Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers (Brasschaat) wins 3rd Nat. Agen against 7,396 yearlings

Brasschaat - The Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers pigeon loft has once again put in a fine performance. Their yearling BE23-6059273, better known as 'Solo', won 1st provincial prize among the yearlings from the province of Antwerp at the national flight in Agen. Solo' was the fastest of the 1,164 yearlings in the province and finished 3rd out of 7,396 yearlings nationally.

Exceptional Performances

Not only did 'Solo' excel, but the entire Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers yearling team put in some excellent performances: 
Provincial: 1-5-14-18-20-28-34-35-42-43-44-45-52-55-57-58-61-68-84-95-97-99-.... (1.164b)
National: 3-21-52-90-100-... (7.396b)

The winning bird 'Solo'

Solo already has a long history of flying. As a young pigeon, he flew in Melun and Châteauroux. This year, he took part in flights to Sermaises, Bourges and Argenton before heading to Agen. In the loft, 'Solo' is always active and loves his trough, just like his ancestors.

Solo's pedigree is impressive. He comes from a line of champions, including: 
"DAAN": 1st International Agen 11,246b (more than 30 min ahead) 
"MR. ST-VINCENT" : 1st National St. Vincent 8,967b 
"CLOSE ONE" : 2nd National Agen 4,644b & 7th I.Nat. 10,610b

These pigeons have been crossed with proven breeding hens such as "PEARL", the half-sister of the recently stolen "POCO BARCELONA" (5th Nat. Barcelona 7,301b & 11th I.Nat. Barcelona 16,051b). Solo' is therefore an inbred pigeon, played in total widowhood, a system recommended by Jos Thoné 25 years ago and consistently followed by Jacques and his family.

BE23-6059226

After 'Solo' fell first on the shelf, it was joined 29 minutes later in the loft by BE23-6059226.
This pigeon hereby took the 5th prize at provincial level and thus became the 21st pigeon nationally among the yearlings out of 7,396 pigeons 

BE23-6059242

The third pigeon on the board at the Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers home was BE23-6059242. It was clocked around 21h50 and took the 14th place provincially and the 52nd nationally.

Theft and future plans

Unfortunately, the Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers loft recently struggled with theft. On 8 June, the top pigeon 'Poco Barcelona' and its hen were stolen. On 18 June, the thieves came back and took another 26 pigeons, including breeders and part of the team for Barcelona this year. This loss upset their system and caused a lot of pain. Still, they hoped the remaining pigeons would excel in Barcelona, despite the disrupted preparation. Having now flown Barcelona, we are happy to report that this disrupted preparation had no consequences. Jacques, Irene and Vincent clocked e.g. the 28th, 29th and 63rd Nat. Barcelona against 6,310 pigeons.Unfortunately you hear more and more about thefts of good pigeons, nevertheless this is a pity and especially a cowardly act. Through this way we want to encourage Jacques, Irene and Vincent with this loss, you don't wish this on anyone!

Family and responsibilities

This year, Jacques Van Ouwerkerk is in charge of the breeding, yearlings, and youngsters, while his son Vincent looks after the old birds. Irene, Jacques' wife, has health problems and cannot do everything as she is used to. The loss of 'Poco Barcelona' has also hit her hard.
Despite these setbacks, Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers continues to fight for success in pigeon racing. The performance of 'Solo' proves that their dedication and expertise are yielding results.

Jacques, Irene & Vincent, congratulations again from the entire Herbots team!

Maarten Herbots