With my daughter Alisa - Rohnfried cup 2005/2006

Alisa on training 2000

With my son Zvezdan on training 2001

I began in pigeons when I was six, when I got my first pair of Jacobins. During the next twenty years I bred many breeds of pigeons, mostly Fantails. But in 1998 I was “infected“ with Racing Pigeons Virus and forgot all about other breeds. If I had more room, I would add a few more loft sections for Racing Pigeons. If I had even more room and time, yes, I’d breed some other breeds.

1998 – The first Racing Pigeons were gifts from Petar Bozic, Budimir Mandic and some other friends. Some of them still active, some not. The first two YB races went fine, but the third one was a catastrophe: a smash race for the whole Union in which thousands of birds got lost. The first bird returned after five days!!! I had to start all over again.

1999 – – I hope something like that will never happen again. . . why did the pigeons have to pay the price?

2000 – Still not a real beginning. Simmilarly bred birds, the first OB races, my attempts with widowhood cocks only, feeding, motivating, etc. . . Too many theories, not enough time. Even with the high quality birds, it takes at least five years to really get into this sport. Literature and Internet do help, but a true friend with good advice is more important. I had one - Petar Bozic. Sadly, that year I got to know an ugly side of the sport. Because of some disagreements, the combine was divided into two opposed parts, each with its own flight schedules, and half of the scores of the members did not receieve recognition. Nevertheless, the 2000 Junior (YB) races were organized and I scored my first serious results: 1st place team in Vrsac RV & 3.place team in Serbia, 2nd & 3 place single in Vrsac RV.

2001 – For above mentioned reasons our results were not recognized, but here they are:

COMBINE TEAMS           COMBINE SINGLE BIRDS

2^nd Short Distance               4^th and 5^th Short Distance

2^nd Middle Distance            3^rd Middle Distance

That year I introduced Jef VanWinkel and William Gertz birds. I bought them at the Novi Sad Pigeon Auction. I gradually adjusted my racing system to my busy schedule and my habits. I also added hens to my racing team. About 70% of the best Vrsac competitors don’t use hens. My idea was to test all the birds I had. Year after year they showed better results than the cocks, so I kept my system intact.

2002 – After two years of unrecognized results and disputes, some of us founded the third club in Vrsac --- PIGEON-EXPRESS. Some important facts about the Club and its members you can find at this website. I became a Champion of PIGEON-EXPRESS Club (six 1^st places, 1^st hen Short and Middle Distance Combine). It was Olimpia, YU-159342-00, the same hen chosen for the Olympic Representation of Yugoslavia, Category Standard.

I added some more Jef VanWinkel birds, mostly Janssen bred, to my breeding program.

2003 – New additions to my loft, this time L. Boers, B. Camphius and C. Shellens from Gerd Loerch of Germany. I wanted to keep my racing team youngsters as well as the ones I got from my stock birds. Not only some of those racing team young birds performed well, but they also gave me an idea as to which racers should eventually make it to the breeding loft.

New season, new results: Champion of PIGEON-EXPRESS Club: twelve 1^st places in the Club! Also 1.st single place 100-400km in RV, 2.nd single place 300-600km RV, 1st & 2nd RV team & single place with Junior, 3.rd Junior team in Serbia & 10.th single in Serbia

2004 – In the beginning of this year my cock YU-213435-01 represented the country at the Balkaniada held in Greece.

2005 – It did not start very well, but there were some successes: six 1^st places in the Club, 1^st Short and Middle Distance team and 1^st single bird Short Distance. On the Combine level, no significant results, but my YB made their mark: 1^st team in Serbia with 7 birds within the top 11 !!! Great results that obliged me to keep on with the good work in the future.

2006 – As was expected, the year 2006 was a success, perhaps beyond my  expectations. Before the racing season, I installed grated floors, wooden in the loft and metal in the aviaries. It turned to be useful and eliminated humidity and dust related problems. I didn’t have to scrape the floors as often as before. Instead, I had more time to socialize with my birds. I scored 1.st places in almost every category in Vrsac RV, but biggest success is the 1st place with the team of 5 birds in Serbia !! In the same category complete team were in the top 26 in Serbian Union. In the category AS pigeons (10 places in 20%) the 5.female in Serbia -552701-04 was the daughter of Olympia, while 14 birds of my loft qualified for that category ! Finally the average of 65% of submissions places in one of the strongest RV in Serbia should be registered.   

2007  -  The third successful season already! I repeated 1^st team OB, 1^st single bird Short Distance and 1^st YB team. In a manner of a collector I added 1^st Long Distance (500+ km) team and single bird titles. All of these were on the Combine (RV) level. It is insignificant that it is only in the RV because the Union list is not that relevant as nobody really competed with someone outside his RV.

I have to mention YU-620589-05 Blondie. When she made the Short Distance Serbian Representation bird, she brought Vrsac back to where it belongs after more than 20 years.

Here is an interesting story about the ’07 1^st Short Distance Combine, Lady, YU-620536-05. She was shown in the Standard category, erroneously judged as a cock and still won her place in the Representation. After I pointed to the error, she was simply removed from the list instead of being judged as a hen, where she would probably score even better.

In the beginning of 2007, I posted a website where fans could see  my pigeons, my loft, the details of my system of training and feeding and ask questios or make comments.

 2008  -  All the achievements were crowned by The Master of Racing Pigein Sport title. In order to gain this title it is necessary for your team to either win in the same distance category for three consecutive years in the Combine, or even better to win your Combine generally, which is exactly how I have accomplished it.

In addition to that, my Short Distance (100 – 350 km) 5 bird team has scored 1^st in RV, or 3^rd in Union (Serbia). The birds out of our loft made it within first 20 in the Serbian Union: Kerber YU-750340-06 and my daughter Alisa’s Kajla YU-620506-05, who also was 6^th in Serbia in a biannual All round category.

At the end of the season I withdrew a couple more of my best performing racers to the stock loft. So, there is 22 of my retired racers who made it there. Almost all of those birds were among the first 20 in the Union in some category, including 5 first Combine, 2 Representation birds, etc. In the stock bird loft there are still some of their parents, who produced the winning team. They are the foundation of my loft. I will add some new birds hoping that they will produce better than those I have now. This year I imported some pigeons from Alfred Weber, a very succesful German competitor. Some of these birds may be another step toward my aim. 

I wish to promote this sport, to give advice to beginners if they want me to.

I hope there will be more devoted and honest pigeon breeders in the future. I also hope we shall race homers, socialize and enjoy the most beautiful sport in the world (with God’s help) for a hundred years more!  

 2009  - Again very successful: 1^st Serbian team in the middle distance 300-600km, 2^nd Serbian team in short term 100-400km, 2^nd & 4^th Serbian female at the middle distance, the same female was in the National team in the category "H" (best 6 places below 20%), Serbian champ. also meansVrsac RV champ. too.

 2010  - Unfortunately, the extremely poor organisation ... whole season has passed with very bad weather conditions, everybody had many losses ... but I am nevertheless, even with two races less than the others, achieved the first single and team place in RV on 100-400km, and 300-600km too ! 

2011  - ... soon ...