Ad Schaerlaeckens again phenomenal

There are, like in groups, organizations, layers of the population, people that distinguish themselves of the grey part. Not that they don’t want to be grey, but it is in their nature that they just aren’t. 

This is also how it goes within pigeon sport. When you drop the name Ad Schaerlaeckens within pigeon midst and you immediately have a fish on your hook. Either they know Ad from his fascinating, sharp, black-white columns or blogs in several different pigeon publications, or they know him from his pigeon results….or from the many that succeeded with pigeons from his loft, references. 

Ad is also a fervent advocate of the short distance and middle distance game within our pigeon sport. Not only because this game is near to his heart, but also because he compares these with the disciplines in athletics like the 400-800-1500 meters. And who doesn’t look at these kind of events with a lot of tension. It also turns out when you have a look at the ‘history of pigeon sport’ that a lot of the short distance pigeons are being used for further races (read greater middle distance and long distance).

Words : appreciated opinion and advice

Ad, who is a real border case Holland-Belgium (Baarle-Nassau) when speaking about the place he lives, is also an appreciated ear for pigeon fanciers. When you are a starter, you can go to him for good advice or a hint to fanciers where you can get good pigeons. Are you a practised fancier than you can always go and check your vision with Ad’s vision, who will give his brutally honest opinion and advice to you with his analytic and critical view on things. His helicopter flies high above pigeon sport which gives him a good view of the sport globally. Also many foreigners who are looking for Belgian and Dutch pigeons often come knocking on Ad’s door for advice. 

Especially for starters or fanciers who doubt once in a while is Ad’s blog highly recommended. I would say that this blog, the publications of Willem De Bruijn and some other icons should be obliged literature. You will get smarter reading this, get free advice and learn how to analyse pigeon sport in a very objective-critical way. 

Ad is also a fervent fan of the good and correct reading of game results. How many pigeons basketed, how many prizes, how many pigeons at the top of the list, how strong or weak raced against own region, province, national, did a pigeon get out of the pack to score top 10 against all-weather circumstances and so on…very usefull information for those looking for ‘the pigeon’, the strongest result, the correct interpretation of the results. 

Deeds

Words, deeds, references. The expression of politician Mieke Vogels “much blabla, little boomboom’ isn’t an expression that fits Ad. The things he puts on paper or on screen now is something he used to and still proofs. Mister Orléans was once the title that was appointed to him and with reason. He used to roll up the result on the national Orléans races. I a far past he built up the base of his colony with pigeons of top racers then (and they weren’t always national good sounding names…) like Hofkens, Verheyen &Zoon, Van Breda, Van Gestel, a bit later Janssens Gebroeders, Voets, and later Vandenabeele, Karel Boeckx, Gust Janssen and off course the more than successful co-breeding with the ‘Ad’ from Wouters (see ‘de Ad’, 1st national ace bird KBDB).

Later pigeons from Heremans, Gebroeders Scheele, Willem De Bruijn, Dirk Van Dijck, Hermans….were being crossed in.

Ad has a nose to see the quality of a pigeon, to feel it, to smell, call it whatever you want, but there does a champion distinguishes himself of the average. Everything stands or falls with that conscious quality as he is allergic for many other things or miracle cures. The food is being kept simple and divided in 2 kind of food, in a medical way the basics are being followed and a lot of supplements don’t find their way to the loft. 

Also because of a few physical inconveniences it has become a little bit less evident to take care of the pigeons as he wants. Without the help of some good souls it wouldn’t be possible anymore. To be able to race this strong in these kind of circumstances and supply others you can only have very good pigeons or you have the art to realize the correct crossings.  Ad is a fervent fan of crossing in pigeons…it isn’t a secret anymore that crossing in the best racing pigeons give quality. 

In short, it gives a large form of relaxation when you don’t have to proof anything anymore, but there’s the difference between the big champions and the less gods, champions are hard to satisfy. The eager for top quality and strong results is that big that average isn’t good enough…and this is also the case with Ad.

As he felt that he doesn’t always have the strength and mordant anymore to keep a sharp eye on the pigeons on a daily base, a nice combination with the Brothers Victor and Willy Maegh and brother in law Roger de Vrij was born. In Rijkevorsel the youngsters out of the best pigeons from Ad were placed and were guided with all the necessary advice by Ad…and this with amazing results. 

Ook in 2020 

The combination Maegh AS has been racing like hell the past seasons in the ZAV, which isn’t an union where average Joe race but where the elite of the middle distance and greater middle distance compete against each other.
When we visited the combination Reijnen-Bolton-de Hoogh in the weekend of July 16th on the occasion of their national victory from Issoudun against 18,176 yearlings, Erik Reijnen already told us that it is impossible to play against Ad Schaerlaeckens. "Unbelievable how strong these pigeons perform" he said with the necessary appreciation in his voice.  Nobody can judge better than the fanciers who weekly have to cross the swords with the Schaerlaeckens pigeons.
Because of Corona troubles unfortunately started too late because on the introductory learning races from Quievrain the enthusiasts in the area had already seen it. Again not to fly against. Unfortunately those flights were not for price, but that was postponement of execution. 

June 13th. Competition by east-southeast wind that made all pigeons drift to the far west and the Comb. sits extremely east. Still 20/29.

20 June Sermaises 
1,338 old d: 3, 5, 6, 9, 18, 19, 20, 23, etc. (21/24).
822 yrl: 2, 6, 10, 11 (9/11).
Combine 3,125 d: 3, 9, 10, 13, 28, 30, 32 (all 1 in 100) and 21 in 24. 

27 June Sermaises 
1,052 old d: 4, 5, 6, 8, 18, 19, etc.  
Overhead 2,274 d: 4, 5, 6, 8, 23, 25, etc. (20/26). Of all the games together in the province of Antwerp as FIRST four pigeons! 

July 4th Melun   
504 yrl: 2, 3, 4, (2nd, 3rd and 4th signed), 13 etc (7/11).
718 old: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 14, 18, 19, 23, etc. (17/24)
Combine 1,743 d: 1, 6, 7, 8, 10, 16, 17, 25, 31, 32, etc. (17/24).

The winner, 17-724, a hen, was in 2019 3rd Ace pigeon and had already won a 1st in ZAV. One can see that she also had the second highest speed of all those many thousands of Antwerp Melun birds. That she was only nominated 17th is due to a luxury problem. Too many pigeons that can win. By the way, she is a full sister of the 18-727 who flew, as first nominated, and won the 4th against 718 birds. In Overkoepeling 7th against 1,743 youngsters.

Last week Ad and his companions were the first in the whole province to have 4 pigeons from Sermaises. Now they had 4, 5, 6 and 7 pigeons first while they only race a limited number of pigeons. In Antwerp they wonder who in Belgium is doing better at the middle distance!

They already said about Melun of July 4 that such a result had never been made  all superlatives fell short after the race that followed from Sermaise on July 11th. Most heard cries. "Never shown, "Unbelievable", "Not normal, "Unmatchable. 

As acts speak louder then words: 

Yearlings: 

Only 7 yearlings were put by the Comb Ad and Roger and they won against 669 pigeons: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11. That's 6 of the 7. The 7th won 40th prize.

Old in ZAV:

No less than 841 old birds started in combine “ZAV”: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 13, 17 etc (14/16). The first pigeon flew no less than 12 minutes ahead on all other lofts, especially from super men like Vercammen and Geerinckx. 

Old in Overkoepeling:
In the combine “Overkoepeling” with the “Grensverbond“ no less than 2,071 pigeons flew: there the champion birds of Schaerlaeckens won: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 22, 26 and so on. Here too, the first pigeons flew minutes ahead. The winners with yearlings and old ones are different pigeons!

References

No two without 3, but 3 of this trilogy might be the hardest to realize in a matter of a few years namely giving references of others that succeeded with your pigeons. There is a lot of talk and for many amongst us we can classify this as pub-talk. Getting results…luckily there are still many strong lofts in Belgium and Holland that can still claim this and are legit the best of the best within the international pigeon sport, but when we ask for a reference list many get pale. 

Nothing of this is the case for the pigeons from Ad Schaerlaeckens.  The list is long, very long of fanciers from the past and of today that got true winners from Ad’s loft. Also the after breed have become a true success with many. The pigeons come out of crossings and let themselves cross in with other quality and bring in many cases the results to a higher level. But names say more than slogans. We will show you the list and we restrict us to the results out of direct Schaerlaeckens-pigeons :

• Jespers v d Wegen showed themselves big on a few nationals and won a national victory on Montluçon..
• At Bas en Gerard Verkerk, basebreeder ‘Bubbles’ was a direct one, bred the legendary ‘Sprint’ out of AS-pigeons. Out of ‘Ice Queen’, also a direct one, they bred an Olympiad
• Out of a direct one Kennes bred his 1st National Ace bird Middle Distance.
• The father-son combination Verbree got the best cock and best hen of Holland there.
• Van Doorne bred the 1st National Ace bird youngsters out of AS-pigeons.
• Pieper 1st National Ace bird MD.
• Fred La Breijne 3rd  National Ace bird MD
• Icon Cor Leytens 1st Nat. Ace bird Short distance and his World champion long distance out of 2 pigeons that he got from Ad.
• G. v d Kemp bred the 3rd National Ace bird MD out of pigeons from Ad
• John  Rockx from Zegge bred the 1st National Ace bird MD (raced by Maas) out of 2 AS-pigeons
• Also 2 direct pigeons bred at v d Zijde the 1st National Ace bird Long distance.
• With a few pigeons from Ad on their loft Peter Swichtenberg became General Champion in Germany and Karoly Horvath General Champion in Hungary .
• Boeckx bred a Provincial Ace bird and the 3rd National Ace bird Short distance
• Marcel Wouters won the 1st National Ace bird KBDB (‘Den Ad’).
• Luc van Mechelen bred 4 National Ace birds (‘Adriano’) and also bred the 2nd National Montlucon (29.000b), 1st National zone Chateauroux (6.276 b), 11th National zone Bourges (4.542 b) and 8th Noyon 3.309 b.
• Bart & Nance Van Oeckel and Jochems from Hasselt 1st prize winners National (zone).
• Maarten Huijsmans 5th best youngster Holland.
• Indy, a pigeon that Will and Falco Ebben got at Ad, so a direct one, won 6x 1st prize and 4x within the 13 1st
• Also at Ebben 2 youngsters that he got 2 years ago at AS won 1st and 2nd ace bird in their union
• In 2019 v d Kooy became 2nd National Champion Holland. Especially the Schaerlaeckens pigeons gave a huge boost to the quality of his pigeons

Words, deeds, references…in fact the ideal cocktail to rest out, but this isn’t how Ad works. Convicted to a life-long business, or better possession by pigeons it is almost his faith to continue in setting results, advising people and to motivate and to supply with the best to be found in pigeon world. There are worse things in live…..

Congratulations from the Herbotsteam !