In the beautiful setting of "Zaal Symfonie" at the Maelstede Domain in Kuurne, the annual award ceremony for the champions of the society "de Arend-Rekkem" took place.
The association "Arend" in Rekkem, located in the south of West Flanders, was once home to icons such as André Lietaer, Etienne Devos, Robert Vanrobaeys, and many others... all of them enthusiasts who earned their stripes mainly in the long-distance and heavy long-distance races.
Together with a handful of other enthusiasts, they worked at that time to build their association into one of the foremost, if not the foremost, in the coastal province.
Their "work" is being continued with great care and excellent organization by the current board led by chairman Frederik Bracke.
This association is and remains "top"!
After an extensive reception, chairman Fred. Bracke took the floor. Here is a summary of his opening speech:
Good afternoon! Esteemed chairman, ladies and gentlemen, dear sports friends.
I hope you all enjoyed the aperitif and the snacks.
On behalf of the board of the Arend: a warm welcome to everyone at our champions' celebration. This year, we have quite a few laureates to honor.
But first and foremost, I wish you all a happy, healthy, and successful 2025. For the competing enthusiasts among us: many first prizes, asduiven, championships, and above all, many beautiful, exciting, and touching moments when welcoming our feathered friends home. And for the ladies: as usual, I wish you much patience and understanding for your husband's hobby. A heartfelt thank you in advance!
I would like to draw your attention to the following: some fun facts:
- Did you know that Wilfried Vandemaele, Gino Clicque, Luc Decabooter (unfortunately excused today), and Mark Wybo are our champions this year? Only prominent names follow in their wake. Congratulations to all the champions.
- Did you know that we have 19 nominations in the national championships? Highlighted by the 1st national asduif KHF Jonge won by Gino Clicque.
- We logged 8 zone and 28 provincial victories.
- There were 27 nominees in the provincial championships WVL, with Chris Debacker being the standout and deserved overall provincial champion.
- Did you know that we registered approximately 15,000 pigeons here?
You know: a pigeon society requires an enormous amount of organization: from applying for to scheduling the flights, organizing the registrations and the actual registration, waiting for the transporter, forwarding all data, processing the results, creating the standings, organizing the bar, cleaning the baskets, determining the society's policy, setting up tents, communicating with the KBDB, and so forth.
All of this is for you: our enthusiasts. A big thank you to you: for participating, for your loyalty, for donating a voucher, for giving an honorary prize, for bidding, for contributing to the atmosphere and conviviality. To make you feel at home in De Arend. We also want to thank you today:
Under the motto: by and for our enthusiasts, we have €8,500 worth of free championships, 40 honorary prizes valued at €50 each, 60 bottles of champagne, 60 bags of pigeon feed (I think from Vanrobaeys 😊), and several other packages to distribute today. In addition, we are also making a nice financial contribution for each of you today for the celebration.
All this is only possible thanks to your input and that of our sponsors and supporters.
And so we can move on to some acknowledgments:
- A warm welcome to the chairpersons and/or board members from Gullegem, Kortemark, Ruiselede, and Wingene. Next season we will again work together with Ruiselede and Wingene in the long-distance and heavy long-distance categories. We are also very pleased with the collaboration and support from the Gullegem pigeon society. THANK YOU!
- Welcome and thank you to the people from the board of De Arend. Without you, this society would not be possible!
- Special mention of a warm welcome to our provincial chairman Mr. Dany Vandenberghe. He is not only there for the West Flemish enthusiasts but is also the man who is always present in Gullegem. Often behind the scenes, but always there to resolve whatever issues arise. I would like to invite Dany for a small token of appreciation and also wish him much success in the upcoming elections.
- Among us today are also 2 of our MAIN SPONSORS on whom we can always rely. Please give a round of applause for Bart Vanrobaeys and Freddy Neyrinck.
- Our canteen staff: Mieke, Carine, Claudine, and Rika,
- Our logistical team and registrars: Yvan, Chris, Yves, Bart, and Dominique
- The finance man: Erik
- His apologies: Luc, Dirk, Christa, Sullivan, Kjell, and also Alisha
And last but not least, I want to draw special attention to the 2 strong men of the society. As chairman, I can only express my gratitude for always being able to rely on them for 1001 tasks, for advice and action. They are always there! In good times and bad.
Please give a hearty applause for John and Steven.
Soon, we will honor our laureates and those of the cooperative play. Let us make it a beautiful and pleasant celebration.
Enjoy! "End of quote!!
During a high-class culinary banquet, the tribute to the many laureates in the long-distance championships continued. This also included honors for the laureates of the Leie Fondtrofee and the International Quintet (international flights), the last two in cooperation with the associations Ruiselede-Wingene.
The “Arend Rekkem”
1st general champion 2024: Wilfried Vandemaele from Heule
Annually, it is a fierce battle for this title among the members, particularly in the heavy middle-distance and long-distance categories. In this championship, there were 15 classified participants with the top-3 being: Wilfried Vandemaele (1) who had a brilliant season - Gino Clicque (Wevelgem) (2) and Team Verschoot from Ingelmunster (3). These are three prominent names, but the other laureates are no pushovers either; they are all enthusiasts who excel at the national level.
Wilfried Vandemaele: 1st champion heavy middle-distance old
- With scores of 17, 16, and 16 points, the results for the top-3 were: 1st W Vandemaele, 2nd Chris Debacker, and 3rd Gino Clicque.
Wilfried Vandemaele: 1st champion heavy middle-distance yearlings
- 1st W Vandemaele, 2nd Dejaerme-Casteur, and 3rd Chris Debacker, they ranked in the top-3 in this category.
Marc Wybo from Harelbeke: 1st champion long-distance old pigeons
- Once again, a tight competition occurred with scores of 12, 11, 10, and 10 points. The top-4 in order were: 1st Marc Wybo, 2nd G Clicque, 3rd Marcel Noppe, and 4th Freddy Neyrinck.
Gino Clicque from Wevelgem: 1st champion long-distance yearlings
- The campaign for the yearlings was a bit tougher than for the old pigeons, as reflected in the ranking with scores of 13, 11, and 8 points. This led to the following top-3: 1st Gino Clicque, 2nd Marc Wybo, and 3rd Team Verschoot.
Luc Decabooter from Harelbeke: 1st champion heavy long-distance old and yearlings
- Three enthusiasts scored 8 points, with the coefficients determining the outcome. Luc Decabooter came in 1st (unfortunately, Luc was absent from the celebration due to illness), Messiaen-Vanhauwaert was 2nd, and Team Verschoot ended in 3rd place.
Gino Clicque from Wevelgem: 1st champion long-distance young
- A total of 4 enthusiasts managed to score 14 points in this category, again with coefficients playing a decisive role in the following order: 1st G. Clicque, 2nd Geert Maroy, 3rd W Vandemaele, 4th Dominique Dubrul.
In all these categories, there was a nice prize pool to distribute among the many laureates. The complete results of the championships can be found on the website of "de Arend" Rekkem.
In addition to this prize pool, there was a large range of free prizes to be earned, and there was also tribute to the provincial and zonal winners as society members.
The Leie Fondtrofee
Gino Clicque from Wevelgem won the “Leie Fondtrofee” 2024 in cooperation with Rekkem-Ruiselede-Wingene
This is a championship for the long-distance flights.
- Gino Clicque ranked 1st, followed by Freddy Neyrinck from Gullegem in 2nd and Marc Wybo from Harelbeke in 3rd place. There were 10 laureates for a nice prize pool.
The International Quintet
Dirk Martens from Deinze: 1st champion International Quintet
This championship concerns the international flights in the cooperation of Rekkem – Ruiselede – Wingene.
- For the top-3, there was once again a fierce battle with scores of 13 – 13 and 12 points. Dirk Martens from Deinze won before Nicu Barbulescu from Zwevezele in 2nd and Luc Decabooter from Harelbeke in 3rd. The prize pool in this championship was distributed among 8 laureates.
Nicu Barbulescu from Zwevezele winner with the asduif among the old and yearlings.
- Nicu managed to claim the title of 1st asduif both among the old and yearlings as a result of a splendid heavy long-distance season in 2024.
The Finale
The official part of the celebratory session ended with a traditional “final tribute” to the top winners from the past season.
Gino Clicque from Wevelgem:
- Won the 1st national asduif small middle distance KBDB
- Was 1st champion long-distance yearlings in “de Arend”
- Was 1st champion long-distance young in “de Arend”
- Was the winner of the Leie Fondtrofee
- Has the 1st asduif long-distance old in the “Leie Fondtrofee”
Chris Debacker from Beveren-Leie:
- Was 1st general champion KBDB P.E. West Flanders
Wilfried Vandemaele from Heule
- Was 1st champion heavy middle-distance old in “de Arend”
- Was 1st champion heavy middle-distance yearlings in “de Arend”
- Is the 1st general champion 2024 of Fondclub “de Arend”
Marc Wybo from Harelbeke
- Was 1st champion old pigeons long-distance in “de Arend”
We witnessed a wonderful gathering, for which our congratulations go to the board of “de Arend” Rekkem for their well-organized and smoothly-run champions' tribute.
For the rest of the afternoon, a DJ provided the necessary ambiance in the hall.
Text/photos: J. Mestdagh