if racing is restricted next season

[Guest]

theres rumours that a good few welsh fanciers will turn back north if restrictions of over the water are brought in again in 2007.

im in the welsh  north road federation, and we fly south east as from a few seasons back,but with distance possibly under threat once again next year,some dont wanna just fly to ramsgate which to me is around 195mls.

i know flying 195mls is better then not flying at all,but maybe a return to the north road is on the cards??....who knows!.

[Roland]

I still say. as I have for 20 years, that clubs instead of just disbanding, or forming a New route, that it is most sensible - in my view - to have ALL routes available under one roof... North or South or Both on any Race Night being available. Instead of the silly Follow the good talker and burn bridges needlessly!

JMO

[Guest]

untill a couple of years back the welsh north road fed flew north and south east,after starting the south east route,about a year or two later they went just south east,as most choose that route.only the new north road fed flew north from wales after that..i believe a good few years ago there were liberations of upto...26,000 birds flying north in the welsh fed.

[Pompey Mick]

We on the South Coast, especially the Solent Fed, suffer very badly with these restrictions. ALL our Old Bird races are Channel Races, so at this moment in time we are at a complete loss at what to do. The restriction that hits us hardest is the 7Day isolation rule which means we can only race at the most half our team weekly, this has a severe effect on costs and also keeping the birds racing  as a lot of our Channel races are under 200mls. You don't really want to stop the birds after a 130mile race, which is what we have to do. There is talk of an alternate Overseas/ Inland programme, but that won't help as Channel birds cannot be raced anywhere for 7 days. The only way I can see out of this if the present restrictions remain is for us to race the Channel on a Saturday and then race the following Sunday  Inland and then back to the Channel the following Saturday and so on. This will enable us to race birds weekly. I know that we could have holdovers but as long as the permit dates are adhered to this shouldn't be a problem.

[peterpau]

I don't care where we go but we have no north rd club handy. South road is so unreliable. What a nightmare. Mick you're so right. We put our birds into Alencon, the next Sunday saw us at Lyme Regis for a trainer. Hard work just to get a 500miler out of Bordeaux.

[Jeremy]

North road you get alot more head winds we flew north this year and we were lucky to win 10 out of 13 races others in our fed there birds were dropping like flys. I bet they dont vote to go north. But we enjoyed this hard route so much we are going to try and join a North road club next year. There were only 2 races over 1400 ypm and to me thats true racing..

[Pompey Mick]

You're a bit better off then me peterpau, at least your Channel races start at 200mls whereas we start at 99mls. Imagine having to rest your birds for two weeks after a 100 ml  sprint. It causes havoc with a widowhood team,

[Guest bristolkev]

i agree with you roland,your spot on!

[Jeremy]

Would you not want to fly North?

[stew 75]

just how far north would you come to get better racing .rember the scottish fly south ,do you want clashing on race days or is a case never mind them   :(

[Guest]

the welsh north road fed has flown from  lerwick for many years,thurso is a very well known race..(a m8)club member has won the national from there..a new car.

clashing will happen anywhere in the uk,we fly s/east and we come through north and south birds.

[Jeremy]

the welsh north road fed has flown from  lerwick for many years,thurso is a very well known race..(a m8)club member has won the national from there..a new car.

clashing will happen anywhere in the uk,we fly s/east and we come through north and south birds.

 

I do agree with the above. If we race from France we clash with the French birds and when they cross the channel we could clash with the inland birds. But Stew 75 when you send south your birds  are clashing with North road flyers who have same right to be there as anyone else...

[Roland]

That is true Rose As you know my birds fly both ways and I find if anything the South to be easier. But having said that it upon the day / wind etc. how well one does... and the competition of course. I did a gig for the North Road club this last Saturday ... and just the prior two days I was trying to remember the Lerwicke Race.... Knew I had send 6 ... 3 to each Club, but just couldn't recollect the race or the day at all.... Was reminded hat I was only day birds.... It rounded of a nice night lol.

  But it was many things as I recall back in the late 60’s early 70’s - beside the ugly head of Jealousy and of trying to find a club to win in - 1. The more affluent flyers wanted to have sprint and money races... which meant they needed some sheep to fleece. Hence baloney and good fibbing prevailed which in turn destroyed many clubs. Many didn't have a North Rd. club left here. Some of us, when the clubs were folded couldn't get into another Club. Same clubs then shut up shop not allowing any in at all, not new comers in even...  

Then those that hadn't gone South straight off had to leave the sport or just fly Nationals! The ‘Talkers’ are always popular - no matter how detrimental they have and still are to clubs, they seem to thrive and are in many clubs.

The Trains closing curtailed a lot of the normal working class's ability to be able to get them up the road....

So a ploy was these new South Rd Clubs promise that they would lay on transport ... Bet many remember.... And them next season didn't, turning out to be just a ruse.

I remember carrying baskets of birds for a 1/4 of a mile only to find ‘They’ had gone... or told to come back later... couldn't leave the birds as the Dogs were out and would upset them! Then would even wait at the given point, say a round about only to see them coming back. So many birds had to rely on 'Works' places or to be taken by lorry drivers etc.

This was causing the rank and file to be leaving in droves.

NRCC was blatantly just using the inland flyers as fodder to raise money for the East Coast Boys! Midland National NORTH Rd. only went for three seasons, so they had their cake and ate it every year. The final insult was when the NRCC put D ETC with the Lowestoft boys, Norfolk geees, and wondered why we bucked! their crap that it only got through with one vote was irrelevant NO DECENT person would have proposed it. Neither should it have been seconded let alone carried... Just so they could father their pockets with section prize money.

Many Sections just fly for the Section Places as well most know. These areas have 3/4 Winners out of all the Classics and Nationals over the last 120 odd years.... Don't need a rocket scientist to work out that Locations place a big part. Never mind 'It has Happen''' of course it did, and will again I've no doubt, but one must be realistic.

This is just of course just the tip of the ‘Iceberg’ but one thing for sure is that one needs now to be rallying around and DOING soothing to hold the clubs together. If that means swallowing a bitter pill until it passes through so be it! For History has shown the facts… and a fool learns by his own mistakes, a wise man by others’  . Another reality is regardless of all the chatter otherwise is ‘If fanciers don’t fly, they get disenchanted, and soon find other hobby’s to do… and pack up.

So I say ‘It don’t matter, for now, where they fly from, as long as they are able to fly a fair distance, they will put up it till things are back to norm. If not many will leave, and every time one leaves COSTS go up to be shared by the ones remaining, which means more leave which means….

[mark]

north east south or west. which ever way the winds blowing thats the way they are coming home, to much is put on flying north or south. does a pigeon know if its a north roader or southroader,? i dont think so, you breed to race so race them north or south,

[Roland]

A voice of realism Mark!

Very true.