Race
Day and Figuring the Race
On the morning of the race you should find out from the club’s
race secretary when the birds went up (liberated) so as to estimate the
approximate arrival time. Racing Homers fly at 45 mph air speed, but their
ground speed is controlled by the wind direction and velocity. Their ground
speed is estimated by adding or subtracting the amount of the wind component
the birds have to fly with or against, respectively, from 45 mph. Knowing your
airline distance, the simple relationship of time equals distance divided by
velocity is used to compute the estimated arrival time of the birds. The next
thing to do is to lock your traps, locate your “poling sticks,” put your
“droppers” in a carrying crate close at hand for ready use, and to place your
clock and capsules near the trap.
Manual Non-Electronic Clocking
When a bird arrives from the race, a “dropper” is released to
bring the Racing Homer down to the landing board. The race bird is herded into
the locked trap with the “poling sticks” whereupon its countermark is removed,
put into a capsule which is then placed in the hole in the top of the clock and
the crank on the clock turned until it stamps to record the official time of
the bird on the paper tape.
The trap is then unlocked to let the race bird into the loft.
The trap is then immediately relocked, the dropper put back into the carrying
crate and the next bird is waited for. At this time, some clubs
require the fancier to report the arrival time of his first bird. This should
be done promptly so as not to disqualify your bird. The race birds, after they
have been clocked, should be fed and have fresh clean water to drink.
After the birds have been
clocked, and when the members assemble to compute the speeds, (or as it is
commonly called “to open clocks” or “to figure the race”), the clocks are again
synchronized with the master timer by stamping the clocks together in a manner
similar to starting the clocks. The clock is then opened by the race secretary
and the paper tape removed. The capsules are removed from he clock one by one.
A countermark, after it is removed from the capsule, read and recorded on the
entry sheet and paper tape, is immediately placed back in the capsule and
replaced in the clock in the hole from which it was removed. After all
countermarks have been read and recorded on the entry sheet and paper tape, the
times recorded on the paper tape are read starting with the stamp that started
the clock and noting each on the tape. For example, the tape may have four
stamps as follows: 20:00:00, 12:01:56, 12:25:10 and 14:00:20. This shows that
the clock was started at 8 p.m.; the first bird clocked at 12:01:56; the second
bird was clocked at
12:25:10 and the clock was 20 seconds fast when
synchronized with the master timer at 2 p.m.
Electronic Clocking
The AU has developed a computer program for computing races. The
time each bird is clocked, his band number and description, and the clock
variation is input to the computer. The computer then computes the speed of
each pigeon in yards per minute (ypm). When all participants’ information has
been input into the computer, a race report will be printed out showing the
winners. The bird with the fastest average speed in ypm is the winner. This
program offers a variety of different features to enhance the club’s record
keeping for the complete race season.
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| http://www.pigeon.org/winspeedstore.htm |
Electronic
Systems
In the mid-1990’s, a
number of firms introduced a new technology to the scoring of racing pigeon
competition. Using micro-chips imbedded in special leg bands, and with a
reading unit installed at the loft entry point, pigeons are automatically
“clocked” as they step across the system antenna and into the loft.
These electronic systems eliminate the need for
placing a countermark on the bird as it is entered in each race. They also do
not require that you have a trap to hold the bird as it enters the loft, so
that you can remove the countermark. The greatest benefit to some flyers is
that they do not necessarily have to be at the loft for their birds to be
clocked as they arrive home. The traditional methods of clocking pigeons still
work fine, however, the electronic systems are gaining an increasing
acceptance.
The winner usually receives a trophy, and, in addition, clubs
award “diplomas” to the top few birds in the race. The AU recognizes diploma
winners on the basis of one diploma for each 20 birds entered in the race. Most
clubs have an annual banquet in which the awards are given to the deserving
winners. AU Centers and the AU itself have annual conventions, held in a
different state of the United States each year. At the AU convention, the
winners of the AU Hall of Fame awards for the most outstanding Racing Homers,
as determined from the entries submitted, are given special recognition. Every
Racing Homer fancier’s dream is to win the Hall of Fame award. You could be a
future Hall of Fame winner!
