Wommelgem, Belgium – Sunday morning we met Bart and Jurgen with a smile because last Saturday it was once again another ‘fantastic day’ in the successful career of the family Geerinckx. After many recent dark days, this deserved national victory brings a little light at the end of the tunnel.

The ‘De Nationaal‘.. a two year chequered white flight cock… started the gallery of national winners for the Geerinckx’s when in 2009 he won the national race from the Derby Limoges against 11,841 old pigeons.
This season after already having shown a lot of top form they won the national victory from Argenton old pigeons last weekend with convincing mastership.

L-B-J Geerinckx started the new season with 30 widowers… 35 hens… and 150 young pigeons. Because of the exceptional circumstances they experienced the widowers didn’t raise any young last winter. They only sat for 10 days in February, after which the racing team started to train. After being taken away with the car 5 or 6 times, they flew 2x Quievrain… 2x Noyon… 2x Hafo… Bourges… Chateauroux… Montlucon… and Argenton. They are not raced on total widowhood… and neither the partners of the cocks, nor of the hens are raced.


In the time leading up to the national Argenton, the racing team didn’t race the week before. Consequently, they went to the start well rested and on the Thursday they got their hen in the nest box for one hour. At the beginning of the week, the birds were fed with Soontjens mixture… the last days before basketing the racing team was heavily fed.

Before the start of the racing season the team was treated with a 5 to 7-day treatment against trichomonas… with 1/6 tablets of Flagyl + a few drops of a product from Jaap Koehoorn. They were also treated for 5 to 7 days against bronchial infections with a product from vet Schroeder.

The Argenton winner was the ‘Luc’ (B09/6326192)… a blue white flight of average size and with a nice wing. A cock that already knew the ropes and that had already adorned his track record with 69th national Montlucon against 17,865 pigeons and 139th national Argenton against 11,001 birds, before he elegantly won the 1st national Argenton against 12,447 old pigeons with a 1,642.25 m.p.m velocity.
Bart and Jurgen had 12 old pigeons (8 prizes) but the 24 yearlings returned much less well and on Sunday morning the birds that had previously won 1st provincial Chateauroux and the 12th national Montlucon were still missing.

This national victory from Argenton is without doubt an emotional moment for the family Geerinckx. It has been a very difficult year for all of them, and this national victory has to be seen as an homage to father Luc, who died much too young earlier this year.
For Bart it is also the confirmation of his own abilities, and everyone who has ever doubted him can now be assured that there is a new craftsman at the helm in the Sportstraat in Wommelgem.

Hugo