We posed to them these, by now familiar, 8 questions as well:
- From whom did you learn the most about the pigeon sport? Who was your mentor?
- Which moment or achievement of your pigeon career are you the proudest of?
- What are your objectives for 2021, or what would you be satisfied with when the 2021 season is over?
- Who will be the big surprise of 2021 according to you?
- Imagine, tomorrow you are suddenly in charge of the National Pigeon Union, what would you want to change to the current pigeon sport?
- What is the greatest mistake that you have ever made with your own loft?
- The slogan goes "Pigeon sport, family sport". What is the attitude of your partner or family towards it?
- What is the ultimate tip that you want to give to a starting pigeon fancier?
Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers (Brasschaat, BE)
Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers, or VOD Pigeons, is formed by the old hands Jacques, Irene, and their son Vincent, who has been bringing in new ideas and incentives in recent years. Those who visit the family Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers for a cup of tea, know their stay will last longer than 10 minutes. In order to answer our pre-season questions, it is only natural then, that Jacques took his time.
From whom did you learn the most about the pigeon sport? Who was your mentor?
Actually, I (Jacques, Ed.) do not really have a mentor. In my starting years ‘94/’95, we did pick up quite a bit from the down-to-earth and sympathetic Gerard Koopman from the Netherlands via regular contact. Also, from Jos Thoné from Belgium. But honestly, just like my private life, I am a self-made man. I like to experience things myself and I like experimenting. For example, I used my experience of racing with my Tipplers (flying for more than 20 hours continuously) often with extremely long-distance pigeons. It is kind of similar. Being able to fly for a long time without having to pay too much for it. I also kept my eyes and ears open during loft visits with top fanciers and, together with my wife, have read every book available and drawn my conclusions from that.
Often, the writers contradict each other, and then you get what Gerard Koopman told us a few times: “There really is no one single way… there are many roads that lead to Rome'' and he is right. I have tried everything and then some and eventually, I can say that with many failures, recoveries, shame and damage, I have developed a method and a pigeon that fits my (our) style. It must also be said that we always had a great number of pigeons, so we could afford the occasional mistake. You can also be much stricter during selection. In my eyes, a good pigeon is a well-formed one with velvety feathers who can achieve good, sometimes great, performances with very few tricks. That said, you do have to regularly polish up here and there, because times do change, and sometimes you take a wrong turn. So, one must always be prepared to learn more every day. No other fancier is resting his laurels, they too select and can easily gain good pigeons these days. So, we can not afford to plateau.
Which moment or achievement of your pigeon career are you the proudest of?
We are the proudest of our “Poco Barcelona” 1st Nat. Pipa Ace Pigeon over three years in the Barcelona. A pigeon of our own breed, yes I am proud of that. He was, as it were, “created”. I know from experience that one can have quick results from crossing, the beneficial crossing effect I call that, but after that it quickly becomes an entirely different story. There tends to be an abundance of qualities, good ones, lesser ones, and even bad ones. Then you have to be careful, because before you know it, the results plummet and one is forced to “get something extra” to make a new crossing. Nothing wrong with that, but “Poco” makes me extra proud because I bred him out of my own lines, on which I worked for years. When I coupled the parents and he was weaned, I was almost certain… I had “created” an ace pigeon. And I was right.
But, there were also other great moments in the past to be proud of. 1st Int. Yearling “Perpignanne” at Perpignan. - 2 x 1st Nat. St. Vincent with “Miss and Mr. St. Vincent,” as well as 2 x 2nd Nat. “Eros'' at Montauban and in 2019 “Close One” at Agen. At Perpignan`03, 5 yearlings on the 1st place Provincial, and National among the top 50, and then another flock of pigeons. Once Mark de Cock bought a whole series of younglings from us, 2 years later he basketed 8 of those for the Barcelona. 7 of them placed among the first 100th National, starting with a 7th I believe. Something to be proud of for him, but also for us. Ah, we have so many moments to be so very proud of. It is always beautiful to see the pigeons come in early, but I especially enjoy it when our young birds have to fly a long time under difficult circumstances at the National races. All of them need to do that at least 2 times. It is beautiful than to see them do that without any issues, and coming in fresh. Everyone needs such things to stay motivated because we know, like everyone in every sport… good results do not come alone. There are ups and downs. Luck and setbacks. We all know it, nothing ever comes on its own.
What are your objectives for 2021, or what would you be satisfied with when the 2021 season is over?
We have good things to look forward to in 2021. We got a good crew ready for the big races for the yearlings, Agen, Brive, Tulle and Narbonne, and we have the old birds ready for the International races. We are going for an early homecoming on the provincial and national level, just like in recent years. We are hoping for another 1st National, especially in the Barcelona, or even International, but who does not want that?
Who will be the big surprise of 2021 according to you?
We keep a close eye on too few people (especially in this Corona year) to be able to say: “Who will be the big surprise of 2021 according to you?” I do know a number of people who have heavily invested in top material in recent years, those have a good chance, but with super material alone you are not there yet. I also did not have time to read the pigeon magazines to be able to determine who qualifies as the big surprise of 2021.
Imagine, tomorrow you are suddenly in charge of the National Pigeon Union, what would you want to change to the current pigeon sport?
I do not like to imagine that. I simply am not the right person for the job. I do not like rules, though I do understand they are often needed. For certain people more than others. Personally, I believe in common sense… but that goes wrong right off the bat because not everyone has that, right? It is a good thing then that there are people who make rules (often too many) and enforce those. There are a number of things that annoy me, but I will not list them at this time. I would like to stay positive.
What is the greatest mistake that you have ever made with your own loft?
There has been plenty of mistakes and failures. When we started in `94/95 we had the help of the old caretakers of Jos Thoné, Wijlen Nol Moors, and his wife, Miree. He made the mistake of leaving a basket with hens for Dourdan on the lofts instead of basketting them. During the race, not a single hen came home. Panic ensued, “what is going on?”, until we found the basket, of course. “That is blunder number 1, he said with a laugh, and yes we had to laugh about it. Blunder number 2 was from the time he was giving the birds-eye drops. A bottle was empty so he got a new one. Which was Endo and Ecto (so against parasites). A few hens became blind. Blunder number 3 (he told me himself) was letting out 30 young birds that still had to be loft broken, naturally, everything was gone.
Something like that happened to me last year. I let a group of 10 special young birds, who were meant for someone, into the aviary so they could sit in the sun and take a bath. I did not close the door properly, and except for 3, everything was gone. I then think that the person who collected them will be happy. A few years ago a super blunder ended with a sizzle. We had a group of 136 young birds trained up to 25 km. They were “latecomers”. We basketted them on the weekend on Quievrain (110 km). Usually, we only do that once they have been trained up to 50 km, but we were in a rush with the latecomers. At the same time, we had 30 hens ready for Noyon, 220 km. So we accidentally basketted them in reverse. The hens were back home from Quievrain in no time, but the younglings stayed away. That’s when we realised what had gone wrong, and what a massive shock that was for us. We thought that the whole score of younglings, all those beautiful creatures… were gone! Yet, unbelievably… they came home except for 3 of them. 133 younglings home from jumping from 25 km to 220. We were so happy afterwards. Nowadays, they are still trained up to 50 km by the way. We know well enough that it can be quite difficult for younglings to do that 110 km the first time.
A very nasty blunder was 2 years ago. We had a youngling, a hen, who had done 3 national races and came in very early every time. She was a topper from a top lineage. One week after her last race, we accidentally put her in the basket for Chateauroux. At the club, we noticed this and put her back in the basket. I was with my son Vincent and we said…. “We have to remember back home to take her out of it.”... but I discovered a few weeks later that we had completely forgotten about her. She had become a stuffed pigeon. Such a blunder and definitely one of the worst, especially for the bird herself.
The slogan goes "Pigeon sport, family sport". What is the attitude of your partner or family towards it?
As most know, we have been working on this as a family for years. Father, mother and son under the name VOD Pigeons (van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers abbreviated). We supplement each other well, and we discuss everything as much as possible, though we each have our own pigeons in our own lofts to keep us busy. “Before and during the races the collaboration can “have some difficulties'' due to the stress and the tension of a race. However, when the results are good, all of that is quickly forgotten!
What is the ultimate tip that you want to give to a starting pigeon fancier?
As an ultimate tip for a staring fancier, I would say to try orienting yourself and visiting various well-meaning fanciers, who want to educate and explain how you should go about things without trying to sell you pigeons directly. Even if they are free. Almost never (actually never) is there such a thing as free lunch. When you know more, and know which races you want to participate in, keep your eyes open for what is on sale here and there. Try to get or buy some old breeders or younglings from a good local fancier. Be careful with getting them for free. After all, who hands out birds, or anything, for free, when others want money for it? Besides, the ones who are selling birds also had to invest, and if not, work hard to get such good birds. But it happens that you get good material for free or very cheaply. We have old breeders who gave us good younglings in abundance. You can get trash anywhere of course. That might sound harsh, but that is how it usually goes in this world. Luckily, there are exceptions. You hear that sometimes folk can do well with a “hand-me-down”, but how often do you hear that? I think quite rarely. A beautiful idea from mostly the past, to help each other in this world that has become harsher, needs to be searched for with a lantern. There are also people who want to profit from that goodwill, and that is how you learn to not bother. My idea is, and that is how I have always done it in my life, save some money and buy some. Then, you are standing strong and you get satisfaction!
I can confidently recommend the starting fancier to start keeping pigeons. It can grow into a beautiful hobby, if you like birds/animals. You have your hobby, nature as it were, at home. You can always invest time into it, summer and winter. Especially now with Corona, it is nice to go to your birds, breed your youngsters, who are coming home from all kinds of races, at least if you are good to them. You automatically meet new people via your local club, people with the same interest and thus, friendships can be formed. When you eventually achieve good results because of your hard work, you can be proud of your birds, as I said above. These are some of the fun things to experience as a fancier.
Starting fanciers do need to be supported of course, because all beginnings are difficult!
Kas & Karel Meijers (Ootmarsum, NL)
Father Karel (retired veterinarian) and son Kas Meijers (full-time pigeon fancier) restarted in the pigeon sport in 2007. It seemed like they were never gone, because you can find them again every year at the top of the Dutch pigeon sport. Their skill reached an impressive highlight with Olympic pigeon, Olympic Nicole. Kas and Karel also took some time to answer our pre-season questions.
From whom did you learn the most about the pigeon sport? Who was your mentor?
In my first life as a fancier, that was the late Hans Boenders, and during the restart in 2007, that was mostly Leo Heremans (BE). When I am currently struggling with something, I ask the brothers Leideman for advice.
Which moment or achievement of your pigeon career are you the proudest of?
1st Nat. Ace Pigeon WHZB 2010
1st Dutch Olympiad pigeon Cat F 2013
1st Dutch Olympiad pigeon Cat A 2019
1st Dutch Olympiad pigeon Cat A 2022
The result of 12-9-`20, 20 pigeons basketed, 20 won prizes in Sector 9 East Netherlands against 16.175 pigeons we played 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 13th, 22nd, 38th, 40th, 56th, 63rd, 67th, 121st, 129th, 332nd, 3745th and 3750th. This is the best result that was made in the 2020 season within the Netherlands.
What are your objectives for 2021, or what would you be satisfied with when the 2021 season is over?
We can not do more than giving it our best, and then we will see where we end up.
Who will be the big surprise of 2021 according to you?
I actually do not have the faintest clue.
Imagine, tomorrow you are suddenly in charge of the National Pigeon Union, what would you want to change to the current pigeon sport?
In that case, I would bring the pigeon sport to public attention as now, for example, the fishing sport is brought to attention with `vis tv`, the program about sport fishing on the television channel RTL 7.
What is the greatest mistake that you have ever made with your own loft?
No clue, though we will most certainly make a mistake every now and then.
The slogan goes "Pigeon sport, family sport". What is the attitude of your partner or family towards it?
As is known, we practice the sport together as father and son.
What is the ultimate tip that you want to give to a starting pigeon fancier?
Try to get a good fancier as your mentor, especially in the first years. That is a great added value.
Klaas & Rik Van Dorp (Rotterdam, NL)
With the Rotterdam father-son combination Klaas & Rik Van Dorp, we conclude this third part of the pre-season questions. Father Klaas has been active in the pigeon sport since 1955. In 1977, after moving to the current location, son Rik also became invested in the sport. The start of years of success and pigeon pleasure for the family Van Dorp. Also, grandson Sten joined the pigeon sport and plays under his own name, but helps Klaas & Rik regularly where possible.
From whom did you learn the most about the pigeon sport? Who was your mentor?
My mentor was naturally my father, with whom I played from childhood until he passed away in 2019.
Which moment or achievement of your pigeon career are you the proudest of?
I am the proudest of winning the Gouden Duif in 2014, and sending 2 pigeons as the best in their category in the Dutch Sport Class to the Olympics in Budapest in 2015.
What are your objectives for 2021, or what would you be satisfied with when the 2021 season is over?
That is very simple really. Play well, and have fun in the sport. Especially that last part is important, but honesty demands that I say that is easier when you play well.
Who will be the big surprise of 2021 according to you?
I do not know if I am allowed to say surprise considering his performances of the last 2 or 3 years, but I hold Tom Van Gaver in high regard.
Imagine, tomorrow you are suddenly in charge of the National Pigeon Union, what would you want to change to the current pigeon sport?
That is quite a difficult question! The top priority should be the gaining of new members, but honesty demands that I say that I do not know how to actually realize that.
What is the greatest mistake that you have ever made with your own loft?
Once we rinsed out the youngling loft with U3 about an hour before they were supposed to come home. This is because we were unable to get the lice away from the pigeons. The stench was so bad that not a single pigeon would enter the loft!
The slogan goes "Pigeon sport, family sport". What is the attitude of your partner or family towards it?
My son is interested, but my wife and daughter do not care for the pigeons. They are happy for me, but that is where it stops.
What is the ultimate tip that you want to give to a starting pigeon fancier?
This is also a difficult question. The most important is, I believe, to try to have fun with your pigeons. This is where everything starts, and do not raise the bar too high. Otherwise, the pigeon sport quickly becomes one with many disappointments.