Middelharnis, the Netherlands – I’d like to start by saying, ‘a real winner’. Because Corjan (12 years of age) is a ‘real’ one. Fortunately, I do still come across ‘real’ winners regularly on my travels to all sorts of senior and junior champions. This is a boy that you instantly have a good feeling about and of which you think: ‘He is someone who will stay active in the pigeon sport.’ This definitely applies to Corjan Tiggelman, and I’d like to introduce him to you in this article.

Corjan has been passionate about pigeons since he was just four years old. A factor that helped, of course, was the opportunity for Corjan to help Grandfather Van der Weijde in his loft. Mother Diana and father Jaap, themselves also active in the pigeon sport organization as respectively ring administrator of the union and manager of the Samenspel, were very pleased with that. But that doesn’t automatically make an independently successful youth member. So after having already acquired a lot of pigeon knowledge from age four, Corjan was allowed to become a member when he was eight years old. Luud Barendrecht, a veteran fancier and once loft manager for the late Cor Dubbeld, recognized Corjan’s talent and offered him a part of his lofts (just a few streets away) to start with pigeons for himself. The only condition was that Corjan, as his time in school allowed, would do everything himself. To make a good start, he was allowed in 2008 to choose six couples young pigeons from Luud’s pigeons. And when I asked Corjan ‘What did you look for when you chose these pigeons?’, Corjan said: ‘Especially pigeons that looked nice and firm, those are the ones I like to have.’

 

In 2009, Corjan entered in races with five couples on double widowhood. And the shockwaves that he produced could really be felt in PV De Combinatie in Middelharnis, despite the fact that they had over 40 participating lofts, because in 2009, Corjan not only won the 1st ace pigeon in the national Teurlings competition, but became also first on the ‘Natoer’ in this competition, he had the best hen of the WHZB youth competition, 1st emperor Generaal youth in Samenspel Goeree Overflakkee and 8th Gouden Duif junior. In short, a super start.

And Corjan has maintained that level until this day, with for instance best youth fancier WHZB and best Middle-distance pigeon WHZB youth, 10th Speed champion in Afdeling 5 with the seniors and so on in 2012. In the Gouden Duif Junior competitions from 2009 he finished among the first six every time.

Up until 2014 he had always raced from the same lofts (compartments). In 2014 he had 10 couples of racing pigeons. Meanwhile, the best older flyers, complemented with a few new breeders, were put into the breeding loft.

Corjan started 2014 with some 30 young pigeons, of which he had about 16 left at the end of the season. The base pigeons are of course still the pigeons from Luud and their offspring, and his breed goes back to the Verbart pigeons, with among others the line of the famous ’46’, who was a pure Klak pigeon. Luud once bought Verbart’s breeders.

By now, Corjan has put the best pigeons of that first group in the breeding loft, supplemented with a few newly acquired pigeons. One of these good pigeons was for instance the NL08-1497121, who became Ace pigeon middle-distance in 2012 and Ace pigeon old pigeons in 2013.

In 2014, another fine racer, the NL13-1199111, won the 1st prize from Peronne in Rayon West of Afdeling 5 against 16,796 pigeons, in addition to several other lead prizes. (When I asked who the winner from Peronne in Rayon West was, Corjan told me the ring number without hesitation from memory.) A son of that same 13-111 has already won a first prize as well. In 2014 Corjan won six first prizes in PV De Combinatie. And he had the ace pigeon young pigeons with the 14-1022002 in his club. He also had a mention on Teletext twice in 2014.

A few results from 2014 confirm his talent and the quality of his pigeons.

– Peronne old pigeons (221 kilometers) against 768 pigeons: 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 16, 19, 24 and more (18/16).

– Mantes la Jolie young pigeons (352 kilometers) against 273 pigeons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 14, 18, 19, 28 and more (18/12).

– Menen young pigeons (127 kilometers) against 235 pigeons: 1, 2, 4, 7 and more (18/7).

As said before, Corjan does practically everything, like cleaning, pairing, feeding, basketing and so on himself. Basketing he does as follows: around 16.30, cocks and hens are put together. They are locked in the boxes, Corjan goes for his dinner, and after that he takes the pigeons from the boxes and brings them to the club house. He also helps in the club house, with among others the work on the computer.

Where needed of course, Corjan is supported by his parents and by Luud. And in this environment, where the pigeon sport is practiced as a family sport, a sound basis is created for a future champion. A champion he is already among the youth members with winning the Gouden Duif Junior 2014.

Congratulations and success for 2015!

 

Marcel Buijsse