Platteau Tom and Ante, the supersonic duo out of Ternat

Ternat: Respect and admiration for Tom and Ante Platteau…not only for their marvellous pigeon results but also because they are both full time working in the OLV Hospital from Aalst. Everybody follows the COVID-19 news and I don’t have to explain how stressful their job can be at this moment.
Luckily pigeon sport takes care of the necessary distraction. Our twin practise their beloved hobby since many year in a fanatic way and are known to get more than once top results.
Also the season of 2020 was one where they can be proud of. The general results are to be found at the end of this article but in the national KBDB championships we find their name behind underneath championships: 
10th National champion KBDB Small middle distance old and yearling 2020
12th  National Ace bird KBDB Small middle distance old 2020    
16th  General Champion KBDB 2020
22nd National champion KBDB short distance old and yearling

Born to win

The seeing and hearing of the many pigeons passing by in their flight out of Quièvrain is something that still gives them shivers and takes care each weekend again for goose bump moments. Their youth was coloured with pigeons. They surely didn’t get carte blanche from their parents. They had to ask more than once before they could place their first little loft of pigeons in the garden. At the age of 10 the first winged friends moved in. In the meantime both of them read a lot of books and looked over the hedge at the neighbour to see how they needed to take care of the small animals. Father and mother looked at it with Argus eyes, everything needed to be in order really well. At the start they also couldn’t take part at the races, but after even more whining with mom and dad they could give pigeons to Quièvrain. If they could clock a pigeon within the 40 minutes they could put their pigeons also on the further flights. Mom and dad were convinced that this was impossible, but that weekend the wind turned directly out of southwestern direction. Full patience they waited for their first arrival. And yes, at the horizon the 1st one arrived after 37 minutes. Big joy for Tom and Ante, mother and father weren’t that happy. But a promise is a promise and this is how the tandem started off for their career in pigeon sport. 

From that date on they search everywhere for pigeons to strengthen the loft. They got many, not all of them of the same quality, but luckily there were some that wanted really to help out the twins. This is how Tom and Ante got a couple from Hilaire van Schelvergem (Ternat) for their communion . One of these two was the ‘Hilaire’ who was a fantastic racer from the beginning on to become the base breeder of the loft afterwards. 

Many years later they moved. Both Tom and Ante found the love of their live and a new location needed to be found. They bought houses next to each other and the pigeon lofts appeared at the horizon. The twin brothers could built further on their colony. Several different strains housed on their lofts by now. Next to the above mentioned base breeder from Hilaire van Schelvergem we also find the strains from Roger Schauwers, Van Nieuwenborgh Maria, Vergotte Astere, Marcel Aelbrecht , Van Roy Geert, Herbots Gebr., Van Den Eynde Louis and Ulrich Lemmens.  Also Maarten De Mot was an important person in the building of their success, their neighbour in Wambeek who helped out in the beginning to clock the gummi’s. 

But strains and pedigrees is something the twins don’t bother much. They want results on paper. Those who don’t give results are out. A pigeon that can’t race 7 times per 10 in one season has a big problem living in Ternat. They get a full year the opportunity to proof themselves and the statistics are set. Marks are set behind the ring numbers and then a really strict selection is made. At that moment they don’t look at heritage. 

This strict selection gives results as in the meantime the Platteau pigeons prove to be worthy on the races from 50 to 500km. 

System
The care of the pigeons is done mutual by the brothers. Nevertheless each has its specific job. Tom is in charge of the motivation of the pigeons and Ante takes care of the administration and knows each pigeon by hart. Sometimes they should and swear at each other. But you just have to confirm the fantastic cooperation between the two brothers seen the fantastic results they put on paper together. They have about 25 breeding couples. Two rounds are bred. They have about 40 to 50 racing pigeons and these are both cocks and hens. About 150 youngsters are being raced and tested each year. The racing pigeons are being raced on the widowhood system and the youngsters are being raced according the sliding doors system. 
Those who know Ante and Tom know that all pigeons have to race each week. ‘Rest’ isn’t something they know. To be able to get top results on the short distance, middle distance and greater middle distance is something that needs a lot of discipline and passion. In a medical way they don’t look too far, in autumn a cure against paratyphoid and beside that they only cure when necessary. Against tricho they cure every three weeks. Both for food and side products they use Paloma. 

 

The many references proof that the pigeons from Ante and Tom have good genes. Pigeons that are being pushed to the limit by these two passionate fanciers with marvellous result as consequence. And as mentioned before…they don’t like paper pigeons, pigeons with pedigrees are less important. They only look at the result. This is why they are an asset to each loft as they have the qualities to deliver top results from Quièvrain to Argenton. 

Results 2020

12/9 Noyon   166 km    141 yb : 1-2-3-4-5-7-8-9-10-11-12-14-16-17-18-19-20-20-22-24-,,,(29/53)

06/9 Noyon 221 yb : 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-13-14-15-16-17-18-20-21-22-25-26-27-27-29-30-31-32-..(58/74)

06/09 Noyon 2741 yb : 1-5-6-9-10-13-15-17-41-42-43-82-83-99-116-117-122-144-152-172-182-184-187-187-190-191-194-196-…(58/74)

22/8 Sermaises 320 km    53 old : 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-13-14-15-16-18 (17/22)

22/8 Noyon 422 yb : 2-3-3-5-6-7-8-9-10-10-14-17-19-20-21-23-24-27-28-,,,,,(33/55)

15/8 Sermaises 381 yb: 1-8-16-28-53-55-,,,(7/12)

8/8 Noyon 66 old : 1-2-4-6-8-12-14-18-20 (9/12)

25/7 Noyon 470 yb : 1-2-3-3-5-5-5-8-9-10-11-12-14-15-16-17-29-30-31-32-36-,,,(53/88)

25/7 Noyon 129 old : 1-3-4-5-6-14-,,(7/13)

25/7 Noyon 63 yl: 1-2-6 (¾)

19/7 Noyon   124 old  : 1-7-8-,,,(11/12)

18/7 Issoudun 463 km  299 old : 2-3-8-16-,,,(5/7)

18/7 Issoudun 463 km   600 yl: 3-13-16-24-42-,,,,(7/9)

18/7 Sermaises 327 old: 3-4-8-14-15-17-18-25-26-27-28-33-36-38-45-46-48-49-55-57-59-,,,(22/32)

12/7 Noyon 2303 old : 1-32-35-44-77-85-87-116(8/10)

12/7 Noyon 1237 yl : 1-,,(2/3)

12/7 Noyon 96 yl : 1-23  (2/2)
12/7 Noyon 149 old : 1-4-5-7-13-15-16-18-,,,(9/10)

11/7 Argenton  513 km  853 yl : 1-19-22-33-51-68-76(9/9)

11/7  Argenton 513 km  389 old : 3-17-33-34-,,,(6/6)

11/7 Sermaises 219 yl : 2-9-11-12-13-17-17-19-20-24-29-30-32-,,,(16/18)

11/7  Noyon 171 old : 1-2-3-4-6-12-19-20-,,(11/12)

11/7 Noyon 81 yl: 1-14 (2/3)

4/7 Chateauroux 485 km  428 yl: 1-12-26-(6/9)

4/7 Sermaises 2148 old : 2-6-7-11-14-28-49-63-64-65-96-104-141-141-181-184-,,,

4/7 Sermaises 1355 yl: 1-2-5-12-28-34-50-71-71-75-95-96-,,,

4/7 Sermaises 429 old : 1-3-4-6-8-14-17-19-20-21-25-27-34-35-37-45-47-,,,,(24/34)

4/7 Sermaises 299 yl: 1-2-3-6-8-9-11-16-16-19-25-26-32-,,,(16/19)

28/6 Noyon 248 old : 2-3-8-9-10-,,,(11-12)

27/6  Sermaises 2660 old : 1-17-39-40-63-67-,,,

27/6 Sermaises 1780 yl : 1-10-28-,,,,

27/6 Sermaises 611 old : 1-6-13-14-22-24-49-58-59-60-,,,,(24/34)

20/6 Sermaises 4310 old e : 2-3-15-38-39-51-64-74-79-81-93-116-118-130-162-180-,,,

20/6 Sermaises 592 yl : 2-7-8-11-12-16-24-25-27-32-,,(16/22)

20/6 Sermaises 1019 old : 2-3-7-12-13-14-18-21-22-24-27-37-38-41-49-52-54-59-,,,,(31/38)

20/6  Salbris 412 km  322 yl : 1-51-98 (3/3)

20/6 Salbris 339 old : 2-5-9-10-14-35 (6/6)

14/6 Noyon 287 yl: 3-8-10-16-17-,,,(10/12)

14/6 Sermaises 4923 old : 9-11-27-50-76-97-106-109-133-148-155-162-216-,,,

14/6 1408 old: 5-7-12-18-27-34-38-39-47-53-56-59-74-85-92-,,,(32/41)

13/6 Noyon 231 old : 1-2-14-26-31-34-,,,(9/9)

13/6 Noyon  331 old : 1-3-11-14-20-38-,,,(10/11)

13/6 Noyon  189 yl : 2-4-,,(5/5)