Freddy & Jacques Vandenheede (Kruisem) string together the champion titles!

Passion, possession, drive, genetically loaded? These are all terms that flash through our minds when we consider the Vandenheede brothers from Zingem (Kruisem) in the pigeon sport.

It is not a matter of discussion that they got it with their father's and mother's milk, because father Rene was already a real top player in his generation. He laid a solid foundation with the pigeons of the then renowned tandem Mencke-Haelterman from Zandbergen and with these pigeons a real stock was kneaded in later years, supplemented with the best from the region or outside the region.

At a later stage Jacques played on his own two feet with great success and Freddy also formed a very strong tandem with his parents. After some deliberation and consultation, the plans were concretized a few years ago to play together under the name of Freddy & Jacques Vandenheede. Both families live in the same street, they live opposite each other and a user-friendly division of the lofts and the tasks was made. The breeding pigeons live with Jacques, the racing pigeons with Freddy. For two years now, they have also been able to rely on the daily help of Jean-Claude, who fully assists in the care.

The tree and the fruits

We still see and hear Freddy tell it in some film recording about the sale, many years ago, of a top pigeon. How he immediately regretted it and found it very difficult to digest. This has almost never happened again.

Don't fell or sell the tree, but the fruits. And when you string together the national victories like a paternoster, you no longer get the national titles 'on the fireplace', you have the ace pigeons in line in your breeding loft, then you can without a doubt call yourself the owner of one of the most high-quality breeding lofts of the pigeon world.

In the not so long past, the Vandenheede's (as they are called by many in the official language) were middle distance players. Very strong and with excellent results. Every year the national races were also bombarded with the youngsters and with very good results. This showed that the pigeon strain could also withstand more kilometers. Gradually the switch was made to the extreme middle distance and the extreme middle distance and it turned out that these pigeons also scored national top on these flights without any problem.

Through purchase and exchange or joint breeding pigeons were also entered for the long distance (including De Rauw-Sablon, Mannaert etc..). These pigeon names, which then flooded the one day long distance with top results, were like butter on a sandwich with the pigeons from Freddy & Jacques. Occasionally top pigeons were also purchased from local toppers and with great success. These pigeons were adapted to their own pigeons and tested heavily.

There is also no hesitation in pouring speed blood into the stock every now and then to ensure that top prizes are not compromised. But who thinks that there are no pigeons that can also handle the long march is wrong. They also won the 1st national Cahors, the 1st (inter)national Narbonne hens etc…..If your colony is not all-round or polyvalent, you can hardly win so many titles of General Champion of Belgium.

A highly organized approach

When you have to manage, steer, control such a colony there must be a highly organized approach behind it. The care is structured and clear. A large number of pigeons are always raced at almost all distances and then clarity is more than necessary.
 

A large breeding loft, a racing team of 200 cocks and hens, and a large colony of youngsters require structure. Doing and having these teams train in itself is already a full day. Depending on the races or the timing of the season, the yearlings and old birds are raced either on a nest or on widowhood and all have a partner who stays at home.
We can call this a system loft where the pigeons have to fit into the system of the player and not vice versa. The teams are being prepared for a specific flight schedule and that requires planning and a disciplined approach. Do not conclude from this that there is no individual knowledge of the pigeons and that it is just a matter of 'letting go', anything but. The proof of this is the fact that, despite the fact that a large number of pigeons are always raced, they succeed more than regularly in the 1st and 2nd awarded pigeon rats in the head and certainly in the head of their own arrivals. That will not work if I do not know his pigeons through and through.
 

In addition to this global approach with individual follow-up, the selection is extremely tough. The hens rarely race hens that are older than 2 years. Experience has shown that, once the kilometers are on the counter, they no longer manage to maintain the tight flight rhythm. It is different with the cocks widowers, where a number of pigeons of 2 years and older perform very well.
 

This previous description can be summarized in a number of key words, namely passion, discipline, dedication and structure. And all that results in phenomenal results…
 

General champion of Belgium 2022
 

This title, which was recently published, is also a summary of the approach taken by this colony. General champion is the result of top scoring with the 1st awarded pigeon across all disciplines. From sprint to extreme long distance, from young pigeons to old pigeons, the message is everywhere. The title of General Champion was already won in 2012,2017,2018 and now 2022.

To win this title with a coefficient of 17.7962 % is magnificent. The 2nd place is achieved with a percentage of 36%, or more than double. This says enough about the performance that was delivered.

In the 2022 season, they piled up the top rankings such as 1st Nat Ace pigeon extreme middle distance yearlings (3 – 7 and 8 National races) – 3rd + 6th National Ace pigeon extreme middle distance yearlings KBDB.
 

In the past 3 seasons they achieved the following top results:§ 5 x 1st national§ 6 x 2nd national§ 7 x 3rd national§ 6 x 4th national§ 3 x 5th national
By way of illustration, here's an (incomplete) list to dazzle you:

TOP 4 NATIONAL AND TOP 10 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS KBDB 2020-2022

1 National Ace Long Distance old birds KBDB 2020
1 National Ace Allround old / yearlings KBDB 2020
1 National Champion Long Distance old birds KBDB 2020
1 National Limoges 9.756 yearlings 2020
1 National Brive 3.756 old birds 2020
2 National Argenton 10.632 old birds 2022
2 National Champion Heavy Middle Distance old / yearlings KBDB 2021
2 National Ace Long Distance old birds KBDB 2020
2 National Brive 3.756 old birds 2020
2 National Limoges 9.756 yearlings 2020
2 National La Souterraine 6.761 year birds 2022
3 National Ace Allround old / yearlings KBDB 2022
3 National Argenton 12.938 year birds 2022
3 National Ace Heavy Middle Distance yearlings KBDB 2022
3 National Ace Long Distance yearlings KBDB 2020
3 National Ace Allround old / yearlings KBDB 2020
3 National Limoges 9.756 yearlings 2020
3 National Brive 3.756 old birds 2020
3 National Souillac 4.637 year birds 2022
4 National Champion Heavy Middle Distance young birds KBDB 2022
4 National Souillac 4.637 year birds 2022
4 National Brive 5.885 year birds 2022
4 National Ace Allround old / yearlings KBDB 2021
4 National Ace Long Distance yearlings KBDB 2020 
4 National Ace Allround old / yearlings KBDB 2020
4 National Champion Long Distance yearlings KBDB 2020
5 National Champion Long Distance yearlings KBDB 2021
5 National Ace Long Distance old birds KBDB 2021
5 National Ace Long Distance old birds KBDB 2020 
6 National Ace Heavy Middle Distance yearlings KBDB 2022
6 National Ace Long Distance old birds KBDB 2021
7 National Ace Long Distance old birds KBDB 2020
7 National Ace Allround old / yearlings KBDB 2020
8 National Ace Allround old / yearlings KBDB 2020
8 National Ace Long Distance old birds KBDB 2021
9 National Ace Allround old / yearlings KBDB 2021
9 National Ace Allround old / yearlings KBDB 2022

And then we don't mention the Olympiad pigeons etc….

Dominant over all distances
 

The extreme long distance is not really their cup of tea….in the recent past this was already tried with a few pigeons, but these slower pigeons are more difficult to fit into their system and people like to race with a large number of pigeons. And yet an (inter)national victory in Narbonne was won, top games are played on Agen, etc…. Freddy and 

Jacques also understand the art of reading their pigeons and picking some out, preparing them and, if necessary, also scoring on these flights.
But from the sprint to extreme middle distance, they are unparalleled in their results. Sometimes it is with open mouth watching the rain of pigeons at flights of up to 700 km. In recent years there have been flights that they have literally rolled up with various pigeons rats in the head and sometimes with the 2 first national in the one day long distance.
 

They are dominant over all distances. On the national flights, the wind direction is often a strong determining factor for the national victory, but in calm and normal pigeon weather you can set your clock correctly that they can invariably be found in the national top.
A very broad and extremely talented breeding loft, filled with national winners, ace pigeons, is the foundation. Then unbridled commitment, knowledge of pigeons and a very great dedication on top of it is their key to great success!
 

Congratulations on this excellent 2022 season and on to the next crackers!
 

Geert Dhaenens