TARBES v BARCELONA
A Response from John Ghent
I have read with interest the initial article and the responses on the subject from three people I have a lot of time for, namely Jim Emerton, John Clements and Alan Baker. Each of the writers struck a chord with their words and all three offer up different angles on the debate we are having.
I was brought up as a North Road stalwart, thanks to my Grandad and in general the strong North Road contingent in Leicestershire. Lerwick was the goal in these parts and for the North Road die-hards it still is. The disappointment I felt when I looked at the front page of the BHW recently to discover only 800 or so birds took part in the King’s Cup last year was immense. This once great race now down to just a few pigeons is very upsetting and probably could have been avoided but like John Clements said, the PR engine in pigeon racing is not the most mechanically advanced engine, in my opinion even less so in the NRCC. That said, they are still racing from the legendary Shetland Isles and I believe that to be very important.
Anyway, I digress. Following my initial introduction to the sport we all so love, I watched the classic video Marathon In The Sky every weekend for a whole Summer, Geoff Kirkland and all. I was mesmerised by National racing and even more so by Nantes and Pau. These were THE RACES that every South Road fancier lived for, and where are they now? Banished to the record books probably never to be seen again. Again I come back to John Clements’ response, where he says promotion and marketing is key in any business and that is where many organisations go wrong. To lose the original Blue Riband race is criminal and for what? A change of race point by a certain number of miles, could it not have retained its name? The yachting at the Olympics in 2012 was held in Weymouth but it was still the London Olympics!
For me personally that is the reason Barcelona will always be number one, it has been the, done it, got the t-shirt and still offers something new each year for the massive amount of competitors, 25,000 birds is some sight I can assure you! I challenge anyone to attend the liberation and not be inspired to have a go. Add to that the mystique, culture and magic of the City itself and the Barcelona International is more than just a race, it's an all consuming event which is the envy of thousands of fanciers worldwide. Pushing the boundaries of the racing pigeon to the absolute limit is what it is there to do, and it has been there for decades, will I ever win it? Probably not? Will I be able to keep trying for years and years, you bet! I sit here as a 30 year old racing pigeon fancier, brought up with The Blackpool Show, Geoff Kirkland, Marathon In The Sky, dreams of competing in the Pau National...dreams...a dream is all it is now.
This quote is from Native American Chief Tecumseh and sums everything up.
"When the legend dies, the dream ends; there is no more greatness."
Pau was the legend, my dream has ended...
Give us back the Pau National, give me a chance to live my dream, and maybe, just maybe, Barcelona will have a rival once again.
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Elimar - February 2014