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<p>Independant Pigeon Race Results - Racing Pigeons Online</p>
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<p>British International Championship Club in association with Independant Pigeon Race Results - Pigeon Racing Online</p>
<p>This site give an overview of Norfolk & Suffolk within the BICC </p>
<p>Link to http://www.pigeonracing.com/rpra.htm</p>
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<p align="left" class="style1">Let's face it fifty years ago we had to make our own entertainment. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">Today practically everything is done for us. I don't think we have lost a big proportion of young fanciers, the ratio has always been relatively small – the loss is in the teenaged/middle-aged and elderly sections. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">If we want to encourage the younger element I think we should be looking at ways whereby we can persuade these youngsters into taking up the keeping of pigeons as pets, a hobby where the housing (loft) need only be basic, the pigeons themselves for pigeon racing need cost very little to obtain and the feed need only be of rudimentary quality and purchased at minimal cost. They would learn the basics of cleanliness and hygiene, the necessity of supplying regular food and water and at the same time discover whether they have the desire and inclination to progress further, to improving their stock and consequently upgrading the pigeons living quarters. Should they then acquire the desire, the urge to become competitive within their chosen sport they could then be encouraged to join a club as a novice whereby they could progress to becoming a fully fledged racing pigeon fancier. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">Expecting them to come into the sport at an early age without a learning period, an apprenticeship, and with minimal financial resources is counter productive and courting disaster. Pigeon Racing. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">Parental control is one obstacle that has to be overcome in the majority of cases. Many of these parents have an inbuilt revulsion to their children keeping pigeons having been indoctrinated into the assertion that pigeons are the carriers of numerous contagious diseases, often accused of being <strong>‘ <em>flying rats' </em></strong><em>. </em>We need to put far more resources into educating the misguided public as to how they perceive our sport and hobby and the keeping of pigeons in general, of whatever type or breed. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">Our main target area should be those taking early retirement. Their mortgages are paid off, in most cases children have grown up and are off their hands. They will be looking for a hobby to occupy their leisure time. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">Will it be fishing, will it be golf, both of which receive a terrific amount of media coverage, both of which can be picked up and put down at will and can be tailor made to fit in with domestic routine. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">We need far more advertising and PR, more media coverage showing this to be a sport and hobby that can be enjoyed by all the family, and it is a home based hobby that can show rich rewards of pleasure in return for the care and devotion bestowed upon our feathered friends. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">No need to spend hours by the river bank or the beach with possibly nothing to show at the end of the day (or night), nor tramping miles over a golf course in pursuit of and retrieving little white balls that you have previously slogged into the distance. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">Many things have contributed to cause the decline in our sport. The recession; unemployment; the fear of unemployment; the decline in Council housing incorporating gardens; the growth in private accommodation at exorbitant financial cost, small gardens and with restrictive covenants; commercialization etc. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1"><strong>Pigeon racing studs </strong> have created a cult – a status symbol – and have created the belief that nothing else can compare. You must have the elite to compete. Supposedly class pigeons are commanding absurd prices (those with an impressive paper pedigree). </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">Years ago you built your own loft, to your own design and specifications, within the price you could afford and you enjoyed building it, altering and improving it gradually as finances allowed. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">The price of <strong>training baskets </strong> has gone bananas. You will find cat baskets, picnic hampers etc, are significantly lower priced. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1"><strong>Pigeon Clocks</strong>, the one item that controls whether you are going to race your pigeons or not, have reached astronomical prices. In this day and age of throw away quartz watches, many of which are priced at 99 pence, can anybody explain why a reasonably priced timing clock cannot be produced. I'll listen, but I'll take a lot of convincing. The Chinese have apparently found a way of producing timing clocks at a relatively low price, if they can why can't we ? </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">To race pigeons is a 365 day a year commitment in time and money and today the younger members of our society are not prepared to accept such a firm commitment, with all the other forms of entertainment that are available to them, many at the flick of a switch or a turn of a button. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1"><strong>Electronic Timing Systems (ETS) </strong>Whether you agree to their introduction or not, is not for me to give an opinion. The heading of this article is ‘Make progress or die' not, ‘Make progress and die' as a consequence. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1">A subtle difference but well worth keeping in mind. Making progress is to retain the fanciers we have got and encourage others to join and participate. We can only do this by keeping the sport as a sport that can be enjoyed by all, irrespective of race, colour, creed, religion, or wealth. We need those with very limited financial resources as well as those with no apparent limitations. They are going to compete against each other and we should attempt to make as level a playing field as possible by acting responsibly. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1"><strong>Paramyxo Vaccination </strong> – with its dictatorial ruling – additional expense <strong>, </strong>plus more and more fanciers are coming to the conclusion that so called “<em>Young bird sickness </em>” and other maladies could be attributable to repetitive vaccination. Many have left the sport after innumerable setbacks. </p>
<p align="left" class="style1"><strong>Wing stamping </strong>– another dictatorial ruling that can create crippling expense, to the young, the old, the low wage earners. </p>
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