PIGEON PIXELS CLASSIC CHALLENGE
by Richard Shepherd
Ever wanted to win one of the biggest classic races in the Uk and Ireland but simply live in the wrong location to be able to enter?
Ever wanted to say you bred a champion who competed against the best lofts in a classic race and it was your bird that came out on top?
Ever wanted to go into your loft and say - it was that pair there that bred my Champion?
I would like to introduce you to the Pigeon Pixels Classic Challenge. This will be an event that will allow you to compete in any of the biggest races in the country and have your pigeons compete to win. The aim of the venture is to have a Pigeon bred by a Pigeon Pixels member win a major Classic event in the United Kingdom.
The Pigeon Pixels Classic Challenge is just that, a challenge for you and your birds to prove yourselves in the biggest races in the United Kingdom racing against the best these races have to offer. Can you take up the challenge, can your birds take up the challenge and can you win a classic race?
What we plan to do is split the United Kingdom into 6 areas. These will be known as Regions and will comprise of the following:- Scotland, Wales, South East, Midlands, North East and Ireland.
We will have 6 lofts in these areas who compete and win against the best in those areas and these lofts will accept Classic Challenge birds into their lofts with the aim of being raced to win the biggest races these lofts compete for.
The cost to enter the birds will be free and as your birds compete against the best in these regions, the owner of the loft will provide updates week by week on the Pigeon Pixels forum. You can follow your bird's progress racing against other members of Pigeon Pixels, the Region Representative's own birds and the Region's best birds that they have to offer. All Region representatives will strive to win the classic races they have targeted at the start of the season which will be announced on the Regional thread on the site.
What we plan to do then is the birds when entered will be transferred to the Regional Representative to race throughout their career. No birds will be returned to the owner and all will remain in residence of the Region Representative whilst racing. Members of Pigeon Pixels will follow their careers as they try to win the biggest races in the UK. There will be no prize money and no entry fee, just the knowledge that you bred the birds capable of doing it.
At the end of each season the birds that have won and excelled will then be transferred to a breeding loft and paired together with the other regions' best birds thus creating a gene pool of winning pigeons. These young birds will then be auctioned on the site with the owner of the bird and the region representative sharing the money they make at auction. A percentage will also go to Pigeon Pixels to further promote the site. This will give the chance to all Pigeon Pixels members to obtain quality bloodlines from pigeons who have competed against the best in the UK. We will also use the youngsters as prizes for various events and competitions on the site etc.
Members of Pigeon Pixels can submit applications if they would like to represent a region. They will have a set of guidelines to follow and if accepted these must be followed. Details on application. But it will be quality lofts who know how to win and given the right birds can do so in the biggest of events around the UK that only will be accepted as Region Representatives. We do not intend to allow a member to compete as a Region Representative unless their credentials are very good and realistically provide the members of Pigeon Pixels with a realistic chance of winning a classic race!
Starting in 2013 we will have 6 sections in total and are detailed as follows:-
Welsh Region - B.Williams & Son (BICC Races, BBC Races, NFC Races)
Irish Region - Eamon Wright (Irish Nationals, Kings Cup)
Scottish Region - Vacant
South East Region - Vacant
Midlands Region - Vacant
North East Region - Vacant
Welsh Region - As B.Williams & Son already hold a race each year. They are provisionally full at present for the 2013 season but spaces may be available in January / February after the birds pledged by existing donors is confirmed. Members of Pigeon Pixels are invited to apply to enter this regions event and details can be found on the Welsh Region Thread on the forum. A total of 70 spaces are available for this event. Weekly updates will be posted on the Pigeon Pixels site throughout 2013 under the Welsh Region Thread of the Pigeon Pixels Classic Challenge.
Irish Region - Eamon Wright is hosting the Pigeon Pixels One Loft Race in 2013 and is already full up with Pigeon Pixels members birds for this year. 50 in total have been entered. The One Loft Race will proceed as normal and members will have the chance to have their birds back at the end of the young bird racing if they so wish as planned. Those that remain will automatically become Classic Challenge birds and will go on to compete in the biggest of events as yearlings. Members are invited to apply for this event from 2014 in this regions event.
We are looking for hosts for the other 4 regions but as already stated we are looking for someone who has excellent pigeon racing knowledge, excellent results,and prepared to accept members pigeons and race them in the biggest competition in their area giving the members who enter the birds a realistic chance of winning a classic in that region - if the birds are good enough!
There are many things we still have to iron out and arrange but this is the gist of the event. I am sure it will be tweeked continually over the next few months but our aim will be the same throughout - for a member of Pigeon Pixels to win a Classic race in the UK. This may take a few years to all come together but make no mistake this venture will become massive, spaces in these regions will be highly sort after as everyone competes to become a champion! We welcome any comments on this venture. For more information please visit http://www.pigeonpixels.co.uk/
