Which way now?

[Pompey Mick]

I am a member of the Solent South Road federation down here on the South Coast.

http://www.kdwebsolutions.com/solentfed/

 

It is a well established Fed with a recently purchased and paid for Geraldy Transporter & Trailer (£105,000) with 30 member clubs.

We fly a mainly Channel race programme with Old Birds (12 Channel races) and a YB programme of West route & Guernseys. The 7day rule has hit the Fed very hard with birdages 50% down after the initial races. Also the increase of shorter distance National / Classic races is proving an attractive alternative to many fanciers.

If they enter birds in these shorter races they cannot send them to the Fed race the previous week because of the 7day rule, so those birds are lost to the Fed for two weeks, and I am talking short distances here, up to 270mls.

It is leading to Channel racing at Club level becoming financially unattractive and encouraging more members to finish with federation racing completely.

Being on the Coast, now that Channel racing is suspended we will have the all too familar argument, which way now? We can go West to Sennen Cove 180-220 mls to most members, East to Ramsgate 120-150mls or North up tp 550 mls.

Many members would like to see the federation adopt the North route to return to weekly, no strings attached, racing, leaving the South Route to the Specialist Clubs.

I have raced North & South and see absolutely no problem in switching pigeons North to South to compete in the Channel races.

Unfortunately there is a die hard core of influential members who are putting personal preference before the welfare of the Federation.

I believe we could arrange a tie-up with the CSCFC to allow some prestigious Channel racing while the Federation concentrates on Inland racing only.

Some hard thinking needs to be done.

[peterpau]

Can't help but think channel racing with the fed is dead. Warwickshire only race inland now. Think that's the way to go. Me I'd go north 540 miles to Lerwick, no one goes that way any more, but why. We send 600 mile south but that's too far for most. Is distance racing dead, may be just dying. :( :  

[Roland]

Can't help but think channel racing with the fed is dead. Warwickshire only race inland now. Think that's the way to go. Me I'd go north 540 miles to Lerwick, no one goes that way any more, but why. We send 600 mile south but that's too far for most. Is distance racing dead, may be just dying. :( :  

 

We do, and many more, we have 5 times more North Roaders than South roaders in this area ... I - like many of the South Roaders of the 15% - fly both ways. Of course North is a ot harder, and more meriteous, but South seems to get the Talkers. The way folks around here speak it would seem that it was the  other way around. Indeed the South Rd fed has to go as far as Bedford  / Kempston South, Huntingdon, Sleaford way up North etc. etc. to try and make it pay!