TheSecret ofMarcelSangers

BySilvioMattacchioneBAMA
Some20orsoyearsagoIhadoccasionto
communicatewithanexceedingly
inspiringAmericanbookpublisherbythe
nameofRichardCohn.Richardwasa
perfectionistandoperatedasmall
specialtybookpublishingcompanyoutof
Oregon.HeandhiswifeCindyworkedat
publishingexquisitelimitededitionbooks
(severalofwhichhadbecomePresidential
GiftsofState).Marvelousbooksintheir
designandproductionincluding5and6
colorprinting,handbinding,award
winningbooksthatwerecollectedaround
theworld.Richardisanexceptional
humanbeing,softspokenalwayspositive,alwaysmovingtowardsthegoalofmakinga
differenceinthelivesofpeople.IntimeRichardssdedication,beliefinhimself,hardwork,
attentiontodetailpaidoffinahugefashion.YouseeRichardCohnisthepublisherofthebest
sellingbookTheSecret!
TheSecretisabestselling
bookwrittenbyRhondaByrne
WalkerAtkinson'spriorworks
basedon TheSecretwas
DVDformat.Thetenetofthe
focusedpositivethinkingcan
suchasincreasedwealth,
Thebookachievedhighsales
episodesof Oprah,whereafter
NewYorkTimesbestsellerlist
reached#1onthesalescharts

...anindividual's
focusedpositive
thinkingcanresultin
lifechangingresults
suchasincreased
wealth,health,
happinessand much
more.

2006selfhelpandspirituality
andbaseduponWilliam
andschoolofthought.Afilm
releasedbeforethebookin
bookisthatanindividual's
resultinlifechangingresults
health,happinessandmore.
afterbeingfeaturedintwo
thebookreachedthetopofthe
andthefilmbasedonthebook
onAmazon.com

Whatdoesallofthishavetodo
withMarcelSangers?Well
everythingfrommypointof
view.Apersonbecomes
exceptionalathischosen
professioninspiteof
everythingthatheorsheisconfrontedwith.MarcelSangershasbecomeaworldrenowned
racingpigeonchampionpreciselybecausehehasbeenabletousehisfocusedpositivethinking
toobtainforhimself (intheracingpigeonworld)everythingthathehasalwaysdesiredand
consideredmostimportanttohimself.Sangersknowsfullwellthepowerofthemindtomanifest
thoughtsintherealworld.Sangersdoesnotdoubthisabilities,hemovesfromstrengthto
strengthandhischosenprofessionisthatofracingpigeonsandhisresultsspeakforthemselves!
Regardlessofwhatlifethrowsathimhedealswithitinapositivefashion.Withthisattitude
towardslife,withthisbeliefinoneselfthereisnothingthatcannotbeachieved.

Ifirstcametohear thenameSangersfromaCanadianfancierofexceptional abilitythatIhad

firstmetover45yearsagooneMr.Karl VonGardony.Karliswithoutadoubt themost
successfulracingpigeonfancierinCanada.Noonehaswonmoreracesthanhehas.Hungarian
bybirthhewas,intheoldcountryamemberofthesameracingpigeonclubasProfessorAnker
thegreatgeneticist.IwasvisitingKarlandhehandedmeagiftHereisyourChristmaspresent
Silviohesaid.Itwasawonderfuldarkcheckercock,itsoutoftheMarcelSangersApache,
continuedKarl.SotothisdaywheneverIthinkofSangersIalsothinkofApacheandmyold,
dear,andgenerousfriendKarl!
SowithmyinterestnowpeakedIsetaboutfinding
outjustwhoMarcelSangersreally is? Itturnsout
thatMarcelwasborn April2,1968 thesonof
Martin SangersandEllyWensink.Theyear1968
wasatimeofturmoilandupheavalaroundthe
world.Iamoldenoughtorememberthe
assassinationofMartinLutherKingthatyearas
wellastheCzechRevolution,thecontinuingWarin
VietnamtheassassinationofRobertKennedyand
thelaunchofApollo8,thebeginningofthefirstUS
missiontoorbittheMoon.
Though Marcelsparentsdivorcedwhen hewas
onlytwelvehedidnotallowthisfacttobecomean
albatrossaroundhisneckassomanyothershave
done.Growinguphelovedtoplaysoccer,fishing
Figure1 YoungMarcelSangers
wasalsoamarvelouspastimeaswerethehoursthat
hespentwithhischildhoodfriendsinthebeautiful
12th CenturytownofZutphen.ThoughnottheCityofhisbirth (Marcel wasborninDieren)
Zutphenwaswhatwasreferredtoasahanzecity(oneofanumberofsmallcitiesdedicatedto
trade viathemanyriverwaterwaysthatexisted)alsohometoimportantprovincialcourtspartof
theDutchjusticeestablishment.Allinallabeautifulmedieval citywithtremendoustourist
interests.
IntimeMarceldiscoveredthathewasnotcutoutforthelifeofan academicfavoringaless
stringentandmorecolorful educationthatresultedinhimobtaininghisdiplomaasapainter.He
workedconscientiouslyforalocalpaintingcontractor asasealeroftenmoonlightinginthe
eveningssothathemighthaveadditionalfundswithwhichtoinvestinhispassionhisracing
pigeons.
Thosecontemporariesofhiswhoplayedsoccerstill rememberthatasmuchasMarcelloved
soccerhelovedhispigeonsevenmore.Somuchsoinfacthewasinthehabitofsprintingoffof
thesoccerfieldduringagameifhesawhispigeonsreturning.Needlesstosaythatthis
dedicationtohispigeonsattheexpenseofhissoccerresponsibilitiesdidnotalwaysendear
Marcel tohiscoachnortohisteammates.Thoughover30yearshavepassedsincethosedaysas
atwelveyearoldrunningoffthefieldnotmuchhasreallychangedforheisstillpigeonmad!

Itisinterestingtonote thatMarcel seemstohavehadaspecialaffectionforpigeonsallofhis

lifebutthiswasmoreapersonalfascinationthatgrippedhimveryearlyonratherthanahobby
thathewasintroducedtoviafriendsorfamily.Thoughhisgrandfatherdidatonetimekeep
pigeonsthiswaslongbeforeMarcelwasborn.MarcelhasbeenmarriedtohiswifeChristel
since1990andhasa19yearoldsonBrianwhoseemstohaveMarcelsownnaturalinterestin
thebirds.MarcelgiveswillingrecognitiontotheimportantroleplayedbybothChristeland
BrianintheSangersracingpigeonenterprise.Thefamilyisclearlyhighlysupportiveandthey
doeverythingpossibletomotivateMarceltobethebestthathecanbe.ChristelSangersisvery,
verygoodwith theirSangersyoungbirdsandBrianSangershelpswithboth cleaningand
training.Theyareallveryinvolvedinthesportasafamilywhichisveryrefreshingtoseeasthis
isnotalwaysthecase.
Duetoan unfortunateandverynastyautomobileaccidentMarcel hasbeenunabletoworkinhis
occupationasapaintersince2000... AfteryearsofstrugglingwithInsurancecompaniesit
becameclearhecouldnolongerwork.Soitwasindeedfortunatethathehadworkedtobecome
averyseriouscompetitor recognizedinternationally intheracingpigeonsport.
Marcelparticipatedinhisfirstrace29yearsagoin1981.Atthattimehewasveryhappytosee
themjustcomehome,orscore300th inafieldof3000.IthinkMarcelstillclearlyremembersthe
excitementthathethenfelt:
Thiswasin1981thatIparticipatedatthefirstrace! Thatwasexciting!Of
courseinthebeginningIdidnotwinmuch,butIwasalreadyhappywhenI
gotapigeonhome,orthatIwon300th placefrom3,000pigeons.Then,asa
youngboy,Ithoughthmmm,notbad 2,700pigeonbehindme,

Ittookyearsofpatienceandveryhardwork toachieveallthathewasconfidentwaspossible.
Asweallknowtoowellmasteringthepigeonsportisverydifficultandmostwillneverriseto
NationalprominenceletaloneaspiretoInternationalrecognition.ButMarcelexceptionally
passionateanddedicated.Hequicklylearnedanimportantkey,alessonwithoutwhichsuccessis
justnotpossible.Inhisownwordsthesecrettosuccessis:
OneofthefirstthingsIrealized:Ihadtohavegoodpigeons
Clearlyawinningmindsetwasimprintedintheyoungboysgenesandmanyhard
lessonswerelearnedalongtheway:
Butthe pigeonsportisahardsporttoo.Manythingscangowrong!And
especiallyinthefirstyearstherearemorebadmomentsthanhappymoments!
WithbadmomentsImeanyoucanloseagoodpigeon,yourpigeonscanget
sick,onabadtraining tosswithyoung birdsyoucanlosemanypigeons. The
mosthappymomentsare,thatafteraweekshardwork,youracewellon
Saturdayandyouwinthe1st place!Or6positionsinthefirst10froma
Nationalrace!

TheseearlylessonswereneverforgottennordidMarcelgetintothe
habitofeverknowinglyrepeatingamistake.Aftercompletinghis
Militaryservicein 1990Marcel rentedahometogetherwithhiswife
Christel,builtaveryniceloftandproceededtobecomeveryserious
aboutracingpigeons.Histopprioritywasobtainingtheverybest
racingpigeonspossibleandtothisendhewasextremelyfortunate
becausehisnewresidencewaslocatedinthesameareaas theworld
famousJanssenbreederBertieCamphuis! Irememberwellthename
ofBertieCamphuiswhenthisquietDutchmanbrokeintotheverytop
ranksoftheInternationalracingpigeonsport. Manytopfanciers,
duringthisperiodconcludedthattherewerenobetterbirdsavailable
forracesupto400milesthantheseCamphuispigeons.Theywere
exceptionalinperformancebothpureandcrossed. Backin 1981the
racingpigeonworldwasdazzledbyCamphuislightcheckeredcock
theFamous05.05wasthe1st NationalMiddleDistanceRacerof
theNetherlandsWHZBwinning9X1st .Thisincredible05
producedgenerationsof winnersrightuptoNationalandInternational
competition.Irememberwell theexceedinglyhighregardthatmygood
friendMr.JoopEkstijnofGrave,VelpinHollandheldthesepigeons
thoughwewerediscussing,inpersonalcorrespondence,agreatfancier
bythenameofSuykerbuykcertainkeydetailsemergeaboutBertie
Camphuis.HereiswhatJoophadtosayabouttheseCamphuis
pigeons:
Whattypeofbirdsdidhekeep?
"Hehadall Smeuldersbirds,mostlyfromthelineoffamous
#05Camphuisthat lateronwassoldtoEijerkamp.Bertie
CamphuiswashisneighborjustafewyearsbeforeImet
SuykerbuykandbecauseofthatSuykerbuykhadhisbirds
fromCamphuis.ButBertieCamphuismovedtoanother
houseinEefdeandsoldhisbirdstoEijerkamp.Whenhewas
settledinhisnewhomehewenttoMr.Smeulderstostartall
overagainwithSmeulderspigeonsa.o.youngbirdsandeggs
fromthe#64,adirectsonoff#531andalsothefatherof
"Oscar".HebecamethefatherofWonderboy05and
Wonderboy06."
ThefamousJamesBond!
"Later,afterCamphuismoved,abluecockreturnedhome
andcameintoSuykerbuyksloft.Camphuistoldhimtokeep
thebirdbecausehedidn'twanttobreakhimtohisnewloft.
Thisbirdslast3numberswere#007andhebecamefamous
asJamesBond."

"InmyearlyyearsIwas
convincedthatifyou
workedreallyhardwith
thepigeonsitwould
makeadifference.I
workedonthepigeons
dayandnighttomake
sureIdidn'tleave
anythingtochance.
Nevertheless,I
sometimeshadaweek
thatwasn'tverygood
anditseemedasifallthe
hardworkandlaborhad
beenfornothing.Asa
youngfancieritwasn't
verymotivatingandnow
andagainItookiteasy.
Andwhatdoyouthink
thefollowingweekIhad
goodresults.Thenit
dawnedonme:itisnot
allthehardworkthat
makesyouatopper,but
the'goodpigeons'.So
straightawayIbegan
searchingforand
investinginthese'good
pigeons'.Itwasonlythen
thatmyperformances
shotup

Figure2 JoopatthehomeofworldfamousDutchJanssenBreederWoutSmeulders.

SothelongandtheshortofitisthatthemajorityoftheSangerspigeonsoriginatefrom Bertie
Camphuisthebreederofmanylegendarypigeonsincludingasalreadyoutlined'Famous05'
(bestmiddledistancebirdofTheNetherlandsWHZB1981),JAMESBond'(bestmiddle
distancebirdofTheNetherlandsWHZB1984),'GoldenBoy'(1stNat.Orleans1997),
'Wonderboy05'(2ndacebirdofTheNetherlandsWHZB1990)andhisnestmate'Wonderboy
06'(4thacebirdofTheNetherlandsWHZB1990).

Figure3 BertieCamphuisathisRacingLoft.

Marcel,earlyon,researchedwellthespecialattributesoftheCamphuispigeonsanddecided
thatatallcoststhesewerethepigeonsheneededtoacquireif hewasgoingtogetseriousabout
racing! In1990apublicauctiontookplaceatZevenaar,Marcel attendedandwasabletomeet
Bertieandpurchasedtwobirdsatthatauction..TheyhititoffandlaterthatyearMarcelbought

more Camphuispigeons.ItwasnoteasyforMarcel,buthereinhisownwordsarehis
recollectionsof howheproceeded:
InourareaMr.BertieCamphuisracedwithpigeonsasmallgroupbut
especiallywithrealpigeonweatherhewasalmostunbeatable.AsayoungguyI
lookeduptohim.Everyweekheclockedearlypigeonsthatwasmydream.
SoIstartedtobuypigeonsfromhim. I Workedlateeveryevening,5years
long,toearnmoneythatIinvestedinCamphuispigeons.WhenIcamehome
fromworkat16.30Ididmypigeonsandthen Iwouldgoagainat18.00towork
thenreturnhomelateagainbutIhadthe moneyattheendoftheweektobuya
pigeon...Iboughtalotfromhim,manybadonesofcourse,butalsosomevery
goodones.Andthatshowitgoesyoucanneverexpecttojustbuy2andhave
2toppersthatsanillusion.Youmustlayyourconfidenceinoneortwo
fancierspurchaseseveralpigeonsthereandthenyou musthavetheluckto
haveafewgoodones!
ManybirdswouldbepurchasedintimebutinadditiontotheseCamphuisbirdsMarcelgotone
ofhisbestbreedersfromfellowZutphenman PetervanOsch,NL951400550'Superkweker'.

Figure4 BreedingLoftofBertieCamphuis

MarcelWillNeverRegretIt
WhenIaskedMarcelaboutBertieheansweredwithouthesitation:
HewasthebestandfromhimIwantedpigeons!AndsoIdid
andIhaveneverregrettedit.Imadetheright choicetheyform
thebaseofmycolony.Iwastotallyconvincedoftheirquality
directlyandknewbringinginthesepigeonswouldbringmetoa
newlevel.

Figure5 BertieCamphuisandMarcel.ThisisthebaseuponwhichMarcelSangers
builtandcontinuestobuildhisreputation.

IcertainlywouldnotdisagreewithMarcelinhisassessmentasI
rememberquitewellmy own personalvisittothehomeofBertie
Camphuisin1996togetherwithmygoodfriendJoop.Bertiewasa
gentlemanwhocertainlydidnotallowsuccesstogotohishead.Marcel

Hewas
thebest
andfrom
himI
wanted
pigeons!
AndsoI
didandI
have
never
regretted
it.Imade
theright
choice
they
formthe
baseof
my
colony.I
was
totally
convince
doftheir
quality
directly
and
knew
bringing
inthese
pigeons
would
bringme
toanew
level.

Aswehave
alreadydiscussed
everysecondinmy
lifeisdedicatedto
mypigeons.That
dedicationproved
tobeextremely
important.I
investedinworking
overtimeeverynight
inordertohavethe
resourcestobeable
tobuytoppigeons
NowIamhappy
tosaythatIrace
extremelywell.The
hardworkandfocus
tomakemydream
cometruehaspaid
off.Ialsosellsome
pigeonsbutthat
moneyIagain
investinmycolony,
likebuyingthe
Koopmanpigeons
andDeRauw
Sablonbirds.
Dedication
combinedwith
talentwasforme
thewaytoreachthe
topinpigeon
racing.

isofaparticularpersonalitytypeanddoingthingswellisthekeytowho
heis.Whateverheundertakeshedoessowithenthusiasmandgusto. Heis
apeopleperson,athomewitheveryoneanditshowsbecausepeopleenjoy
beingwithhim.Heputsallofhisenergyintowinning,everyraceis
importanttohimandstayingatthetopmostcertainlyisafulltime
occupation.

CharacteristicsofPotentialFoundationSireorDam
WhenIaskedMarcel whatthemostimportantcharacteristicswerethathe
lookedforinapotentialfoundation sireordam,Iwassurprisedbythereal
honesty andnon assumingnatureanswerthathegavemeasitwastruly
refreshing
:
Icouldrespondtoyouwithalltypesofwisesoundingthings
here,butthe realityisthat Igotmynr.1stockpigeonTheSuper
Breederbycoincidence.A friendhadatopracingpigeon,
Asduif43,whoover3 yearswasthebestNationalacebird
WHZBasuperpigeon.Heaskedmetoraiseatwodayold
fromhiscrack forhimandwhenitwasreadyhewouldcometo
pickitup.WhenIcalledtoadviseitwasreadyhetoldmetokeep
it.Iplaced thisgiftbird, acock, in thebreedingloftdirectly.
FastasLightningis mynewbreedingstarhewasbredwell
already.FromadirectsonofKoopmansKleineDirkxthebest
breedingdaughterofTheSuperBreeder.HeracedverywellI
thendecidedtoplacehimin thebreedingloft.Andpairedhimto
MissGeniality,whointurnwasbredfromEagleEye
(grandsonSuperBreeder)xdaughterKoopmansYiMin
(sisterKleineDirk),theyformasuperpair.

WhatRoleDo TheFemalesPlay?
Iandothershaveoften saidthatthefemalesarethekeytothelongterm
continuedsuccessofanylineofanimals?Canyougiveyourideasonthe
roleof females?

Imustfinda
familyofwinnersin
thepedigree,whenI
crossinnew
pigeonsthatisvery
importantforme.

Ibelieveittakestwototangothereforecocksaswellashens
arerelevant.However,throughouttheyearsmanyfanciershave
racedclassicwidowhoodsystem,onlywithcocks.Thereforethe
henswerenotreallytestedinracinganditwashardertopickthe
besthens.Thereforethevalueofthesehenswasbigger,their
qualitiesweremoremysterious.NowIracehenstooforabout10
yearssoitisequallyhardtopickthetophensandthetopcocks.

Figure6TheLoftofMarcelSangers

ItwasinterestingtoinquireastowhichwereMarcelsmostimportantpigeons.Hisanswerwas
directandverymuchtothepoint.Hereiswhatheresponded:

TheSuperBreederandseveralsuperCamphuispigeonsformedthebase
theyweremostimportant.Nowmybestbreedersstilldescendfromthisfine
line,sometimeswith25%or50%Koopmaninit.
Mymostimportantpigeonsnoware:
1) myentireracingteam astheymustbringmesuccesses
2) Mybreedingteamtheymustbreedmethenewtoppers.
ThebreedersespeciallydirectchildrentoTheSuperBreeder(hedoesnotfill
eggsanymore)areimportantastheyformthesteadybase.Butalsotopperslike
FastasLightning(father1.&7.NPOwinnerFastRed),TheGolden
Crown(mother1.,5.,6.NPOwinners),Pigem(father1.prov.yearling2009
&1.prov.youngster2009),Monica,HayabusaKing, LazerGun(children
won8xtop30NPO)andafewmoregreatbreedersareveryimportant.Butalso
thenewDeRauwSablonpigeonswill beimportantforthefuture.

FastAsLightningX MissGeniality

FastAsLightning

MissGeniality

Pigem

PigemXMonica

Monica

HayabusaKing

HayabusaKingXthe GoldenCrown

TheGoldenCrown

MarcelSangers,this
youngmanfromZutphen
hasgottentothetopand
continuestostaythere!
Thestoryofhissuccess
howeverbeganseriously
in1999.Inthatyearhe
hadthe1st acebirdof
TheNetherlandsatthe
middledistancewith
NL947012987'TopGun'
andthe5th acebirdof
TheNetherlandsatthe
shortdistanceracingwith
NL982238030'Young
Gun'.Thissuperb'Young
Gun'alsograbbedthe
titleBestshortdistance
birdofTheNetherlands
intheprestigious
Vredesduifcompetition.
In2000 Marcelbecame
Nationallongdistance
championofThe
Netherlandsandhewon
a/otheNationalNPO
raceofChateaurouxwith
hissuperbcockbird
NL982238017'Eagle
Eye'.Atthelongdistance
thistopperalsobecame
bestbirdinthe
Amalgamation(4,500
members)andbestlong
distancebirdofThe
Netherlandsinthe
Vredesduifcompetition.

Doyouuseinbreedingor
linebreedingasatoolto
ensurethecontinuationof
yourbasefamily?

InfactIdo,especially
laterintheseasonI
inbreedkeypigeons.I
preferFatherxdaughter
pairingsorhalfbrotherx
halfsisterorjustin
lines,withforexamplemy
nr.1stockbirdThe
SuperBreederon4or5
sidesinthepedigree.In
thebeginningofthe
seasonIcrossmore,
becauseIintendedtorace
withthoseyoungsters.
LaterintheyearIbreed
youngstersforthestock
loftsfrominbredpairsto
maintainmyfamilyof
pigeons.

Therearepeopleinthis
worldwhoareexceptional
breedersofanimalswho
knowverylittleofscience
orgeneticsbutwhoseemto
haveasixthsense,
somethingIcallStock
Sense,canyoucomment?
Ithinkindeedsomeare
betterormorelucky?in
pairingupthepigeons.I
mustsay,everyyearI
expectmoreofsomespecial
pairsthanofothersand
manytimesmyhopesare
notinvain.Caseinpoint
whenIpairedupMachine
GuntoTheGolden
Crown,Ibredwinnersof
1st .NPO,5th .NPO&6th .
NPOfromthisonepair.I
alsobelievethatbringing
inKoopmanpigeonswasa
decisionthatyoucallstock
Sense.Basedpartlyonmy
feelingitwouldgivean
extraimpulsetomystrain
anditdid.SomaybeI
havethestocksenseyou
talkaboutIcansayIdo
nothavethetheoretical
knowledge.Inpigeonracing
thatmaybelessimportant,
asitisnotimportantto
breedtoastandardinouter
qualitieswhichcase,I
believeiseasiertocontrol.
Inpigeonracingitsabout
innerqualities,andasthese
arenotvisible,itisvery
difficulttomakesureyou
breedthemandherethenis
whereyourintuitionor
stocksensemustcomein

Results2009,
MarcelSangerwonseveralNPOtop10positions
Thesuperiorperformancesledtoa/othefollowing
championships:
1st .nominatedchampionoverallspeedcombine
1st .nominatedchampiononedaylongdistancecombine
1st .and2nd .yearlingacebirdonedaylongdistance
combine
1st .notnominatedchampionyoungstersLongDistance
SpecialistClub
1st .and4th .youngacebirdLongDistanceSpecialistClub
1st .nominatedchampionoverallspeedZutphenFed.
1st .nominatedchampiononedaylongdistanceZutphenFed
1st .notnominatedyoungsterschampionZutphenFed.
1st .yearlingacebirdonedaylongdistanceZutphenFed.
1st .and5th .youngacebirdZutphenFed.
2nd .and4th .yearlingacebirdonedaylongdistanceAmal.
2nd .notnominatedchampionyoungsterscombine
2nd .notnominatedchampionoverallspeedcombine
2nd .notnominatedchampiononedaylongdistance
ZutphenFed.
3rd .notnominatedchampiononedaylongdistancecombine
3rd .nominatedchampionshortdistanceZutphenFed.
3rd .notnominatedchampionmiddledistanceZutphenFed.
3rd .notnominatedchampiononedaylongdistance
ZutphenFed.
3rd .notnominatedchampionlatetourZutphenFed.
6th .notnominatedchampionyoungstersAmalgamation

2002 TheBullsEye aNewSangersStrain

Weallseektoimprovethemodernracingpigeonbutsuccessinthisfieldisreallyonlyreserved
toasmallgroupofextremelydedicatedvisionarieswhoareneversatisfiedwithjustsuccess.
Thesefanciersaredrivenandonlytheabsolutepinnacleofsuccesswilldo.Reachingthislevel
istrulyhardenoughbutmaintainingthislevelofsuccessyearafteryearisindeedrare.
Marcel,likean explorerof old,isalwayssearchingoutgeneticadvantagesoftenasrareashens
teeth.BydoingsoMarcelknowsthattheserarebirdswillhelphimadduniquegenetic
advantagestoanalreadypowerful geneticbase.Heneedstonotonlytomaintainhispositionin
theInternationalranksoftheracingpigeonworldbutheknowsthatunlessheiscontinuously
movingforwardandaddingstrengthtohisbaselinehecannothopetoremainatthetop for
long.Marcelsearchedforwhathereferstoas thatextraimpulse(warpdriveisprobablywhat
hereallymeans)tocrossbreedwithhis'SuperKweker'line,andtothisendhevisitedCornelius
& GerardKoopman ofErmerveenin2002.
Thefatherson combinationcertainly needno
introductionfortheyhaveperformedatthe
very pinnaclein theDutchpigeonsportfor
years.AccordingtoMarcelSangersthesewere
thepigeonsthatcouldprovidea'surplus'for
hisownstock,forthecreationofavariety
'wonderpigeonstrain such ashehad
Imagined!Multipledirectchildrenfromthe
NationalandKoopmanAcepigeons
havemoved(since2002)toZutphen.Abull's
eye,indeedbecauseMarcelSangersraisedthe
barsotospeakandhisperformancesmovedto
a'raisedlevel'.GerardKoopmanandMarcelSangersbecamethebestoffriendsaclose
friendshipbasedonmutualrespectforeach otherstopperformancesand"classpigeons"!Both
fanciersknow thattheyareholdinggoldwiththisnewtypeofwonderpigeonyoucouldsay a
new'modernracingpigeonforanewbeginninginthe21st Century!
Sangerssummeditallupinhisownwordsasfollows:
Some ofmyCamphuispigeonsexcelledatbreedingdirectlyandTheSuper
Breederwasevenmoreexceptionalhebredmesomanytoppers.TheselinesI
keptoncrossingandthenIgottothatpoint, apointthateverygoodracer
comesto,wherethesamelinesareatthebasethenyouknowyouhave
createdyourownfamilyIintroducedtheKoopmanpigeonsin2002also
becauseitwasmyintentiontoexcelatNPOracingandareainwhichKoopman
hasproventobeamaster.Iboughtfromhisverybest.TheseIcrossedtomy
ownpigeons.Thatstrategyworkedvery,verywellThesehybridsIpaired
backtomy100%familybirdsandthatgavemyfamilyof pigeonsfreshblood
andnewquality.IsucceededbybringingintheKoopmanbirds.Oncemygoals
wereachieved(thatisthebringinginonanewbloodline)then allthedirect
KoopmanbirdswereauctionedonPiPain2009.

MyNorth Americanreadersshouldthinkaboutthisagreatdeal.TheEuropeanChampionsare
alwaysseekingoutthisgeneticadvantage,weinNorthAmericaontheotherhandseemtobe
fixatedonwhatcanonlybedescribedasanillusionofpurity.Nothingispure.Whenwecometo
understandthisthenwecanalsobeontheroadtocontinuousprogress.Asinthecaseofthe
KoopmanpigeonsthatwereusedtoenhancetheSangersbasefamilyitnowseemsthat
MarcelispreparingtoscoreanotherBullsEyeandtothisendhehassoughtoutwhatisfast
becomingthemostdominantfamilyofracingpigeonsintheworldtoday,thestrainDeRauw
Sablon!

Figure7 Marcel,LunaLai,Dr,Guo (GreatWall) ,NikolaasandfriendsvisitingChinaforthegrandopeningof

theGreatWallPigeonFacilities.MarcelandNikolaasarewillingambassadorsfortheracingpigeonsport
drawing EastandWestclosertogetherthroughpigeonsandthefriendshipstheyengender.

2010TheStrainDeRauwSablon.Another BullsEye?
IunderstandthatyouhavepurchasedpigeonsofthestrainDeRauwSablon?Whywasthis
decisionmade?
IboughttheDeRauwSablonsforthesamereasonthatIboughtKoopman
pigeonsin2002 fornewblood.IwasverymuchconvincedafterIfirstsaw
thesepigeonsattheloftsof myfriendGerardKoopman.Koopman issuccessful
withthemdirectly.AlsoMarcelAelbrechtandErikLimbourgarevery
successfulwiththesepigeonstheyhavedominatedBelgianpigeonracing in
racesfrom500800kmfrom2002onexactlythedistancesthatIalsoputmy
focuson.Ionlywanted fromthe bestthereforeIbought childrendirectfrom

FreddyandBak17. NikolaasGyselbrecht thefounderof PiPa hasalso

spokenhighlyoftheirtopqualityand hiscollectionofDeRauwSablon
breedersatthe PiPa EliteCentreisveryimpressiveIhopethatthe De
RauwSablonpigeonsarethenewtopqualityinputinmy strain.wenow
have2directchildrenofFreddy(DeRauwSablontopbreederandthefather
oftheworldfamousDenDromer)boughtatProsRoossens.Ialsoboughta
daughtertoBak17andgrandsonMarseille(bothoriginalMarcelAelbrecht)
andorderedtwomoreyoungstersfromBak17ofMarcelAelbrecht.WhenIget
theopportunitytopurchasemorefromthesegoldenlines,Iwilldoit.

IwascuriousastowhyhefeltthattheseDeRauwSablonpigeonsweresoimportantasto
warrant MarcelintroducingthesenewpigeonsintoapowerfulJanssenbasedfamilytowhich
eightyearsbeforehehadsuccessfullyintroducedtheKoopmanpigeonsto.SoIaskedasimple
question:Why aretheseDeRauwSablonpigeonsimportant?
Because I think they are superb on the toughest 700 850 km races. In
HollandtheNPOclassicsarenowmostlyupto679kmformebutinthe
future I expect them to be more up to 850 km on one day De Rauw
Sablonpigeonsprovedtobeexceptionalontheseraces.
Theycouldbringmoretoughnessforthe+700kmracesinmyfamily.ButI
nowhave4ofthesepigeonsinmyloftitwouldbeachancein amillion if
theyarealltopbreeders.Iwillpairthemtomybestpigeonsandhopeoneof
themwillproducerealfineracers.Inabout5yearstimeweknowwhat
influencethey willhave hadonmystrainmaybenone, but maybeit will
bethebestthateverhappenedtome Iwillprobablysendsomeofthe
crossestotheOneMillionDollarRacenextyearButthatwasnot my
mainintentioninpurchasingthem.
Mypersonalbeliefisthatwearegoingtobewitnesstoa TidalWaveofinterestinthisnew
StrainDeRauwSablonsomuchsothatinthenot toodistantfuturetheywill,withoutadoubt
overtake,asisalreadythecase,theJanssensinperformanceaswellaspopularity.
ItisinterestingformetonotethatMarcelnowhasapartner. InfactIpersonallyhappenedto
knowMarcelspartnerMr.PaulUngofthePhilippinesasIhadoccasiontocommunicate
personallywithhim onmany occasionsaswellashavinghadtheprivilegeofassistinghimin
certainlocalmattersseveralyearsago.WhenIaskedMarcelhowitwasthathecametobe
partnerswithPaulhisresponsewasclearlyoneofgreatrespectandfriendship.
PaulUngisaveryspecialmanfromthePhilippines.Ioriginally methimvia
email,whenheshowedinterestinmypigeonsWekeptemailingand ntime
PaulaskedmeifIwantedtovisithiminthePhilippines.Whata generousoffer
thatIconsideredaveryspecialgesture!ThefirsttimeIwentto seePaul,Itook
mybrotherwithmeatthattime wehad nevervisitedAsia.IfoundoutPaul
wasverybusyinhisbusiness,hedid notmuchtimetospendwithhispigeons

eventhough Paul isatruepigeonfancierinheartand

soul.Thatfirstvisitwasthebeginning ofaclose
friendship.Heshowedsomuchinterestinmypigeons,I
onceaskedhimifhewouldlikeustoracetogetherme
doingalltheworkandhimenjoyingeverythingfroma
distance.ButIkeephimupdatedallofthetimeandhe
enjoysthatalot.
Wedidnothaveanoverallplan.Wejustagreedwe
wantedtobethebest.Butitisamatterofgoodpigeons,
doingthebestyoucanandthenattheendoftheseason
youcanseehowitwent.Youcanhavethebestbasein
pigeonracinghowevermany thingsinfluence your
success.
Myultimatedreamwasonetimewinning1upto10ona
NPOclassic.Ithinkinthenearfutureitwillhappen.I
didittwicetohave6pigeonsatthefirst10fromaNPO
race.Onadaywhenallfallsintoplace,Ihopemydream
willcometrue.

InconclusionIaskedMarceliftherewasSECRETtohis
success.Ifyoudohaveasecretcanyoushareitwithus?
Imsorry,noSecretformulahere.Goodpigeons,stock
sensefocus,determinationandluckthesefactors
togetherwillbringsuccess.

Imsorry,
noSecret
formula
here.Good
pigeons,
stocksense
focus,
determinatio
nandluck
these
factors
togetherwill
bring
success.

Figure8AdditionallyviewsofMarcelSangersLofts.Arealpleasuretoview.