In Vâlcea County, the high-level racing pigeon competition continued also for the 2021 season, in this county prizes and top places in the national rankings in various distance categories being won. In addition, it is becoming customary for this county to win at least one Gold Club award nationwide each year. Once again, Team Catrinescu manages to win a new Gold Award at the national level and, for this dream story, the hen with the series 2005142-2020, which ranks 7th in the National Gold Club in the 2021 season, to be the daughter of the hen with the series 9003273-2018 which won a National Gold Award in 2019.

Like her mother, the young hen 2005142-2020, in addition to winning the Gold Award, achieves other top results in the county: 1st place Long distance ace yearlings 2021, 1st place Allround yearling, 3rd place Long distance yearlings, plus a few other leading places in the provincial ranking . The quality of this family of pigeons and the power of transmitting the genes shows, on the one hand, how important are the valuable acquisitions made by Team Catrinescu, and on the other hand the professionalism with which the pigeons are trained and competed in this loft.
Team Catrinescu has been active in the pigeon fancier of Vâlcea since 2014 with very good results and a rich record, and the favorite category, where they also excelled, is the long distance category. Every year, the two pigeon fanciers who form this team buy 50 Gold rings, they are delighted by the competition organized by the Union of Pigeon Federations in Romania (UFCR). The hen winner of the Gold Award in the 2021 season was targeted since she was a young bird, where she was noted for a very good performance in the young birds championship, thus giving the necessary confidence to the owners to be considered as a small bet for the future in obtaining a Gold prize nationwide. She did not betray their trust, and the next season the miracle happened, but not without emotions. At the first stage of the 2021 season, the hen arrives at home with a torn gull, needing to be sewn and left for a short time to recover, so that at the next stage she can be engaged again. This special pigeon, pushed from behind by his exceptional will and special physical qualities, does not let her guard down at all and ranks race after race with an extraordinary perseverance and ambition.
According to the statements of Ionuţ Manu, a member of the Team Catrinescu team, the hen was played widowed all season, receiving only a salmonella treatment in winter, just like all the pigeons from the Vâlcea team. “As for possible treatments during the season, we only do it on time, when needed. We do not treat preventative and we do not give medicines to the whole flight group if one or two pigeons have problems “, added Ionuţ Manu. The product used for years to recover pigeons is Belgasol, and their feeding is done with the food mixes from Vanrobaeys. Originally, the hen’s father is the grandson of the famous Harry (Jan Hooymans), and the mother a Marcel Albrecht combination with Hugo Batenburg. The adventure of the hen 2005142-2020 will not end here, with the obtaining of the National Gold award, but she will be engaged in flight in the 2022 season, the pigeon fanciers from Vâlcea having high expectations from her.
“I consider it a very good initiative of the federation to organize the Gold Club, the competition rules being good and fair for everyone! As long as for all the Gold pigeons, stickers are being used, it is clear that we can talk about a transparent and fair competition from all points of view. Now that the prizes are being awarded at clubs, it is even better… there are more chances for all competitors to win financially from their passion! We hope to buy as many rings as possible and increase the prizes! From my point of view, it is better to compete in Gold than in one race lofts because every fancier can take care of his pigeons as he wants and knows “, concluded Ionuţ Manu.