The sport around the world

[king]

I first heard of them in the US. I'm not a supporter of them, it isn't racing, it's just homing. The time they take means nothing. Are they successful? Well they are in some Countries ie US & South Africa, but other countries such as the UK & Tenerife they are annual disasters.
Do they they promote the sport? Maybe if they are successful. But here in the UK they certainly don't. Nothing catches the public attention like horrendous losses.

[Spieker-Loft]

I have been looking about the sport around the world, now some members may not like OLR. But it is all part of the sport of racing pigeons. in some countries i feel they promote the sport, far better than others so what are your thoughts. Is there a way to promote this great sport ?

I think they are a great thing for people like you that can't really participate in the sport themself anymore but still wanna to some extend. i do have to say tho that we also have seen alot of shady things going on in alot of OLR over the past years so its a 50/50 for me. I think they are a great addition to the sport and we participate in quiet a few every year but i do think that the issue with OLR is that to some extend the numbers decide. Most people can only afford to send 1 team in and ofc some others more wealthy can sind in 10-20 teams. these obviously change the odds drastically for the results and even mike ganus himself said that its practically almost impossible to win sending in 1 team.

[Steve Howells]

I have been looking about the sport around the world, now some members may not like OLR. But it is all part of the sport of racing pigeons. in some countries i feel they promote the sport, far better than others so what are your thoughts. Is there a way to promote this great sport ?

As I've said before I like to have a go in them, not for the money ( although a big lump would be nice) but to see if I can beat some of the sports big names. To me ( others will disagree) it's the purest form of racing, no wind advantage, no loft position advantage, same feed and equal care, so the only thing that separates them is genetic ability, once you've got the loft right, your feed and heath care right, the only thing the separates the best from the also ran's is their genetics'. When we buy in new stock isn't that what we're trying to improve? It can be very difficult with club and Fed results to establish who has the best with so many variables in play. OLR it's easy, it I send 10 and Joe blogs sends 100 I expect him to beat me 10/1 every toss if at the end he's got 10 left I've got 1 I reckon our bird quality is pretty even.

As for promoting our sport not sure they do that. I've been in the sport approaching 50 years and in my opinion the sport in the UK has never had a clear strategy for promoting it, going into schools is great but it's not going arrest the decline in membership. Never do I subscribe to the line of though that say no one is interested in pigeon racing anymore, it's always been a minority sport, if we could get just 1% of the UK population into the sport we'd be in a good place. Unfortunately the structure of the sport within the UK makes it seemingly impossible for any meaningful change or strategy to take it forward.

[king]

I have been looking about the sport around the world, now some members may not like OLR. But it is all part of the sport of racing pigeons. in some countries i feel they promote the sport, far better than others so what are your thoughts. Is there a way to promote this great sport ?

As I've said before I like to have a go in them, not for the money ( although a big lump would be nice) but to see if I can beat some of the sports big names. To me ( others will disagree) it's the purest form of racing, no wind advantage, no loft position advantage, same feed and equal care, so the only thing that separates them is genetic ability, once you've got the loft right, your feed and heath care right, the only thing the separates the best from the also ran's is their genetics'. When we buy in new stock isn't that what we're trying to improve? It can be very difficult with club and Fed results to establish who has the best with so many variables in play. OLR it's easy, it I send 10 and Joe blogs sends 100 I expect him to beat me 10/1 every toss if at the end he's got 10 left I've got 1 I reckon our bird quality is pretty even.

As for promoting our sport not sure they do that. I've been in the sport approaching 50 years and in my opinion the sport in the UK has never had a clear strategy for promoting it, going into schools is great but it's not going arrest the decline in membership. Never do I subscribe to the line of though that say no one is interested in pigeon racing anymore, it's always been a minority sport, if we could get just 1% of the UK population into the sport we'd be in a good place. Unfortunately the structure of the sport within the UK makes it seemingly impossible for any meaningful change or strategy to take it forward.

Steve you aren't beating the sports big names though. You are beating birds bred by them, raced by somebody else. If a club mate buys a bird from a big name, your beating your club mate, NOT the big name fancier.

[Steve Howells]

Does the guy up in Norfolk still do the Barcelona one loft race ?

No. Bit of a sore point for some I think.

[Steve Howells]

I have been looking about the sport around the world, now some members may not like OLR. But it is all part of the sport of racing pigeons. in some countries i feel they promote the sport, far better than others so what are your thoughts. Is there a way to promote this great sport ?

As I've said before I like to have a go in them, not for the money ( although a big lump would be nice) but to see if I can beat some of the sports big names. To me ( others will disagree) it's the purest form of racing, no wind advantage, no loft position advantage, same feed and equal care, so the only thing that separates them is genetic ability, once you've got the loft right, your feed and heath care right, the only thing the separates the best from the also ran's is their genetics'. When we buy in new stock isn't that what we're trying to improve? It can be very difficult with club and Fed results to establish who has the best with so many variables in play. OLR it's easy, it I send 10 and Joe blogs sends 100 I expect him to beat me 10/1 every toss if at the end he's got 10 left I've got 1 I reckon our bird quality is pretty even.

As for promoting our sport not sure they do that. I've been in the sport approaching 50 years and in my opinion the sport in the UK has never had a clear strategy for promoting it, going into schools is great but it's not going arrest the decline in membership. Never do I subscribe to the line of though that say no one is interested in pigeon racing anymore, it's always been a minority sport, if we could get just 1% of the UK population into the sport we'd be in a good place. Unfortunately the structure of the sport within the UK makes it seemingly impossible for any meaningful change or strategy to take it forward.

Steve you aren't beating the sports big names though. You are beating birds bred by them, raced by somebody else. If a club mate buys a bird from a big name, you’re beating your club mate, NOT the big name fancier.

We’d have to smile King and agree to disagree. The current in fashion birds at the moment seems to be the Van den Bulcks, I don’t know anyone whom I fly against that has been to his loft bought youngsters off him then raced them. For me King once birds leave a fanciers loft and someone else starts breeding and racing their progeny those’s birds are no longer the same, fanciers might still call them Bulcks,Janssens or whatever but they’re not,best you can say that was their origin.in a olr yes they are being raced by someone else but they are direct from whoever sent them,and under one manager they are equal. Until the flaps drop