michelle Vigue In 25 years of support, individual members and clubs in the CSRPO have helped save thousands of lives. In 1990 the Fly for Hope Council was established and set out to promote pigeon racing while supporting a charitable cause and chose City of Hope. City of Hope is a nationally ranked cancer research institute located in Duarte, CA. Ranked #11 in the US for cancer hospitals by US News World Report, they have set themselves apart by providing exquisite care for over 100 years. Among their many accomplishments, City of Hope has pioneered the field of transitional medicine by developing the top 5 cancer drugs used today as well as having developed synthetic humulin insulin used by millions of diabetic patients. They remain the #1 Bone Marrow Transplant program in the world having completed over 12,000 bone marrow and stem cell transplants. It was no wonder that members of the CSRPO sought out to support such a wonderful organization but the relationship went deeper than that. Council members Bob DiClemente and Jim Vander Heide had friends and family members treated at City of Hope and were so impressed with the treatment they received that they were inspired to fundraise for the hospital. The Fly for Hope Council, in turn, has worked with members within the California State Racing Pigeon Organization to organize this fundraising. The CSRPO consists of more than 50 clubs and nearly 1,000 members. Today they have helped raise over $1 million dollars by hosting auctions, raffles and one loft races benefiting the organization. Support such as this helps us grow every day, creating new opportunities to discover cures. The most recent addition to City of Hope is the Alpha Clinic, which officially opened March 19 th, It will combine the uniquely patient-centered care for which City of Hope is known with the most innovative, stem-cell based therapies available to date. In short, the stem cell therapy clinic is expected to revolutionize not just the treatment of cancer, but also AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. As CSRPO works towards another 25 years of support and raising a second million dollars, they look to revive the Fly for Hope Council and branch out to even more races throughout California. If you are interested in joining the council or know someone who is, please contact us today. The CSRPO community is proud to support City of Hope and the research underway to discover a cure for cancer. Every dollar raised goes directly to saving lives. For more information visit 76 CSRPO Fall 2015

77 Into the Lion s Den or (Kapama Adventures and the 2015 Million Dollar Pigeon Race) By Gary and Judy Berthiaume Ah, retirement. Well it s not always what it s cracked up to be but it has its benefits, like being able to cast caution to the wind and just do something serendipitous with your spouse, something completely off the wall, like dipping into your retirement savings and booking a once-in-a-lifetime experience in South Africa, the once forbidden Dark Continent. Well that s just what Judy and I did. We combined our passion for travel with our interest in pigeon racing and booked a trip to the 2015 South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race that included a 4-day safari package. Serendipity was actually really quite well planned as we made the decision to attend the Million Dollar in late summer, This was our third year as entrants in the race and our good friend and shipper of most American birds to the race, Frank McLaughlin, had a race/safari package on his web page that intrigued us. Frank is a top-notch flyer in his own right and for many years has made it his personal mission to get more American fanciers involved in the race. A few years back he made a personal tour of the U.S. and Canada extolling the virtues of entering the most difficult pigeon race in the world and has since built up quite a clientele of fanciers who ship their birds to the race with him. In fact he s become so proficient at coordinating, collecting and successfully shipping large numbers of American pigeons to the race (This year it was almost 900!) that the organizers of the Million Dollar asked him to write down his methods of shipment and present them at the meeting of all the exporters this year. So lured by the siren call of lions in the bush (Judy loves cats and this was her opportunity to see some really big kitties.), we took the plunge and on Friday, January 16, boarded a plane for an eleven hour flight into London, Heathrow. Then it was a five hour layover, and another eleven hour flight into Johannesburg, South Africa, home of the great emancipator Nelson Mandela, to experience a real African safari and attend this year s Million Dollar race with Frank and his lovely wife Robin. We left on January 16 th but with the time differences we didn t land until January 18 th for the race which was scheduled later that week on January 24 th! Whoa! My head s still spinning. As I said, this was our third year in the race and we usually entered only one team of three birds so we did the same this year. Early losses were heavy and by the time the first loft list was posted in October, only 4,698 birds made it through quarantine. Frank had done such a good job preparing and shipping American pigeons that the U.S. came through with an almost 90% success rate, while the survival rate for all other countries was about 64%. At the end of training, in late January, slightly fewer than 2,500 birds remained. So when we boarded that plane for the first leg of our journey, we were feeling very fortunate that two birds flying under the banner of Garys Landing, were going to the Big Dance. Frank is not only a great flyer but a terrific breeder, as well, and 15 of his birds would be entered into the baskets for the final, so hopes for a successful race were high all around. But a four day safari awaited us before we would ever see a pigeon and we were anxious to get it started. Would we find the lion s den? Would we see the majestic males with their flowing manes, or the lioness queen of the pride with her cubs? Time would tell. After those two flights of just over eleven CSRPO Fall

78 hours each and a layover, we met up with Frank and Robin on Monday, January 18, at Emperor s Palace in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Palace is just that, an enormous Las Vegas style hotel and casino that we were both booked into for the first night. Frank uses African Olive Travel Concepts for the packages he offers American fanciers going to the Million Dollar. His contact there is Deirdre Kallmeyer. Deirdre is a great gal and has worked with Frank for years to offer travelers a first-rate experience and this year was no exception. For the safari, Deidre booked us into the Kapama Private Game Reserve close to Kruger National Park. It s a reserve covering hectares or slightly more than 50 square miles and it sports over 500 miles of roads through the bush. So after a hearty breakfast and some time to talk pigeons, we climbed into a hotel shuttle and headed back to Tambo International Airport for the 45 minute flight to Kapama. As soon as we stepped off the plane we knew we weren t in Kansas anymore, Toto. An Indiana Jones Ride type of Toyota Jeep wheeled up to collect us and our luggage. It was driven by our guide for the next four days, a 25 year old native named Angie who we found to be, not only friendly and outgoing but, incredibly knowledgeable and accommodating. Over the rest of the week she and her trusty tracker, Lot, would plunge us deep into the bush in quest of spotting the Big 5, the lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo, among other wild animals that enjoy the protection from poachers of reserve life. Kapama is incredible. Four lodge-style housing complexes grace the grounds, each with similar facilities that included a gym, spa, pools, Judy and I, the dream comes true. bar, and cozy sitting areas for just reading a good book or chatting with friends. We were staying in River Lodge, with its beautiful thatched roof buildings all connected by winding brick paths through the picturesque bush. Here the friendly Nyala and pesky monkeys often greeted our strolls through the compound. Angie filled us in on how each day was laid out on the way from the airport. It began with a 5 AM wake -up call, followed by coffee, tea, juices, and pastries and fruit in the common eating areas. We learned the very first morning not to leave our plates unprotected as the resident monkeys waste no time in snatching food, especially fruit, from your plate if you leave the table for even a moment. Let s hit the road! 78 CSRPO Fall 2015

79 Our humble abode, River Lodge. The Leopard, rarest of sightings. Think I saw a puddy cat! Actually they were quite the hit with guests and would seemingly pose for pictures while they munched on your breakfast. By 6 AM we were loaded into the jeeps and headed off onto one of the myriads of roads that crisscross the reserve, hoping to see wild game. Right off the bat Angie headed us into herds of impala down this road and lanky giraffes on another road, zebras racing across yet a different road. It was suspenseful and exhilarating at the same time as the animals are wild but they don t usually run from the jeeps, thus affording us ample opportunities for picture taking. After a couple of hours Angie stopped the jeep in a clearing and Lot set up a small table with coffee and tea and small pastries. The routine here was women to one side of the road and men to the other to take care of those bathroom needs behind whichever bush you favored. Then we took some time to refresh ourselves with drinks and food and talk about what we had seen that morning before setting off again, down yet another road, in search of one of the Big 5. By 9 AM we were back at the compound to enjoy a full breakfast served up by staff chefs who would make your favorite omelet to go with the array of pancakes, waffles, fruits, pastries, cereals, and meats arranged buffet style. The rest of the morning was free for lounging, exercising, napping, or visiting the curio shop and then it was time for lunch at 1 PM. At 4 PM High Tea was served followed by the evening safari for another four hours or so. The evening safari usually ended around 7:30 PM. Once back, guests freshened up and returned to a five star dinner by candlelight in the common eating area where the guide joined us to relive the day s events. Do the math. That s five meals a day plus two snacks! And wouldn t you know it, the very first evening s safari Angie got the call from one of the other guides that they had stumbled upon a leopard finishing off its dinner of fresh impala. The leopard is the rarest of the Big 5 to spot on safari so Angie wasted no time in getting us to the kill site. The light was fading and we were on a different part CSRPO Fall

80 of the reserve but she put it in high gear and raced towards the location. It was almost dark when Lot signaled with his right hand and Angie veered off the road right into the thickest part of the bush. We were four wheeling big time now and everyone was cautioned to hold on and watch the branches overhead and alongside the jeep. Several times Lot called for us to stop while he broke off branches and guided Angie along shear drop offs. And at one such stop we heard the most eerie roar piercing the darkness as the leopard, apparently annoyed with flashing cameras recording his evening repast, had headed off into the thick undercover. Angie and Lot quickly conferred in the native language trying to guess which way to go to intercept the wandering cat and as luck would have it, we emerged right on the edge of a dry riverbed where the leopard had settled down in the tall grass to sleep off its over indulgence. For one, I was content to use the zoom on our new camera to snap a few pictures of the huge feline but Angie had another idea in mind. She put the jeep in low gear and headed over the edge of the embankment and down into the riverbed, pulling up alongside the dozing beast so we could get the best shots possible. Click, click, click and then it was up the other side, wheels spinning, dirt flying, and engine smoking but we eventually made our way up and out. Then it was whoops and high fives all around on the way back and an even greater appreciation for our guide and tracker who had obviously resolved that we were going to see that leopard one way or the other. The remainder of the week went the same way, we spotted game every day and eventually we found each of the Big 5 as well as many, many more animals, even a gecko. It was on the next to last day that we encountered herds of elephants. One big bull wasn t too keen to share the road and kept veering in on us until we backed up far enough for him to pass, unperturbed by those tiny humans in that toy jeep. And then we got really excited because that evening we found four male lions just bedding down by a small pond. Was the den close by? Time was running out for us to find it and then, Big guy on the move. Eureka! It was the final morning of our safari and we rounded a bend in the road and there, lying on an embankment, was the queen herself, a lioness with her beautiful cubs sunning themselves under the brilliant South African sky. We had found the den, the lioness and the cubs. That just made the whole safari for Judy. She got to see all the big kitties in their natural habitat. What an experience. But soon it was hugs and goodbyes to Angie and Lot and then back on the plane for the short trip to Johannesburg. Along the way I struggled to make the mental adjustments from wild animals to an animal of another kind, the incredible racing pigeon. And by the time we landed nothing but pigeons filled my mind as the excitement surrounding the Finally, the den and the pride. 80 CSRPO Fall 2015

81 Basketing for the Million Dollar. I checked every wing and breast. Judy mans the stamp table South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race hit me full force. We were about to encounter a den of another kind, only this one was the habitat of some of the biggest lions in the pigeon racing sport, Klass, Koopman, Hooymans, Klemens, Herbots, Norman, Paul Smith, Lloyd and Kelly, Oberholster and Ganus to name just a few. It was going to be another incredible adventure. Our schedule at Kapama had us arriving back in Joburg shortly after the basketing festivities had already begun on Thursday, so Frank arranged for the shuttle to take us directly to Linbro Park so we could help out with shipping. The lofts are situated on the property of Zandy Myer, the longtime Director of the race who tragically passed away last year. Linbro Park is an area across the street from the lofts with a large meeting facility ironically called the, Elephant Hall. It was here that rows of wire crates teaming with anxious pigeons met our eyes as we entered the large hall. It was a whirlwind of activity. Three different lines were set up where handlers moved the birds from station to station on the way to the final baskets. Two workers, wearing the iconic brilliant blue pants and yellow shirts that you see on the race s web page, lifted the crates onto a small table where a staff member retrieved a bird. Then he took the blue tape off the bird s identity band that had kept its identity secret up until this time. The bird would then have its original band read by a handler to another staff member at a computer while its leg was held over a sensor. Once the band was authenticated, matched to its owner and scanned, its wing received a stamp and the band was taped over once again. The final step was to place the bird in a basket with eighteen other racers. The basket was then sealed and loaded onto to the conveyor for transport to the release point. It was mega security with no opportunity to tamper with the birds or the final results. Frank and Judy and I jumped right into the activity. Frank and I handled birds and Judy stamped wings. I was excited to handle some of the best pigeons in the world but also nervous that one might escape my sweaty hands as the building s CSRPO Fall

82 large door to the outside was open for workers to come and go. So on several occasions I stopped to wet my hands with water to wash off the bloom and insure a good grip on what might be the race winner. My first two pigeons were from Germany and they were small to medium in size. This was going to be an educational experience for me as I had been hoping to get a better understanding of just what kind of pigeons the different countries were sending to this race. Mostly blues and blue checkers filled the crates but there were a number of non-blue colored birds like whites, white flights, blacks, and even reds that had outlasted more than two-thousand other trainees to reach the final stage and be basketed for the race of their lives. My next two birds were from Kuwait and Germany, the German bird being small again but the Kuwaiti bird much larger in size. Then I got an American bird and not only American but a California bird. It was one of Steve Sterchi s birds and it was small like those of the Germans. Then another Californian bird, this time it was one of Alex Bieche s two entrants and it was also on the small size. A couple of Mike Ganus birds followed, also on the small to medium size and then another American pigeon but this one I couldn t identify. This bird had a wound to its chest that was healing well but I summoned the veterinarian anyway. Dr. Martinus Hartman had been very busy that morning, moving from line to line looking at every questionable entry to insure it was ready for the rigors of the race ahead. And in this case it wasn t, so the doctor had the bird removed to a crate for further examination and it eventually became one of about 10 that were withdrawn from the race for various health issues. It took several hours but finally all the birds were basketed. Hope against hope I never did get to handle one of my own entries but I m pretty sure I heard one of my band numbers read in another line and that was just plain cool. With the birds loaded onto the conveyor and heading out to the release point, we collected our luggage and jumped into a shuttle for the short drive to the city and the check-in procedure at our respective hotels. Frank and Robin were at the Hyatt Regency where all the race festivities would take place and Judy and I chose the Crown Plaza just two blocks away. It had been a long and tiring day so both couples had a quick dinner and retired early. The next day, Friday, we were slated for a tour of Johannesburg and some shopping. Frank was busy with a meeting and Robin had taken the tour before, so Judy and I got a personal tour with our guide Linda. Linda is a guy. He explained Load m Up! that Americans pronounce his name like that of a girl but in African in sounded more like, Leenda. In any event he was a very personable and wellversed guide and gave us a great tour. We began in the more affluent neighborhoods, stopping at Nelson Mandela s enormous, gated, and electrified compound that now belongs to the Mandela family. Linda explained that Mandela at first refused to take possession of the mansion bestowed upon him by the government after his release from prison but eventually relented. It was a stark contrast to a visit later in the day to his first small brick home of about 700 square feet. A small museum now, it still has the bullet holes in the walls bearing witness to the hatred he encountered for his early resistance to apartheid (The government s official policy of separation of the races that began in 1948). Then we worked our way down into the heart of Johannesburg while Linda discussed the economy in post-apartheid South Africa and especially the impact gold and diamond mining has had on the country. 82 CSRPO Fall 2015

83 Eventually we made our way to Soweto, an urban area that began as a black township under apartheid as the city s white government increasingly leaned to removal of all black South Africans from the city and into urban compounds of their own, mostly devoid of government provided utilities that plague the communities even today. And we stopped at the large Mandela Museum to view the history of apartheid and the role Mandela played in ending the policy that kept white and black South Africans separated for almost half a century. While the township is still populated by the poorest South Africans, it boasts an incredible love of Nelson Mandela that is reflected in the various forms of art produced by residents and sold along the streets. Pictures, sculptures, paintings, carvings, you name it and the locals have engraved the memory of Nelson Mandela in every art form imaginable. They also produce some of the best African art for souvenirs anyone could hope to purchase. Here is where Judy and I wanted to shop and it was a great experience. Colorful and energetic on the outside, the locals are also hard-working, kind and sincere and we found Happy Campers at the Awards Dinner. them wonderful people to spend the day with, even the street mimes and entertainers hoping for a tip. Linda also took us to a popular outdoor restaurant to sample local cuisine, especially lamb. It was a great day of sightseeing, shopping and interacting with another culture that made us realize how, in some ways, we may be different but ultimately were all the same. The human spirit is as alive and vibrant in South Africa as anywhere else we ve visited in our travels. After returning to the hotel, Judy and I took some time to freshen up and then it was into one of the ballrooms at the Hyatt for the welcome ceremonies. That was really exciting. Here we were sitting around large tables with entrants from thirty-six or more other countries all hoping to claim victory in Saturday s race. But beyond that it made me realize that I was part of a sport that is really enormous in scope, a worldwide fraternity that transcends cultural differences. It was very comforting. Festivities began with Emcee Keith Lindsay welcoming everyone to this year s race. He had prepared these really funny slides of pigeons and pigeon people as part of his program and they got everyone laughing and feeling more comfortable, which I m sure was his intention. Then he called all the exporters up on stage to receive gifts and And the winners are! CSRPO Fall

84 a well- deserved round of applause for their outstanding efforts shipping birds for the race from their respective countries. Frank took his rightful place among the honorees and the American contingent hooted and shouted as his name was announced. Staff members were honored next for their tremendous contribution in organizing this year s race, training the birds, and putting together all the festivities for the race weekend. The Directors were Michael Holt, Pieter Saayman, Marion Branford, and Joan-e Holt and the Loft Management was led by Corrie, Andre and Dave. It became obvious early on that the entire crew took their commitment seriously and they went above and beyond to ensure a successful race for the birds and a great experience for attendees. For the welcome dinner, Frank had arranged a table with fellow Americans Chad Compton and his girlfriend Annmarie Houser, as well as two of Frank s South African friends Martin and Hein Beneke. It was a fun group. Chad is a game warden in Illinois and Annmarie is an animal care inspector for the government in Illinois. Chad and his partner Doug Harms, flying under the team name Gray Fox Harms, had already won Hotspot Car Race number 3 with their bird, Gray Fury. So we were hoping for that good luck to rub off on the rest of us around the table as well. Martin is a professional auctioneer and would serve as the auctioneer for the post-race auction of the top hundred birds. Hein is a Vodacom licensee/distributor and used car dealer. Frank is a pigeon importer/breeder and is the U.S. Coordinator for the Million Dollar Race and Robin is a high school nurse. Add into the mix that Judy and I are retired teachers and you can see it was an eclectic group assembled around our table. We immediately hit it off and wiled away the hours eating great food and enjoying stimulating conversation as we got to know one another. Pigeons this and pigeons that dominated the friendly banter and at night s end we all had a deeper appreciation for the wide range of professions and interest that bring pigeon people together. Race day was still a day away but I m sure we all retired that evening with visions of our bird being the one that landed first and all alone at the finish line running through our heads. It was going to be exciting. And then it was race day. Gulp! To say it was rather nerve-raking is sheer understatement. Everyone gathered in one of the ballrooms where vendors had set up displays and large screens were in place with cameras trained on the finish line at the lofts. Judy and I bought shirts and hats with the Million Dollar logo on them and we changed into the T-shirts and found our table from the night before. Hein had brought a large South African flag to drape on the table and several other tables had flags from other countries. My hands were getting sweaty. Once everyone was seated, a buffet was served as we waited for the birds and the organizers had a treat in store for us. They had filmed both the basketing and the race release for our entertainment. The basketing had moments of time lapse photography where it appeared everyone was scurrying about. It was quite comical and we strained to see ourselves in the shots and did, or imagined we did. The release also had some time-lapse scenes as the workers busied themselves with preparations for the release. But it also had been set to music that climbed in tempo as the sun rose. Then the music stopped and all was quiet as the cameras focused on the basket doors of the conveyor. With almost heart stopping effect the music rang out as the doors dropped and the birds burst forward from their confines into the morning sky above. As you can imagine the ballroom erupted with cheers and shouts at the spectacle of more than two thousand pigeons exploding out of the crates and climbing into the heavens attempting to orient. Briefly circling the conveyor, they quickly locked onto their position and disappeared into the rays of sunlight that illuminated the way home, 324 miles away. God that was dramatic. If you haven t seen it yet you need to check the web page at, samdpr.com and find the link. Time moves so slowly when anticipation rules the day. With lunch over each table settled into quiet conversation punctuated with predictions of the birds arrival time. The video of the release indicated a relatively clear and calm morning but as the race progressed the weather took a turn for the worse 84 CSRPO Fall Spring

85 that no one could have predicted. Organizers did their best to keep the audience abreast of the latest weather reports that were now showing increasing cloud cover, headwinds, and possible showers as an unforeseen thunderstorm made its way into the birds path. By two o clock murmuring could be heard at the various tables about the birds already being on the wing eight hours and the storm gathering strength. Would there be any day birds? At the lofts, staff members manning the cameras desperately searched the skies for any signs of the racers and got quite the laugh when they zoomed in on a large bird that landed on the loft, only to see it was a black starling, once it came into focus. Doves on a pole and black birds cutting through the camera s angle of view only increased the tension in the room. Then a bird landed on the adjacent building and the cameras zoomed in. It was a race bird! You could hear a pin drop in the room as eyes strained to make out details of the ring. But it still had the blue tape covering its identity band and once it trapped in, organizers announced it was a late trainer that didn t make it home in time to be entered into the race. Are you kidding me? If your heart wasn t pounding before, it was now! Finally, a little after 3 PM, two birds appeared in the sky, made a short pass over the loft and settled down at the finish line just in front of the trap and sensors. The one closest to the sensor hesitated for a moment and the other one marched right in to become the winner of the 19 th Annual South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race. The first bird was from Germany and the second from Kuwait. Two hours passed before the third bird arrived and trapped in only to be disqualified. It would be one of fifteen entrants in the top 300 paid positions disqualified for non-payment of the entry fee. One would be an American. In this case it was an Australian bird whose electronic ring had apparently not been working properly throughout the training so the owner really didn t know how it had been doing. So the week before the race the organizers gave him the option to enter the bird with a new electronic band or of placing it in the pool to be sold and taking a free entry fee for next year. He opted for the free entry fee, no one purchased it in the pool, and he lost a cool $75,000 to the next bird in, another German entrant. The moral of this story is clear. If you can afford to send it, you need to pay to enter it. From that point on birds arrived from every few minutes to a half hour apart but at day s end only 17 racers were safely in. Three Americans were included in the day-birds, Horse-Reliable from Nanez Family Syndicate was 4th, Loretta entered by Jim Norton was 10 th, and Penny entered by the team of Walsh-Peterson was 11 th. Needless to say it was a tense and perhaps sleepless night for the owners whose birds were out overnight, including me. But to the relief of everyone, the next morning birds started arriving as early as 5:42 AM, so several pigeons had been close by but were simply too tired to negotiate those last few miles in the growing darkness. By the end of the second day slightly more than 800 pigeons had made it home. That meant the top 300 positions which receive cash prizes were in the books. The significant prize money is in the first ten positions, but the top 100 are auctioned off the next day, and usually for pretty good sums. American entrants can hold their heads high as they accounted for 14 pigeons in the top 100 with a total of 68 in the top 300 prizes! It was a job well done for team U.S.A. In our group, Frank managed to place three birds in the money at 125, 250, and 253 and Judy and I snuck one in with a 281 finish, so it was an exciting day for us. Surprisingly, not too many of the big lions had much to roar about on race day. Jan Hooymans of the Netherlands, for example, placed 12 birds in the money, but none in the top ten. And he sent 55 to the race out of an original entry of 122! There were a few others who could boast they had 30 or more birds in the final race also but none of them placed a pigeon in the top ten either. No the real lions this day were the small team flyers. The winner only had two birds go to the final race, and the second place bird was the only one sent for that happy entrant. In all there were six others in the top ten with five or fewer birds in the basket on race day. Only 3 rd, 4 th, and 5 th places came from teams of 8 or more birds. That should CSRPO Fall

86 be encouraging for readers who would like to enter the Million Dollar but can t afford a big team. You don t need one. So join us next year. The next day was the auction of the first 100 pigeons to arrive home. Here again organizers had the best interest of the birds in mind when they announced that it would cost potential buyers two hundred Rand, that s about $20 bucks, to handle the birds. The staff thought too many people stretching wings and peering down throats would only strain already tired, aching muscles. It was a good decision. I just wanted some pictures of the top birds and Chad and Frank helped me with that. Each of them paid the fee to handle the birds and we coordinated their looking at the wings, throats, breasts, etc. with my picture taking so they didn t tax the birds too much. Each would bring the bird to the railing that kept non-payees outside so I could snap photos. The auction was a feeding frenzy for South African buyers as race birds are still not allowed to be exported out of Africa (to most countries) for fear they may carry diseases that could spread in those countries. In fact, back in October it seemed the very future of the race itself was in doubt as the Department of Environmental Affairs in South Africa had included feral pigeons and rock doves on its latest list of invasive species. Had that determination held true, not only the race, but breeding and transport of pigeons would have been outlawed. Fortunately, race organizers immediately consulted legal professionals, as well as the Department of Environmental Affairs, and were successful in getting racing pigeons exempted from any restrictions. The Regulation will not be enforced against racing pigeons and associated activities, the final report read. Whew! We re good for another year. But this inability to export race pigeons and get them into the U.S. is just plain crazy. A person infected with Ebola can fly right into Texas and terrorists on a no fly watch list can saunter right into the good old U.S.A. But a well- bred pigeon with no sign of disease and with all its vaccinations up to snuff can t get a spot in a crate sitting in the cargo hole of a jet to the U.S. or any other country. Whatever happened to common sense? Crazy! Chad and Frank discuss the auction birds. The Winner, Sanjay 1. Robben Island brings the highest amount at $17, CSRPO Spring 2015

87 And what of the thousands of pigeons from prior races trapped in South Africa? For one, I wanted to see my bird from the 2012 race so I made arrangements with the loft staff to bring it to the basketing. It was great to handle Jabez again and snap a few pictures. Truth be told it was a little worse for wear from being in a flight pen all this time and not able to exercise but it looked in good health. The loft staff is obviously taking care of those birds that are stuck here. I wanted to sneak it out right then but hopefully this nonsense regarding export will be resolved this year and it will get to come home. Fingers crossed. Today, foreigners who wish to purchase a bird at the Million Dollar need to have South African friends that will keep and perhaps breed the bird for them. Frank said this was the main issue discussed in the exporters meeting, and that the organizers would be working hard to change the restrictions or find another venue for the race. Until then the race will continue as it has. What that meant on this day was that South African buyers would have a feeding frenzy. And sales were brisk but failed to reach some of the stratospheric prices the winning birds have brought in the past. For example, the first place bird, Sanjay 1, only fetched $6,050. The second bird in, Robben Island, had actually landed closer to the timing sensor but it hesitated to step in. But it had also been in the top 100 training finishes something like ten times or so, and it brought a better price at $17,286. I think everyone was waiting for Lot#13 and thought it would account for the highest figure. This bird, Al-Juwaisari 1 from Kuwait, had won Hot Spot Car Race #1 and now claimed the Zandy Meyer Memorial Car, a brand new Mercedes SLK convertible as well. It did sell for more than the first bird but less than the second at $12,965. It was a tense, exhausting morning so we didn t stay for the entire auction. I had taken pictures of most of the top ten birds and of Brad Hoggan s (77) and Steve Sterchi s (96) prize winners. When we got home I ed both of them the pictures I had taken and they were quite pleased, and they should have been as they had sent super nice birds to the race. Well it was over and wow, what a trip! Frank and Robin were catching a plane later that evening to return home to Hanson, Massachusetts and Chad and Annmarie were leaving late on the next day. Judy and I were also leaving the next evening and took the better part of the day finishing up our shopping and trying to calm down. I was already writing this article, at least in my mind. I would jot down thoughts in the weirdest places. After stepping out of the shower I d grab the pen and paper I d left on the bathroom sink and write a word, name, or sentence; in the hotel restaurant at breakfast with pen and pad next to my plate filled with eggs, bacon, potatoes and such, I d think of a line or event; while shopping in the farmer s style market atop the parking garage (That s where all the bargains really were.), I d yank the crumpled paper from my rear pocket and capture the thought I just had. I guess that s how most writers do it, jot it down when they think of it or it s probably gone forever. Well how do you sum up the trip of a life time? For sure we had seen the lion s den. We ll never forget that lioness regally sitting with her cubs along an embankment in Kapama. What beauty! What majesty! But in many ways the den of top flyers, the lions of the pigeon sport, was spookier. Who were we to approach their lair? What were we doing sitting at the table behind Alfons Klaas? Who were we to say hello to Gerard Koopman? What a great guy Gerard is. He walked right up to us and introduced himself and said good luck. In the end I think we can say the lions in both dens weren t as fierce as we first anticipated they might be. The Kapama lions were almost docile, as long as we respected their privacy and took only pictures away from their den. And the lions at the Million Dollar were more friendly than aggressive. In truth they welcomed us into their den and hoped we d have success on race day as well. No. No reason to fear. It was a great experience, an educational experience, a bonding experience, and one we hope to enjoy again one day. Maybe you ll join us. CSRPO Spring

88 88 CSRPO Fall 2015