Champions of What?

Getting back into the sport after nearly a 10 year absence, has its advantages and disadvantages. First, I have an opportunity to start afresh, however, my best laid plans are cast asunder by some old habits. I find myself thinking that I must have this bird or that bird and before I have even flown a race, I am already on the road to over-stocking my breeding loft with grandchildren of birds who I can not tell what they accomplished. There seems to be a language of "titles" that makes you think the bird is important, but you just are not sure.

I think that it is as close to false advertising as one can come to offer birds out of such and such a champion when the buyer has no clue what kind of a championship it really is, and the seller has no intention of clarifying the situation.

I have taken the time to ask some questions, and here is my glossary of over used titles that make a buyer think they are really getting something out of a national ace, when in fact they are getting something quite different.

How to read the European Championships.

Often times, you will see a bird advertised like:

1st National Ace Pigeon BDS
1st Ace Pigeon LDS
1st National Ace Pigeon La Colombophilie Belge
1st Ace Semi National
1st National Ace "Snelheid"
1st General Champion Middle Distance "De Reisduif"
1st National Ace Pigeon "De Duivenkrant"
1st National Ace KBDB
4th Prov. As KBDB Brabant

What do these Acronyms mean...

BDS is a very small pigeon magazine "Belgische Duiven Sport" that organizes Championships. So, 1st National Ace Pigeon BDS is for the small subscriber base of that magazine not inclusive of any national competition.

LDS is a large regional Club in the province of Limburg.

La Colombophilie Belge is a very small French language pigeon magazine in the French speaking part of Belgium.

1st Ace Semi National is nonsense: Semi National means some provinces together. It means some but certainly not half of the Belgium competition.

Snelheid is Sprint or Short Distance, mostly the release station is Quievrain (about 100 kilometers).

"De Reisduif" is a pigeon magazine. 1st General Champion Middle Distance "De Reisduif", is the Middle distance champion of the subscriber base of that magazine.

"De Duivenkrant" is also the name of a pigeon magazine.

KBDB is what matters in Belgium... This is the name of the Homing Union (national organization). 1st National Ace KBDB is the "Best of Belgium". 4th Prov. As KBDB Brabant is an official title. This bird was the 4th best of the province of Brabant (some thousands of fanciers).

If anyone is familiar with other titles used to sell birds, please contact me and I will include your definition to my glossary of terms. I hope that the glossary will help flyers learn what is the scale of an accomplishment by knowing the scope of the title used.

After having done this little study, I am encouraged to do as Ad Schaerlaeckens suggest, and "wash the sand off of the eyes of a people who are brainwashed by a handful of pocketfillers".

John V