DUTCH 800 MILERS - PART 4

WOUTER JORNA

OF HIPPOLYTUSHOEF

BY JOHN CLEMENTS

An unbelievable performance at over 800 miles

We finally come to the last and the first clocked of the 800 milers from the International Barcelona of 2004. I have purposely left the loft highest in the result to the last as kind of  dramatic attempt end to this series on pigeons timed above 1300 km in the Netherlands. . . W. Jorna of Hippolytushoef flies 1308 km (817 miles) from Barcelona. This is a prodigious distance. His location is almost as far as it is possible to go unless you want to fall into the water of the Wadenzee. It is on the E22 North of Amsterdam at the top of that spit of land that forms the West bank of the Ijsselmeer and the East bank of the Wadenzee. His first bird was an incredible 42nd Open in this year’s race from 25,000 pigeons.In territory like this the pigeons, travelling from the south, are exposed on both sides for on either side there are huge expanses of water, the Ijsselmeer to the East and the Waddenzee to the West and North. There is little or no protection from the wind in places like this. We all know The Netherlands is as flat as a pancake. The pigeons have to fight for their right to fly here.

Wouter Jorna sent 14 pigeons to the race this year. From the fourteen sent he recorded nine in the full International result (that is the top 25 percent). His positions were as follows:- 42nd - 128th - 526th - 754th - 807th - 1538th - 3770th - 4759th - and 5247th. The time they arrived was as follows: - 11.32 - 12.13 - 12.55 - 13.07 - 13.10 - 13.38 - 14.59 - 15.41 and 16.05. You can see by the these times this result compares with fanciers flying from Pau in the NFC, but of course this race has much higher birdage so positions attained fall quickly for these 800 miles pigeons are flying against other countries (25000 of them) flying much less.His first pigeon was also 17th International hens from 6903 pigeons. Again this figure for hens is bigger than any comparable race of all sexes in the UK. I don't think the NFC has ever entered this amount from the whole of the UK for both sexes. By any stretch of the imagination this performance by Wouter Jorna is fantastic flying but at this distance it is a phenomenal piece of endurance, navigation and reliability. I want you all to be fair about this - to step outside our own culture and see this performance for what it is by standards that apply were Wouter to fly in the UK and do something remotely similar or even half as good.As most of you know in International racing you have to forecast the order of arrival on the entrance form before you send to races. The order of how the Jorna pigeons were expected to arrive and the actual order of how they arrived is illuminating. I wish we had the same procedure over here, it would tell us such a lot. The order was as follows.  1st arrived (11th forecast) - 2nd (1st) - 3rd (8th) - 4th (7th) - 5th (2nd) - 6th (10th) - 7th (5th) - 8th (8th) and 9th(3rd) . The real significance of all this is difficult to understand but quite clearly at this kind of distance and with this kind of racing previous form does not necessarily apply. Mr Jorna's first bird was his 11th selected, beating his first selected pigeon by half an hour. This must have been a surprise - albeit a pleasant one, for even to get a pigeon at this distance is a joy never mind two so quick and almost on top of each other, both being in the first 128 positions in the entire International.The other way to interpret these forecast figures is to say that the whole team is of such a high quality and of such a a high standard of fitness that even the 11th selected pigeon was of an exceptional quality and could as it did out perform the rest of the team. The result bears this out for to clock your 11th selected pigeon after more than 800 miles means it must be a good pigeon in good condition in the first place and those fancied to arrive before it by its owner must also be better rated good in the mind of the owner at the time of basketing. I know of no other fancier who has put up anywhere near such a good performance at this distance and clocked nine pigeons from 14 sent.I often hear fanciers decry such pigeons at distances like this as being too slow. They are often termed plodders. They also call foul when we quote positions like 5247th as being a position we just would not bother to clock. Fanciers like this just do not know half of what they are talking about. If a pigeon arrived at a UK loft at 1610 on the second day I can say it would not only be clocked but it would be called a star in any location North of Birmingham.Unfortunately most fanciers see speed as the only criteria. I disagree for without such pigeons at the cutting edge of their physical and mental capability pigeons would not ever be tested. We have to have such pigeons achieve such feats in order to replenish and renew the ideals of the sport.There is no hiding place at distances such as this. That is the real beauty of flying them. Individual Ego of the fancier does not count here. Banging the drum is an empty sound over 800 miles for everyone knows they can all fail the following year. This is where pigeon racing is at its most difficult. This is where the future of racing pigeons as a healthy and vibrant species is going to come from. They may not be the fastest in pure speed but they are sound in mind and constitution and when the conditions are slightly in their favour they do very well. The Barcelona of 2004 proved this to be the case.Today so many pigeons are fast but unsound like highly bred race horses needing constant veterinary attention in order to keep them on the track. 800-mile pigeons do not need to be wrapped in cotton wool to survive. They are the breed this way. We all must look to their example if we wish to rediscover absolute health and vitality for future generations of racing pigeons.It is interesting to note that the 2nd marked pigeon a hen and the 5th pigeon clocked this year in 807th place was also timed in the International Barcelona in 2003. This hen a 1998 bird was 260th open against more than 20,000 pigeons that year and has now flown it again.  Any pigeon that flies a distance of over 1300 km twice in a lifetime is not accident. Luck does not play a part in the career of such a pigeon - There are very few of them, if any, about. 260th International and 807th International flying over 1300 km are star performances in any ones language at any time.

Wouter Jorna sent 9 Hens and 5 cocks - He timed 7 of his hens and 2 cocks. Perhaps there is a lesson here. We should send more hens to the distance, they seem to be more reliable, but who am I to say such things - I have yet to even get one at 800 miles never mind get on the International result. At least I am not on my own, but this Dutch experience tells us something - we could eventually do it if we try long enough and hard enough. It will be done eventually even in the UK when we get the sport sorted out and return to the trail of long distance endurance pigeons - We here in the UK are capable of anything if we try -- of that I am sure. Of that I am certain.