Thomas reaches for the sky

After many years in the pigeon racing world, Thomas Narian is still flying high.
The racing pigeon owner (fancier) from Dannhauser is already proving his class this season and has racked up a few race wins. Pigeon racing is the sport of releasing specially trained racing pigeons, which then return to their homes over a carefully measured distance. The time it takes the animal to cover the specified distance is measured and the bird’s rate of travel is calculated and compared with all of the other pigeons in the race to determine which animal returned at the highest speed. There are 36 races in a season, 12 over short distance, 12 over middle distance and 12 over long distance.
Mr Narian’s fantastic flyers have already seen him win the Short Distance Championship, racking up three wins, one second, one third and a fourth place finish in just six of the 12 races in the category. One of his prize pigeons has amassed 180 points this season, making it the Best Short Distance Bird. During the 12 races that make up the middle distance part of the season, Mr Narian had dip in his performances and finished sixth overall.
However, his pigeons have come back fighting and he has already won the first race in the final part of the season, the long distance races. Mr Narian is hoping that his birds can lift him to victory and help him win the long distance championship. Doing so would also help in his quest to be crowned the Club Championship and Federation Championship. His performances as have also seen him achieve his South African colours. However, Mr Narian has credited his son Andrew as the reason for his most recent succeses. Andrew, who has been learning the trade from his father, is called the loft manager by other members of the club. It’s a title that he takes very seriously and one that he relishes in. Andrew ensures that the birds are welllooked after and that their lofts are tidy. He also has an eye for winners and an incredible memory for past races. With a mixture of youth and experience in their lofts, the father and son due are already proven to other, more experienced fanciers, that they are not to be taken lightly. In a sport where every second counts, they’re already breeding the next generation of formidable flyers who they hope will help them soar to the top of the pigeon racing sport.