# Pigeon racing requires plenty of patience



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Pigeon racing requires plenty of patience

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/grpress/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1186749964254580.xml&coll=6

08/10/07 By Aaron Ogg The Grand Rapids Press

Rick Kazemier doesn't name all of his racing pigeons. Just the ones that win. 

The 50-year-old Morley man named a fowl that won a 600-mile race after his wife, Angie. 

She doesn't mind, normally.

"Sometimes it's an obsession and I'll say, 'Honey, come back,' " she said. 

Fellow club member Paul Budnik, a 73-year-old Harbor Springs resident, said this is a familiar story. 

"It does get guys in trouble," he said. "Wives don't always like you looking at pigeons." 

Kazemier is president of the West Michigan Racing Pigeon Association (WMRPA). He started with an 8-by-8-foot loft for his cocks. It's now 8-by-28, with a bunch of little pigeon condos inside. Next to it, a picnic table. 

"I'll sit here all day," he said. "I've sat there at that table nine or 10 hours during a long race waiting for a pigeon to come home," he said. 

Long time, eh? Let's talk training. 

Bear in mind, there's no such thing as a birdie Bow-flex. There's no going to the pigeon gym and sweating off a few pounds in the pigeon sauna. 

These feathered phenoms prepare for races similar to how a cross-country runner might. High-protein diets to build muscle. Carbohydrate loading as a race nears. And tons of practice laps. 

Kazemier also inspects their feces with a microscope for parasites and signs of disease.

When did Mickey ever do that for Rocky? 

Bird's-eye view 

The WMRPA is composed of four clubs: Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon and Lower Michigan. It is regulated by the American Racing Pigeon Union, which sets specifications for races and lofts. 

The Grand Rapids club has 23 members -- men and women. 

Its president, 60-year-old Greenville resident Randy supplanted by "computers, Game Boys and Xboxes," he said.

"If you want to be good at it, it's a really time-consuming hobby," he said. 

Kazemier's parents came from the Netherlands, where pigeon racing was and still is a big deal. His dad imbued him with the bug as a child, he said. 

Compared to some members, his troupe is on the smaller side. He has 23 young birds, four old ones and eight breeding hens. By contrast, Budnik has 200 -- including show pigeons.

"You have to have patience to train them and you have to breed them," he said. 

The breeding season runs from January to April. Each cock has its own space, and is "highly territorial," Kazemier said. 

During non-breeding months, the birds are separated. Otherwise, "they'll lay eggs and raise babies all year long," Kazemir said. 

He and other members are kicking off the young bird racing season, which runs August and September. Old birds compete from May to early July. Races range from 100 to 600 miles. 

There are also races under 400 miles with divisions known as regular and three-bird. 

Kazemier's puts his pigeons through the paces, and feeds them well for strength and endurance. To build muscle and improve feather quality, they eat Calf-Manna. For quick energy before a race, they get a sunflower and corn mixture. 

It's also important that their water is pristine, Kazemier said.

As far as the feces inspection, he said he'll medicate when he finds something awry -- but only if necessary. 

"I prefer their immune systems to fight it off," he said. 

Ed Schmidt, an 81-year-old Lake City resident, emphasizes the "system of widowhood."

Males spend a little time with their hen and babies in the nest, then it is closed off. The pigeon then is rewarded once it returns from training or a race by being reintroduced to the family. 

"When the cock bird comes home, momma's waitin' for him," Schmidt said. "You've got to motivate them." 

Off to the races 

So how much of success comes down to just luck? Homrich said none. 

While winds and storms can play a role, some pigeons definitely are better than others. Most maintain a steady speed of about 45 miles per hour, he said. 

One of the biggest x-factors is whether they'll return straight to their home. That's why the training is so important, Kazemier said. 

"You have to wake up that homing instinct in them," he said.

The fastest bird wins. Two devices are used to measure time. The traditional clock method involves tying a rubber band around the bird's leg. Once the bird arrives, the ring is removed, placed in a clock and time stamped. 

A recent innovation is the electronic timing system. The pigeon gets a radio-frequency identification ring. When it reaches its destination, the time of arrival is recorded by antennae attached to a clock. 

Competitors came with bands as the Grand Rapids club sent 243 birds to Warsaw, Ind. from its clubhouse, 4520 Abrigador Tr. NE in Comstock Park, for its first race of the young bird season Saturday. Volunteers loaded pigeons from different owners into crates to be shipped south via truck.

Chuck Bauer of Byron Center won the regular bird race and Mike Sizemore of Kent City won the three-bird. 

Kazemier said he's had birds return lame -- some with broken feet. And some don't return at all. He's had as high as a 30 percent loss rate in a "bad year." 

"It gets real disheartening," he said. 

That's why he never races all of his birds in a single competition. 

"I never put all my eggs in one basket," he said.


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