The Extremists
Feathered World September 2003
Well, extremists ruin everything, don't they? All too often the show pigeon
fraternity introduces standards which, to me, produce grotesque specimens,
with structure and feathering gone mad.
What is wrong with natural beauty? What is this show pigeon caper all about?
I contradict myself - it is not always a 'fraternity'. Readers of our
Feathered World have to endure too many episodes of absolute hate and
childish stupidity.
This attitude degrades the Fancy, but I am quite sure that there is a
fraternity, this is always evident when I go to Doncaster Show. As always it
is the few hot-heads, trouble makers and extremists who are responsible. Too
many articles in our Feathered World are written by people who do not
believe in using one word when about 50 words will do.
It is not only the show pigeon people who are the extremists. The flying
fancy is Just as bad. The racing people fly from distances which are too
extreme - and even with young birds. The Tippler sport has been ruined by
the striving for excessive time. The record is now over 22 hours. The
supervision of that kind of time must be an ordeal, involving flying into
darkness, from early dawn.
In my time I have acted as referee in Tippler contests - never more than 18
hours. These experiences were not a pleasure. After so long hanging about,
talking and listening to an awful lot of tripe, consuming far too much tea
and grub, I was good for nothing next day. I felt as though I'd been scalped
by an Apache Indian. My stomach felt as if it had been swilled out with
sulphuric acid, my eye balls felt as though they had been sand-papered and
my head seemed to be inflating and deflating to the tune of the Teddy Bears'
Picnic! By golly - those were the days!
Nevertheless, in my solitude and old age, I look back with some nostalgia.
The Tippler sport has died in Sheffield and this is where it really began.