Inspirational Others

 

INSPIRATIONAL OTHERS

 

I love the Olympics as it produces the best in global sport. The great personal qualities of people meet the public eye-the talent, skill, dedication and charisma, and the collective humanity of it all. Like Grand Prix since the 50s, I have learned what it takes to do well-the talent, tenacity, focus, desire and sheer obsessive perfectionism. And so it is with the pigeon sport, as each competing country develops its charismatic and iconic personalities who colour history, myth, legend and folklore within their specialist fields. In the UK we have some greats who invite praise and jealousy in the same emotive breath. My conscious life has been stimulated by faster, higher, longer, further and degrees of difficulty. These are the quintessence of the sport and the pulse of its philosophy and psychology.

 

FOURTY YEARS ON

After all this time my strain is still being developed in various lofts in the UK and Ireland. The genes are being preserved and developed by rigorous race testing up to Barcelona International level of speed/endurance. Nick Harvey is a purist with 8 timings out of Barce - the race of truth. Booth and Shipley of York have pure birds along with the experimental matings, and Michael Feeney in Ireland is developing the strain with a small, family stud. These men, with some others will stamp their personality on my 40 years of total dedication and enthusiasm. I must emphasise, as a strain purist i will not accept any money for commercial transactions of pigeons, although my 5 books will be on sale at minimal prices to share my knowledge and enthusiasm with the world at large.

 

  HOW IMPORTANT IS THE ORIGIN OF THE BIRDS?

All racing pigeons are of mixed ancestry form multiple origins. It is great when you hit on a true producer pair, which can create an enduring dynasty. Most pigeons are incapable of greatness, and good ones can come out of many types, names and countries as none of them are pure for any performance trait. I always stress the impact of the fancier in his home environment, as he develops the race condition of the team. I am biased towards the main influence of the fancier e.g. Mark Gilbert for the outstanding condition of the entries. More to success than buying a few pretty well bred and costly birds.

A balance exists, the synthesis of man/bird and environment before the test of race reality.

 

   RESULTS ARE THE THEORY

After 40 years of dedication to racing pigeons, the test of a good bird is very simple in practice. We breed from it, irrespective of looks and handling if we clock it at Barcelona International. This is the single criterion we use to assess ability and potential and of the parents. The objective is a strain based on empirical, hard results, which have been the fruits of our psyche under the prevailing conditions of racing. Very few birds pass the acid test of race reality, which can be any size shape or colour, since it is the insides of a bird that really count. By all means theorise about the bird after it has achieved, as it is a very human practice, especially about your own inbred strain of birds. With 8 timings from Barcelona Int. we hope to have more, as the strain is the priority.

 

Jim Emerton