If you haven’t yet noticed the name Stijn Van Laere, then talk to fanciers out the region… for years it has been impossible to race against this Stijn Van Laere in the sprint and middle distance. So dominant, so outclassing… is the pigeon game with which this youthful super champion does so well every week, raging through the pigeon peloton like a whirlwind, striking the opposition like a sledgehammer, where some need more than a week to recover. Whoever thinks we are exaggerating… we strongly advise them to look at the honours list of 2011… simply phenomenal! No less than about 50 x pure 1° prizes shine on the honours list of 2011… with further numerous results with the 3-4 to 5 first prizes, even a few with the 11 first and 16 first prizes against 400 à 500 pigeons!
For the performances of 2011: click here!
It’s been like that for years there in Kruishoutem… entire competitions are wound up, the opponents bulldozed almost weekly, with the result… that they prefer to see the back of him, the Van Laere-pigeons are hardly welcome anywhere… his loft is threatened with exclusion almost everywhere! The toll of ‘too’ strong a pigeon game… but, not very sporting, and certainly not propaganda for the youthful fanciers so as Stijn! Is it their fault that at the moment their pigeons are a few sizes too big for the opposition?
Rock solid stock
Stijn caught the bug when he was young. Both grandfathers had pigeons and in 2001 he began himself at home in the Nazarethsesteenweg, mainly with youngsters from grandfather Roger Van Laere. He owned pigeons from the strain Janssens (via Raphaël Van Laere), supplemented with pigeons from Willy Thas-Melle (lijn Engels) and as last the strain Imbrechts via Victor De Groote from Zwalm. Over the last few years pigeons from Astere Vergotte-Aalter were successfully introduced into the loft, proven by the interprovincial victory from Orleans with ‘Orla-ster’. In addition the stock was also successfully supplemented with pigeons from the Vandenheede brothers (Zingem) and Frederik Everaert (Zwijnaarde) , Luc Crucke (Zingem) and Lucien Van Steenbrugge (Zingem). Later reinforcements came from Jules Humblet (line Jan Vande Pasch, grandchildren Lowieke). This year pigeons were bought from François Tobback (Zemst) and Leekens-Hermans (As).
Racing system
Both old cocks as hens are raced… for 2012 there will be 47 cocks and 18 hens. Both cocks and hens take part in the winter breed. The cocks are usually coupled at the beginning of March and allowed to brood for 5 days and during this period the pigeons are trained. These old cocks are raced in classic widowhood without too many frills. They are always shown their hen before being basketted and usually for 5 minutes, although sometimes they try to bring some variation into this. Seeing as how the cocks all reside in the same loft they are usually all entered for the same race… in any case it makes the care and coaching of the pigeons easier. At the end of the season (middle of August) the cocks are allowed to raise a youngster again.
The hens on the other hand begin the season with a nest… they are coupled in the middle of March and are also trained during this period. The hens go into widowhood whilst they still have a youngster, about the beginning of May. So that at the end of May they have been in widowhood for 3 weeks. The youngsters are not raced in widowhood, but only with a nest. They are also darkened until the end of May, but no lighting is used. These youngsters normally race until the middle of October. Normally both old and young race from the first to the last race of the season… or until the moulting of the pens allows, for the youngsters then it is up to and including the last races in the ‘Ronde van België’. The accent lies in full season in the races around 300 Km in the middle distance, with the races from Ablis and Angerville. Seeing as how they don’t really focus on the club championships, they leave from week to week for the nicest races in various clubs in the region.
At medical level everything is left in the hands of veterinary Vandercruyssen (Oosterzele). Before the start of the season with the old birds everything is cleared of ‘tricho’ and ‘coccidiosis’ (if necessary). For the airways there is a seven day cure at the end of March, so that everything is in order before the season begins. During the season they act on the advice of the vet… and this with a variation of products to avoid resistance.
NationalChampion Youth KBDB 2011
Whoever has scrutinized the results of the Stijn Van Laere colony above, and has seen the fireworks with which he bombarded the opposition every week… with performances with which many renowned top champions, who instead of shaking in their boots, are extremely grateful that they don’t have to race against the Van Laere pigeons every week… will not be surprised that this youthful top champion has been proclaimed national ‘Nr 1’ in the category ‘Youth’! He achieved this national title with the following prizes:
|
Date |
Race |
Nr of birds |
Prize |
Bird |
|
21-5-2011 |
Angerville |
279 |
1 |
4118921/2010 |
|
28-5-2011 |
Orleans |
4248 |
3 |
4118921/2010 |
|
4-6-2011 |
Angerville |
654 |
3 |
4059327/2009 |
|
2-7-2011 |
Orleans |
439 |
1 |
4118896/2010 |
|
9-7-2011 |
Blois |
1184 |
3 |
4231064/2008 |
Top pigeons
Whoever can achieve such performances must have a colony containing a wealth of breeding and racing material. Perfectly normal… one thing follows another. We selected 3 toppers for you, which made it nice weather above Kruishoutem in 2011:
-“Adriaan” 4118921/2010
8° National Ace bird Small middle distance 2010
2° Provincial Ace bird Small middle distance 2010
St-Quentin 188 p. 14
St-Quentin 432 p. 1
Ecouen 489 p. 40
Ecouen 523 p. 12
492 p. 23
Ablis 233 p. 2
150 p. 2
Angerville 279 p. 1
236 p. 3
Orleans 535 p. 1
I.Prov 4.248 p. 3
282 p. 1
I.Prov 2.763 p. 3
Angerville 332 p. 8
314 p. 12
Angerville 117 p. 5 (after 4 loft companions)
122 p. 10
Angerville 69 p. 1
Blois 185 p. 14
I.Prov 1.448 p. 36
I.Prov 1.184 p. 61
Angerville 40 p. 1
Orleans 115 p. 3
100 p. 6
-“Alonso” 4118896/2010
St-Quentin 188 p. 2
Noyon 422 p. 2
Ecouen 489 p. 12
454 p. 24
Ecouen 523 p. 7
492 p. 15
Ablis 463 p. 29
384 p. 27
Ablis 233 p. 7
150 p. 12
Angerville 279 p. 1
236 p. 3
Orleans 535 p. 3
I.Prov 4.248 p. 5
282 p. 3
I.Prov 2.763 p. 5
Angerville 165 p. 10
667 p. 12
654 p. 26
Orleans 133 p. 1
216 p. 1
Orleans 439 p. 1
366 p. 5
Blois 185 p. 3
I.Prov 1.184 p. 18
238 p. 8
I.Prov 1.448 p. 9
-“Bender” 4220607/2011
Ecouen 411 p. 3
Ablis 466 p. 21
Ablis 441 p. 15
Ecouen 342 p. 27
Orleans 189 p. 7
I.Prov 3.042 p. 37
Ablis 135 p. 5
Boves 279 p. 6 (after 5 loft companions)
Boves 173 p. 5
A great champion is in the making
Whoever has followed the performances of Stijn Van Laere cannot do anything else but conclude that here there is a great champion in the making. Producing such a performance wave… outclassing and dominating the races in such a way week after week… this is not even possible for many of our ‘great champions’ in our current pigeon sport. All the ingredients are present here, and it will surprise no-one … when this Stijn Van Laere later, with a large drum roll and trumpet call, establishes himself between the ‘great tenors’ of the middle distance happenings at national level! Maybe this is the big challenge for 2012… success Stijn, and hearty congratulations on what you have achieved!
