Another category that can be achieved with short distance or middle distane races (95-420 km) is the one mentioned above. This category means the achievement of the Fancier Short distance norm in two consecutive seasons, and in 2020, the norm of the Palmares Short distance Fancier category was fulfilled by 1,277 fanciers, members of the National Federation of Pigeon Fanciers in Romania (FNCPR). This year’s national champion is Miklos Szekely, from Alba, followed by George Vochin from Dolj, and the team Fekete + Lucaciu, from Zalău, Sălaj County, ranks third.

In the ten centralized races available for the norm, Miklos Szekely accumulated a coefficient of 56.45 penalty points, thus managing to win again the title of national champion of the Short distance palmares category, after ranking in the same position in 2019. On the 2nd national place is George Vochin, this year’s champion of the Short distance ​​Fancier category, and on the third place was the team Fekete + Lucaciu, known for the many and very good results at national level.

Miklos Szekey (AB), double national champion in the 2020 season

For several seasons, the pigeon fancier Miklos Szekely, from Blaj, Alba county, has been more and more present on the national podium. He does his best for the short distance categories. As proof, he is on the national podium for the second consecutive year. This year, Miklos Szekely wins both the 1st place National Short distance ​​Old birds and the 1st place National Short distance ​​Fancier Palmares categories. The second national title of this year, Short distance Fancier palmares category, was won in a rather authoritarian style. In 2019, a season in which Miklos Szekely was also the champion of the Short distance ​​Fancier Palmares category, his score was only 15.46 penalty points, achieved only with stages of the first place on the launch in the fanciers’ ranking. In 2020, with four stages won in faniers competition and a 2nd place, Myklos Szekely achieved the Fancier Short distance ​​norm with 40.99 penalty points. Cumulated, the two scores resulted in the best coefficient in Romania in the Short distance Palmares category. “Choosing the team is an important and very delicate aspect. I think it’s a skill that is learned over time, as you gain more and more experience. I change the team at almost every race. This year, only the national champion from Short distance Old birds category was in the team every week. I prepare the flight pigeons the same all week. I notice them daily, and before basketing I enter the loft and choose the team members. It is very complicated to explain. I simply see those who are suitable for the team for that race. This season it happened that I chose in my team a young pigeon that come home late from the previous race, and it had an excellent performance”, said Miklos Szekely (foto right).

George Vochin (DJ), a new national trophy

George Vochin fom Dolj is this year’s champion of the Short distance ​​Fancier category and the national vice-champion of the Short distance ​​Fancier Palmares category. His score is 63.86 penalty points, of which 45.76 points represent the score from 2019 and 18.01 points represent the coefficient from this year. Out of the ten races of the Shot distance ​​Fancier Palmares category, no less than eight of them are 1st places, and the other two are 2nd places. “Approximately 50 pigeons compete each year in the 100 to 700 km races, pigeons coming from the Elzinga, Koopman, Dijkstra and Schaerlaeckens families. I use three types of food from Versele Laga: Gerry, Superstar and Energy. When the pigeons get back from race they receive Gerry, the next days they will receive Gery with Superstar, and on the weekend Superstar with Energy. I do two trainings during the week, at a distance of 80 km and I observ the behavior of the pigeons. In order to bet on them, the team must train very well before the stage, to eat well. Basically, to have a behavior from which I can realize that they are in a good shape, and the fanciers know what this means “, stated George Vochin (foto left).

Team Fekete + Lucaciu (SJ) wins 3rd place National Short distance ​​Fancier Palmares

With a coefficient of 69.71 points, the team Fekete + Lucaciu (foto right), from Sălaj County, ranks in 2020 on the 3rd place for this category. Out of the total score, 26.23 points are from the 2019 season, when they achieved the norm of Short distance Fancier category only with 1st places in every race. The remaining 43.48 points were achieved this season, when the two fanciers competed again very well. Of the five races this year, three are 1st places on the launch or center and two are 2nd places, both on the whole race. “We only compete with the cocks, using widowhood method. For 2020 we had 11 cocks in the for racing and we finished the season with six of them, each of them winning at least one trophy. Between races we do a 30 km training, and as food we use a local mixture, to which I sometimes add different small seeds. For the team, we rely on constant pigeons. If we are at the beginning of the season and we do not know yet who are the best, we put on the team those who came best at training or the previous race. Another criterion is the family from which the pigeons come from. Because we have a small number of pigeons to race with, we know them very well and it is not difficult to form a team “, explained Robert Fekete.

From this presentation, we can observ the common most important thing in this year’s award-winning for pigeon fanciers competition, and that is 1st places for the most of the races centralized here. Where it is not the first place counted for the norm, the second place is maximum. Therefore, pigeon fanciers who want to claim in a category such as Short distance ​​Fancier Palmares must compete close to perfection.