In the beautiful setting of “Zaal Symfonie” at the Maelstede Domain in Kuurne, the annual celebration of the champions of the society “de Arend-Rekkem” took place.
The association “Arend” in Rekkem in the south of West Flanders was once the home of icons such as André Lietaer, Etienne Devos, Robert Vanrobaeys, and many others... each a lover who earned their stripes mainly in the long-distance and heavy long-distance categories.
Along with a handful of other enthusiasts, they built “their” association into one of the foremost, if not the foremost, in the coastal province.
Their “work” has been and is 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 the account 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 also have many laureates to honor.
But first and foremost, I want to wish you all a happy, healthy, and successful 2025. For the racing enthusiasts among us: may there be many first prizes, best pigeons, championships, and above all, many beautiful, exciting, and touching moments when welcoming home our winged friends. And for the ladies: as usual, I wish you much patience and understanding for your husband's hobby. Thank you very much!
I would like to draw your attention to the following: some “did you know?” tidbits:
- Did you know that Wilfried Vandemaele, Gino Clicque, Luc Decabooter (unfortunately excused today), and Mark Wybo are our champions this year? Behind them are only esteemed names. Congratulations to all the champions.
- Did you know that we have 19 nominations in the national championships? Highlighting the 1st national best pigeon KHF Young, won by Gino Clicque.
- There were 8 zone victories and 28 provincial victories to note.
- There were 27 nominees in the WVL provincial championships, with the standout and well-deserved overall provincial champion Chris Debacker.
- Did you know that we registered about 15,000 pigeons with us?
You know: a pigeon society requires immense organization: from applying for to scheduling the races, organizing the basketing, the basketing itself, waiting for the transporter, relaying all data, reading the reports, creating the results, organizing the bar, cleaning the baskets, determining the society's policy, setting up tents, communicating with the KBDB, and so forth.
All this for you: our enthusiasts. A big thank you to you: for coming to race, for being loyal, for donating a voucher, for offering a prize, for bidding, for creating atmosphere and conviviality. For making you feel at home in De Arend. We also want to thank you today:
Under the motto: through and for our enthusiasts, we have €8,500 in free championships, 40 honorary prizes worth €50, 60 bottles of champagne, 60 bags of pigeon feed (I think from Vanrobaeys 😊), and several other bundles to distribute today. Additionally, we are making a nice financial contribution to each of you today for the celebration.
All this is only possible thanks to your contributions and those of our sponsors and supporters.
And so we can proceed with some acknowledgments:
- A warm welcome to the chairpersons and/or board members of Gullegem, Kortemark, Ruiselede, and Wingene. Next season we will play together again with Ruiselede and Wingene in the long-distance and heavy long-distance categories. Additionally, we are also very pleased with the collaboration with and support from the Gullegem pigeon society. THANK YOU!
- Welcome and thank you to the people of the De Arend board. Without you, this society would not be possible!
- A special 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 omnipresent in Gullegem. Very often behind the scenes, but always present and ready to solve whatever issue arises. I would like to invite Dany for a small gift and I also wish him a lot of success in the upcoming elections.
- Among us are also 2 of our MAIN SPONSORS whom we can always count on. Please give a round of applause for Bart Vanrobaeys and Freddy Neyrinck.
- Our canteen staff: Mieke, Carine, Claudine, and Rika,
- Our logistics staff and basketers: Yvan, Chris, Yves, Bart, and Dominique
- The finance man: Erik
- Excused: Luc, Dirk, Christa, Sullivan, and Kjell, as well as Alisha
And then last but not least, I want to pay special attention to the 2 strong men of the society. As chairman, I can only say how lucky I am to always count 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 from the collaboration. Let’s make it a beautiful and enjoyable celebration.
Enjoy your meal! “End of quote!!
During a high-class culinary banquet, further honors were conferred on many laureates in the long-distance championships. This also included honors for the laureates of the Leie Fond trophy and the International Quintet (international flights), both of these last mentioned in collaboration with the associations Ruiselede-Wingene.
The “Arend Rekkem”
1st overall champion 2024: Wilfried Vandemaele from Heule
Each year, it is a tough battle among the members for this title, especially in the heavy middle distance and long-distance categories. In this championship, there were 15 ranked 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 distinguished names, but the other laureates are no slackers, on the contrary... they are all enthusiasts who excel on the national level.
Wilfried Vandemaele: 1st champion heavy middle distance old
- With 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 for this category
Marc Wybo from Harelbeke: 1st champion long-distance old pigeons
- Here again, a battle on the edge, with 12, 11, 10, and 10 points, we have the top 4 in order: 1st Marc Wybo, 2nd G Clicque, 3rd Marcel Noppe, and 4th Freddy Neyrinck
Gino Clicque from Wevelgem: 1st champion long-distance yearlings
- For the yearlings, the campaign was slightly harder than for the old ones, as seen in the ranking with 13, 11, and 8 points respectively. This led to the top 3 being as follows: 1st Gino Clicque, 2nd Marc Wybo, and 3rd Team Verschoot
Luc Decabooter from Harelbeke: 1st champion heavy long-distance old and yearlings
- Three enthusiasts achieved 8 points, with the coefficients determining the outcome. Luc Decabooter was 1st (Luc was unfortunately absent from the celebration due to illness), Messiaen-Vanhauwaert came 2nd, and Team Verschoot ended up in 3rd place.
Gino Clicque from Wevelgem: 1st champion long-distance young
- No less than 4 enthusiasts achieved 14 points in this category, with the coefficients playing a decisive role in the order: 1st G. Clicque, 2nd Geert Maroy, 3rd W Vandemaele, 4th Dominique Dubrul.
In all these categories, there was a nice prize pool for the many laureates to share. The complete results in the championships can be found on the website of “de Arend” Rekkem.
In addition to this prize pool, there was a wide range of prizes to be won, and honors for the provincial and zone winners as members of the society.
The Leie Fond Trophy
Gino Clicque from Wevelgem won the “Leie Fond Trophy” 2024 in collaboration with Rekkem-Ruiselede-Wingene
This is a championship for the long-distance flights.
- Gino Clicque ranked 1st, before Freddy Neyrinck from Gullegem in 2nd and Marc Wybo from Harelbeke in 3rd place. Here there were 10 laureates for a nice prize pool.
The International Quintet
Dirk Martens from Deinze: 1st champion International Quintet
This championship pertains to the international flights in the collaboration of Rekkem-Ruiselede-Wingene.
- For the top 3, there was once again fierce competition in the order 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 divided among 8 laureates.
Nicu Barbulescu from Zwevezele winner with the best pigeon among the old and the yearlings.
- Nicu succeeded in claiming the title of 1st best pigeon in both the old and yearlings as a result of a splendid heavy long-distance season in 2024.
The Final
The official part of the celebration ended with a traditional “final tribute” to the top winners from the past season.
Gino Clicque from Wevelgem:
- Won the 1st national best pigeon 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 Fond Trophy
- Has the 1st best pigeon long-distance old in the “Leie Fond Trophy”
Chris Debacker from Beveren-Leie:
- Was 1st overall 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 overall champion 2024 of Fondclub “de Arend”
Marc Wybo from Harelbeke
- Was 1st champion old pigeons long-distance in “de Arend”
We witnessed a beautiful gathering, where we extend our congratulations to the board of “de Arend” Rekkem for their well-organized and smoothly conducted celebration of the champions.
The rest of the afternoon was brought to life by a DJ providing the necessary ambiance in the hall.
Text/photos: J. Mestdagh