HELPING YOUNG FANCIERS
If they look,listen and learn ,they can go a long way. However ,many do not take well to leadership,especially if the ego thinks they are clever! Just one great performance can make you,if it is unusual. Try and learn about the psyche of the man and his system-it will test insight and acumen. I believe all you need to know is in my 3 books on pigeon racing-all on Amazon-the result of my experience and research. Potential in the young man can be perceived by a shrewd eye. Tenacity,intellect and patience are crucial and the will of a champion. Give them some key bred birds,advice and help. Some of my cohorts are Wilkinson/Ghent /Booth and some older men-we have produced 2 champions so far,where the whole process is a psychological minefield. We have some keen and ambitious Irishmen who will attempt great feats in marathon racing-takes 1 to ignite the pigeon racing world.
Jim Emerton.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IS PIGEON RACING A DYING SPORT?
It will thrive on a diminished scale and in many countries on planet earth. In the Uk,specialist outfits like The BICC continue to expand and thrive,yet true marathon racing attracts experts,specialists and diehards. There is a distinct trend to blame the organisers and for easier fair weather flying. It is true that enough clubs exist still to cater for all disciplines and people types. I would like to see less rampant commercialism ,and some serious British family and strain development within a lifetimes service to the good of the sport as an outstanding contribution to the hobby. Jealousy and other negative human emotions are endemic and a sad reflection on the human condition. However certain people assist and transcend the sport,often with books like Zsolt Talaber,and the beating heart of the sport is the conscience of educated men of insight. The way is still clear and open for people to have a great career as a fancier-the onus is on the individual.
Jim Emerton.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IDEA FOR HUGE OPEN RACES FROM THE UK.
Allow me to paint you an ideal racing scenario in the Uk. The major clubs eg BICC/BBC/NFC to unite and send their entries to a major International race like Pau or Barcelona to sort the men from the boys and the good birds from the bad. Points against it would be parochial politics,logistics and the intense organisation needed to secure the actual race. Yet it is a large and out of the box, unconventional concept to peruse and ponder. Many clubs are becoming fragemented and small with decreasing membership and increasing rivalry and resentment between groups. This would shake up and radicalise the big clubs. Mad idea or not,i never aim to be conventional. I do feel that we need fresh approaches to how plan ,represent and organise the sport in the UK. I am sure that the creative thinkers out there,may have their imaginations fired by the concept.
Jim Emerton.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRINCIPLES OF GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP
Their is a code that you can follow in the life of a fancier,which has some virtue. Give generously back into the welfare of the sport which has created an identity for you. This can take the form of birds,advice ,trophies or practical help for novices. An educated man may wish to create books as a legacy ,a footprint of his time with birds on planet earth. Hard to shake the hand of a winner with any sincerity,yet have a go. Excited fanciers,can be a moody bunch,so practice a little psychology. Strains do exist and if you put in half a century to the cultivation of a colony of related individuals then this has been worthy. You can take things to a higher level ,and some fanciers are quite spiritual or mystical over distance birds. Can you expand the collective knowledge of the modern racing pigeon?
Jim Emerton.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
