Yearling hen "Liv" from Jan and Paul Grolleman of Landgraaf (Z-Limburg) Wins National St. Vincent ZLU.

Landgraaf. After not being on the ZLU agenda for two years, St Vincent was added back to the list of international flights in 2022. Yet immediately a problem surfaced in the first week of July. The French department of La Gironde, the region around Bordeaux, was ravaged by severe forest fires and it took quite a long time to get them under control. The organisation then thought it irresponsible to release pigeons in St Vincent. After consultation and agreement, it was decided to move to Tarbes, located to the east. 
The bank holidays "Quatorze Juillet" in France fell on a Friday again this year. And no pigeon releases are allowed in France on that day. The reason why both the basketing day and the release day were moved up 1 day. 
Saturday 15 July, in the morning in St Vincent it was cloudy and a threat of rain. The flight line was also not good with rain and local thunderstorms moving from west to east. To take no risks, unloading was postponed to Sunday. 
On Sunday 16 July, in the morning it was cloudy in St Vincent and a weak south wind was blowing. On the flight line, a south-west wind which was moderate to strong and later also decreasing. The temperature would rise to about 22 °C. 
 

The release was at 8 am. 
During Sunday, a press release appeared on the PIPA and ZLU sites about the situation over, of, before the St Vincent release. We will not go into further detail here because everything about, of, before the situation of this release can be read on both sites. 
This year International 9,533 pigeons were basketed for this ZLU flight. Last year there were 10,246. In the Netherlands, marathon fanciers basketed 2,308 pigeons last year and 2,522 this year. So there was an increase in the number of pigeons here. 
It was just after half past five when the first notification came from France. Father and son Mahmoudi from the village of Haudricourt, north-west of Paris. Father and son clocked a pigeon at 4.23pm at a distance of 710km. This gave a speed of 1411 m/min. 
The head was off and the wait for the first pigeons in the other participating countries could begin. 
In Belgium, the first pigeon was reported by Ivan Verhaege from Harelbeke aan de Leie. At 18:05 his first sign was in the clock. She had covered the distance of 873 km at an average speed of 1443 m/min. The fastest pigeon was clocked by Alain and Maxime Henry from Nandrin, just below Liege. Their distance 915 km and the pigeon was clocked at 18:16. This gave a speed of 1484 m/min. 
Alexander Onac from Tawern would clock a very early pigeon for Germany. At 18.09 his pigeon was in the clock. This gave a speed of 1477 m/min at a distance of 900 km. 
In the end, the pigeon of Sven Anweiler from Nussloch, Germany, would become the international winner with a speed of 1495 m/min. The pigeon was clocked at 18.59 at a distance of 986 km. 
There was also an early report from Luxembourg and that was from Belmiro Freitas from Beaufort. He clocked his pigeon at 18.38 at a distance of 896 km. Good for a speed of 1404 m/min. 
Now it was waiting for the first notification from the Netherlands. 
This happened at 18.57 and it was from Sluis in Zeeland. This one was made by well-known long distance fancier Martin de Poorter. His pigeon had covered the distance of 920 km at an average speed of 1400 m/min. That same evening, except for a few pigeons which were clocked early the next day, the prizes were almost earned. 

Dutch National winner lives in Landgraaf (Z-Limburg) 

Once the first pigeon has been clocked in the Netherlands, it is always a while before the fanciers clock the further distances. And then who would eventually become national winner. Jan and Paul Grolleman from Landgraaf in Zuid-Limburg in the Oostelijke Mijnstreek, had basketed 2 nesting cocks and 2 nesting hens for this ZLU flight. 

Father Jan with wife Monique and son Paul with girlfriend Jenna were outside watching the pigeons. Monique was inside for a while and when she came out again she asked if there was anything yet. "Yes, in Zeeland a pigeon was clocked at 18.57". "Then we should be able to clock in about 30 minutes to win," Paul ventured. It had just been 7pm when suddenly a pigeon arrived and with a twist she fell on the flap and straight in. That was a bit of a scare. The clock pointed to 19.01.25 and at a distance of 976 km this would give an average speed of 1476 m/min. 

After reporting, she soon came to the top of the reporting list. And then the nervous game started. What time will they catch on the further distances. Finally, no pigeon in the Netherlands would be faster and the national victory was a fact. From all sides came the messages, apps and phone calls with congratulations. And they all ended up in an uproar. Hen "Liv" had made an unforgettable day for them all. Never to be forgotten. 

Hen "Liv" 1st National St Vincent ZLU and 5th International. 

The checquer hen with ring number Nl22-8669767 was named "Liv" after her national win, named after Paul and Jenna's daughter. 

She had entered the basket as runner-up on a youngster about 5 days old. 
She is a '22 summer youngster and was played 4 times on the after flights. As a yearling she went weekly to 500 km and then on a youngster of about 5 days old to morning release Bordeaux of the Limburg department and won the 175th Prov. against 2,824 pigeons. When she came home from this she immediately took the youngster again. Her next assignment would then be St. Vincent ZLU and Paul kept replacing her youngster with a smaller one, so that on the basketing day of St. Vincent she again had to take care of a youngster of about 5 days. And with the aforementioned result. Internationally, she will provisionally finish 5th. Internationally, it is also the first yearling which was clocked. A real top performance for a yearling after more than 11 hours of non-stop flying. Paul said she arrived in superb condition and immediately took care of her young again. 
Father is the "577" from '10 
Gr. Father is a son of Dr Hans-Peter and Peter Brockamp's "Euro Diamond" from Boppard (Dl). "Euro Diamond" was 1st Olympiad Pigeon and won a.o. a 1st Nat. and 2nd Int. Carcassonne 
Gr. Mother is a daughter of the "Jonge Witbuik" of Batenburg-v.d. Merwe from Klaaswaal.
Mother is the "261" from '15 by Jac van de Bosch. 
Gr. Father is the "Marseille 325" of Harrie and Roger Wijnands, which was 1st Ace pigeon from Marseille over 3 and 4 years with a.o. twice a 15th, a 24th Nat. and 177th Nat. Marseille
Gr. Mother is the "190" and a cross Jelle Jellema x Arjan Beens (line "Sophie /Jellema and "Killer Queen"/ Arjan Beens). 
See further the pedigree chart. 
Jan and Paul clocked their second pigeon, which was basketed first at 20.05 and stat as 162nd on the report list. 

 

Old lofts of the late Fons van Ophuizen.
Father Jan, just past 60, married the daughter of the well-known fancier and chairman of the then C.L.B.v.P, the late Jan Cobben from Nuth. Soon Jan became interested in his pigeons and helped to take care of them. And so son Paul, 40, also got to know the love for pigeon racing and when grandpa Jan became ill around the turn of the century, he helped him take care of the pigeons. In early 2012, the well-known pigeon sport journalist and fund player Fons van Ophuizen from Landgraaf passed away. Jac van de Bosch from Hengstdijk took over the house and pigeons from Mariet Marell and looked for a pigeon fancier who was willing to live in the house and take care of the pigeons. Paul responded and soon the deal was done. In 2013, Paul officially became the manager of the then existing pigeon colony. In 2018, the opportunity arose for him to take over the house and also the 60 couples of breeding pigeons colony. Father Jan, who lives in Hoensbroek, would form with him the combination Grolleman & Grolleman and they would primarily fly the morning releases of the Limburg division and the ZLU programme. Paul also gets help, where needed, from girlfriend Jenna and daughter Liv. Father Jan helps in the overall daily care. 
The loft installation is still the same where Fond van Ophuizen and Mariet Marell flew top for many years. It consists of a large two-storey loft. On the upper floor are 10 departments. Six departments house the 30 widowers and the remaining four departments house the 40 pairs of nestlings. The breeding and youngsters are housed on the ground floor. 

 

The basic pigeons
When Paul took over the pigeons from Jac van de Bosch in 2018, there were 60 breeding couples. These consisted mainly of direct pigeons from: 
* Batenburg-v.d. Merwe from Klaaswaal a.o. from the line of the "Jonge Wittebuik" 
* Harrie and Roger Wijnands from Maastricht out of the "Marseille 325" line 
* Bert and Arie Saarloos from Klaaswaal
* Pie Schurgers from Maastricht
* Fons and Mariet van Ophuizen-Marell. From the line of the "Jelte" 1st Nat. Marseille '08 
* Jan Cobben from Nuth 
These pigeons will be crossed with each other and afterwards we will see which lines match best. 



 

Almost a day's work 
This season, father and son started with 30 widowers and 40 couples of racers. 
On the ground floor under the racing loft are 33 couples of breeders that produce about 70 youngsters in two rounds. These breeders are paired in the first week of March and raise two rounds for their own supplement. The 30 widowers were paired in the first week of April and raised one young and then they were on widowhood. The nestlings they paired in early May and work successively through the breeding cycles. 
During the winter day, they are busy making a schedule of each pigeon or division of the widowers and nestlings on which flight which pigeons or division will go to that particular flight. 
From the first race onwards, all racing pigeons are raced weekly up to about 500 km and then the pigeons are split up for a certain long-distance race. The widowers go to one race per section. With the nestlings, they look for pigeons with a certain position. Here they prefer to play with pigeons that have been breeding for about 10 days.
At 5.30 in the morning, the alarm goes off and the widowers are released for an hour of voluntary training. Then the nestlings are released and have an open loft until about 9 o'clock. Then the youngsters are released. At 6 pm then the widowers again and between 8 and 9 pm the nestlings. And then the day is over. 
The youngsters of the first round are played on the young pigeon programme and the second round is trained in the race. 
Father Jan or Paul bring the pigeons that are basketed for long distance flights to Namen (about 80 km) twice and release them in threes or fours. 

Daily care 

Jan and Paul feed Beyers Premium mixtures during the racing season. The nestlings get full tank of the Koopman All-in One mixture. The last two days he gives them energy-rich mixtures as a supplement. This is also given to the nestlings that stay at home. Afterwards, he takes the nestlings that stay at home to Namen for a short flight. Often it is the group that is basketed for the next long distance race. Then they already have a short flight. 

The widowers get Super Widowhood and can eat two hours at will. Then the feed trough is emptied. Also here the last two days the energy-rich mixture. Every afternoon, between 12 and 1 pm, Paul goes to the racing pigeons and gives them fresh grit, candy and some peanuts. 

Both nestlings and widowers get a yellow tablet (Magic) from de Weerd every month. And if they are told that the airways are not okay, the widowers are given Ornisol (de Weerd) in the drinking pot for 3 days and the nestlings are given an Ornipil. 

Finally. 

In 2016, they were already very close to a national win once. Then the blue hen, the "De 265", flew the 2nd National Agen ZLU for yearlings against 4,679 birds and became 15th International against 9,043 birds. She was still of grandfather Jan Cobben's old strain. 

And now it was a hit, 1st National and 5th International St Vincent ZLU.

At Agen ZLU for yearlings they had 19 with them and won 11 prizes nationally starting with 116-194-227-254-339 etc. In the oldsters they won 5 prizes out of 12 and started here with 694-759-796 etc. 

The whole Grolleman family got to experience this weekend what it is like to win a national on a prestigious ZLU flight like this St Vincent. The days that followed were experienced as a celebration. Interest and congratulations from everywhere sometimes overwhelm the whole family. Yet it is quite an experience and certainly one to be remembered.

Wife Monique, friend Jenna and daughter Liv sympathise with his hobby of father and son and of course share in this revelry. Never to be forgotten.

Marcel Görtzen