To see how combative the provinces of Romania (Moldova, Muntenia, Oltenia, Transylvania and the Western province) are, and for what categories of distance, we propose a series of comparative presentations of the last three seasons. In each of the categories, together with their derivatives, the criterion will be the ranking in the top three at national level. Then, we will present you a hierarchy of provinces, awards that each one of them won each year, plus a few other analyzes. To make a transparent ranking of the provinces, the trophies won will receive the following score: 1st place – 3 points, 2nd place – 2 points, 3rd place – 1 point. In the end, we will calculate the total score achieved on all three seasons of each province and, according to this criterion, we will make a final ranking of them. We continue, this time, with the category Ace Long distance.

This category in particular can be classified as one that requires a great effort of the pigeons, given that it is made out of five stages. The competitions plan of the associations usually contains a maximum of five races, which means that the pigeons who manage to fulfill the norm of the category Ace have ranked all the five stages of the season, being quite rare the cases when an Extreme long distance is considered for the accomplishment of this category. Five races being manadatory to accomplish this norm, the category Ace Long distance is very rarely fulfilled at the young birds level. In the three seasons we analyzed (2017, 2018, 2019), a single young bird, competed by Tiberiu Iancu from Timiș, managed to achieve this norm, in 2018.

Province of Moldova        

As with all the other distance categories, the province of Moldova has the most trophies also for Ace Long distance. In the last three years, fanciers in this province have won a total of 18 national cups. In the 2017 season, they occupied the following national places: 2 National Ace Long distance Old birds, 1 and 3 National Ace Long distance Yearlings, 2 and 3 National Ace Long distance Old birds 2 years palmares, 1 and 3 National Ace Long distance 3 ani Palmares. In 2018, they won the following trophies: 2 Ace Long distance Old birds, 2 and 3 National Ace Long distance Yearlings, 1, 2 and 3 National Ace Long distance Palmares. Last year was also not a poor one for Moldavian fanciers, who won five national cups for Ace Long distance: 2 and 3 National Ace Long distance Old birds, 1 and 2 National Ace Long distance Yearlings and 2 National Ace Long distance Palmares.

The West Province

As number of trophies won in the category As Fond, the western province is next, after Moldova, but wih a considerable difference. The winners’ palmares from West for Ace Long distance consists of seven national trophies. Five of them were won in 2017 and the other two were won in 2018: 1 and 3 National Ace Long distance Old birds, 2 National Ace Long distance Yearlings, 1 National Ace Long distance 2 years Palmares, 2 National Ace Long distance 3 years Palmares, in 2017; 3 National Ace Long distance Old birds and 1 National Ace Long distance Young birds, in 2018.

Province of Oltenia

The 2017 season did not bring any national cups for Ace Long distance for Oltenia fanciers, but in the next two years, they managed to rectify the situation a little. With two important cups won in 2018, 1 National Ace Long distance Old birds and 1 National Ace Long distance Yearlings, and with three others obtained last year, 3 National Ace Long distance Yearlings, 1 and 3 National Ace Long distance Palmares, fanciers from Oltenia obtained five national cups in this category.

Muntenia Province has a single national cup in this category, won last year by David-Marian Antofie, from Ilfov: 1st place National Ace Long distance Old birds

Conclusions

The situation of the last three years of competition in the category is a discrepancy. Moldavian fanciers clearly dominate the picture of the winners, having the most national cups won. Fanciers in the West and Oltenia managed to offer a few sporadic, but quite important replications, gaining a few national podium cups. The year 2017 was “a fight for two” for the national supremacy in the category Ace Long distance, with the Moldavian and West province fanciers fighting for supremacy. Of the last three seasons, 2017 was the season in which Moldova was opposed by the strongest resistance, the fanciers in this area almost equally sharing national awards with those from West. Oltenia Province appears in this analysis only in the 2018 season, when it wins two national 1st place trophies, so that last year it will win another three trophies. Muntenia Province has a single national trophy at Ace Long distance, 1 National Ace Long distance Old birds, won last year, while no fancier from Transylvania has won any national cup at Ace Long distance in the last three years.

By provinces, the ranking is as follows:

1. Moldova: 34 points (13/2017 + 11/2018 + 10/2019 = 34)
2. West: 15 points (11/2017 + 4/2018 = 15)
3. Oltenia: 11 points (6/2018 + 5/2019 = 11)
4. Muntenia: 3 points (3/2019)