Van Hertem-Schuurmans (Neerpelt, BE) ends the season with a well-deserved title of National Ace Pigeon Shorter Middle Distance Old Birds

par PiMediaKi le 27/10/2013
, colombophiles apparentés: Van Hertem-Schuurmans
Lisette and Henri Van Hertem-Schuurmans from Neerpelt have an excellent reputation in the province of Limburg with pigeons that fall from the sky like a meteor shower. They had already had Olympiad Pigeons in Nitra 2013 and they have now added the title of National Ace Pigeon Shorter Middle Distance Old Birds to their list of achievements, as well as an 8th place in the Longer Middle Distance Yearlings!

2013 was not an easy season but it was basically a triumphant year for this couple, with a national victory from Guéret I old birds and a Belgian win from Châteauroux II yearlings. They have also managed to win at least 40 first prizes and several other top results. They had got used to gaining excellent results but the last few seasons have really been phenomenal.


Henri is proud of his first National from Guéret I old birds

Busy men

The two fanciers are busy from the first to the final race of the season to get their large team of racing pigeons in the best possible shape. “We try to make our pigeons perform well every weekend, if the weather allows”, says Henri.

Their achievements of 2013 remind us of their equally successful 2012 season. “That was not easy”, Lisette says. “We spend a lot of time taking care of our pigeons and observing them. The urge to win is vital but sometimes you have to hold back when necessary, for instance in case of bad weather, if your pigeons do not recover well, etc. You have to keep an eye on everything and act accordingly.”

National title

Last year they finished second in the Ace Pigeon Extreme Middle Distance championship old birds with their Olympiad Pigeon, Britt (BE10-5120168). This time they took the first prize in a different category: the Ace Pigeon Championship Shorter Middle Distance Old Birds. Their racing pigeon BE11-5140870 achieved the best coefficient (1.2376), leaving their opponent Gert Rondags (Bilzen, BE) behind with a margin of only 0.0837. Their pigeon 870/11 won the following prizes, thanks to which they are about to receive a golden medal in Ostend:

1st against 1,171 pigeons
1st against   314 pigeons
1st against   800 pigeons
1st against   285 pigeons
2nd against   559 pigeons

Cherry on the cake

It would be impossible to include all of their best results but the following prizes are worth mentioning: Châteauroux II yearlings (national), Argenton I yearlings (provincial) and Guéret I old birds (national).


Henri and Lisette with their First National Châteauroux II yearlings