Wingbeats from  Lovelock  08-23-2003

by Doug Burnett

 Six clubs shipped 1682 birds with the driver team of Tom and Barb Ambrey to that world class resort destination of Lovelock, Nevada.  The statistical results for the Combine/Concourse (and Wingbeats articles) can be viewed on:  www.combineresults.homestead.com

  Let’s review how our friends and competitors fared within their individual clubs.

 Richard Benefield had ‘em right as he proceeded to pour in 3 for the gold, silver and bronze OVC medals and also went 1^st-2^nd-3^rd in the Concourse.  George Choi beat everybody but the Benefield trio for the 4^th medal.  Richard’s winning BB hen is down from a VandenBosch sire with a Choi/Kanae background and a Mel Miroth Van Loon hen gifted to Benefield by Bob Packard.  Richard employs the lighting system and partners with Ronnie Howell to acquire and breed fine pigeons (HB bands).

The 0800 competition featured a victory by that well known golfing professional out of the Dublin (Ireland) Country Club, noneother than Pat Gunning.  Royce (DA HYATT) Carlock was 2^nd and 4^th and Leo (Dutch Breeding Station ?Granite Bay) Van Staveren earned the 3^rd spot.  Pat purchased both parents at the /01 Combine Show/Auction at the Roseville Fairgrounds.  The sire has a Super 73 Van Loon background from Jim Cain while the dam is rich in George Choi’s well known “LITTLE GIANT" bloodlines.

Wingbeats from  Imlay  08-30-2003

by Doug Burnett

Temperatures spiked a bit as the 1685 birds moved out to the 210 mi. station but it didn’t slow down the good ones.  Flight velocities in excess of 1500 YPM were again generated by Combine and Concourse contenders.  The individual club results look like this:

George Choi, being the expert horseman that he is, decided that Imlay was the start of the homestretch and his racing pigeons responded accordingly.  George got two of his best on the drop to take 1^st and 2^nd places in the “A" event.  Royce “King"Carlock was tough as always in 3^rd (isn’t royalty always tough on peons?) and Choi beat the rest with the 4^th award.  George’s winner is a daughter of HOF 41872, which as you may recall, won the Combine 600 by 1 hour and on the day.  That makes her a Van den Bosch cross and one to keep your eye on down the schedule.

Race Secretary, Bon Vivant and now 03 YB race winner Leo Van Staveren topped them all in OVC for the 0800 title.  George Choi and Royce Carlock fought (see GCI) down to the wire with George taking 2^nd place and Royce closing fast for the 3^rd and 4^th spots.  Leo’s MLY male is in top form and was bred by the Swami from a McBurney F. Romein sire mated to a straight Hofken (Choi family) BB hen.  Way to go Leo!

Wingbeats from   Valmy  09-13-2003

by Doug Burnett

A classic north wind driven blow home warmed the cockles of pigeon flyers hearts throughout the Combine.  Veteran flyers were quick to point out that a bird’s success in such conditions may be an indication of its versatility at any speed or that high velocity days will be the only circumstance under which the bird will show up on the sheet.  Only time will tell.

You can’t stop Leo Van Staveren; you can only hope to contain him!  Leo started the day by winning the “A" race with Pat Gunning taking the silver medal.  George “Mr. Dressage" Choi was 3^rd and noneother than Mr. Van Staveren was 4^th.  Leo was hesitant to divulge too much info but the winner is a Van Loon/Janssen cross and was flown on the darkening system.  Sneaking a peek inside his loft, the Swami saw that the BB H was not mated and flew to the perch (3^rd down on R side).

Leo had a much tougher time in the 0800 release but he still prevailed.  His winner barely bested (less than 1 sec) 3 on the drop from George Choi.  Indeed, the 5^th place bird was only 6 sec behind the leader.  Van Staveren, this time, was quick to point out that the breeders of the OVC winner were a Van den Bosch (from George Choi) cock mated to a Hofken hen (Choi family).  The latter bird has OVC 200 mi YB and 500 mi OB wins to her credit.

Wingbeats from   Carlin  09-27-2003

by Doug Burnett

Autumn was in the air as the now very mature YBs ventured into the 300+ mile race territory.  Victory was being celebrated by eight (8) different loft owners, by the Golden Bears of Berkeley (the Swami was not going to omit that one!) and by the Giants and As for their Division championships.  We’ll first examine the racing pigeon competitions:

Racing from under the shadow of Folsom Lake’s southern levees, Richard Benefield had a career day from his favorite station.  In the “A" event Benefield captured the 1^st, 3^rd and 4^th awards.  George Choi was 5 minutes behind the winner in 2^nd place.  Richard won with a BCwf hen carrying Van Loon/Hofkens bloodlines.  The sire is off of a daughter and son of Missy and Avenger while the Hofkens dam was a gift from Mike Kitts and was bred by George Choi.

Richard Benefield repeated his victory in the “B" race and, in fact, went 1^st, 2^nd and 4^th.  His bid for a Swami Sweep was interrupted by that crafty king, Royce Carlock who took 3^rd.  This time the Benefield winner had a Van den Bosch dad and a Hofken mom with both lines originating in the Beech Ave. stock lofts of George Choi.  Richard has been working with the lighting system this year but is making plans to join the practitioners of the darkening art form in .

Wingbeats from   Elko  10-04-2003

by Doug Burnett

As a new addition to the YB race station schedule, Elko proved to be a solid grand finale for the ?3 series.  A total of nearly 1,000 birds competed in the dual releases and the leaders in each race on this 84 degree day favored the Hwy 50 portion of Combine geography.

The Ted Pawlaczyk entry captured the FSC gold medal in Race I.  Tristen Wells was 2^nd, Troy Smith the proprietor of TKAAA Loft nailed down 3^rd and Tristen Wells returned for the 4^th award.  The Pawlaczyk team is bred and flown by Tristen and he reports that his 1^st, 2^nd and 4^th place birds all have the same breeding background.  They are each ¾ George Choi Hofkens family and ¼ Nick Corini bloodlines.

The 0800 event had the Kwoka Family Loft earn the 1^st and 2^nd place medals.  Troy “The Electric Fireplug?Smith, his wife and daughters (TKAAA) were the 3^rd place finishers and Neves Family was good enough to beat the rest for the 4^th position.  Kwoka, who tasted victory at Carlin and liked it a lot, won with a Don “Go Kings" Krajewski bred bird which Tom won at an FSC dinner.  The bird had previously won a Club diploma at Valmy and was bred by a Roger Stewart Janssen male mated to a hen from the Vegas Auction.  To add to his good fortune Kwoka’s 2^nd place bird won the FSC YB Futurity in the same race!  Rene’s percentage of the take was $___??

It was Sir Richard of Benefield day in Orangevale.  In the 0700 release Richard accomplished the rare Swami Sweep with 1-2-3-4 and all four were less than a minute behind the Combine winner!  Benefield’s champ, a BB Hen, also won Club/Concourse last week from Carlin.  The bloodlines are as impressive as the performance, Van den Bosch/Hofkens from noneother than George Choi.

Sir Richard of Benefield prevailed again in Race II with a 1^st and 2^nd place showing.  George Choi had a couple of good ones to earn the 3^rd and 4^th places.  The BBwf hen winner from Benefield was bred from a  Mel Miroth Van Loon (gift from Bob Packard) and an  White hen from the renowned Greenstone Country lofts of, once again, Mr. Mel Miroth.  Fine work by Richard, Mel and Bob.

Aloha…Doug

Special thanks to Mr. Doug Burnett, our OVC Club President, writer of Combine Wingbeats, former 5 term Combine President and recipient of the 2000 AU Person Of The Year Award. His assistance was most valuable in conveying the Choice Loft accomplishments to racing pigeon enthusiasts.