Provincial Day West Flanders Again SUPER Successful !!!
On Sunday, November 3rd, the Provincial Day of the P.E. W-Vl took place at Salons “de Vrede” in Ichtegem. It was a super day both organizationally and culinarily, rounded off with a beautiful performance by singer Leah Bien.
Salons “de Vrede” is a truly beautiful complex with 2 halls, in which one hall hosted the awards ceremony for the West Flanders Youth Movement from 10 AM and at 11 AM the awards for the WVS (West Flanders Cooperation in Sprint and Half Distance).
Both organizations welcomed many enthusiasts.
In the other large hall, the remainder of the Provincial Day continued from noon, including the culinary part and the presentation of awards to the provincial champions.
The culinary offerings at this top location in Ichtegem were excellent.
Everything was served neatly and carefully by sufficient staff (the very quick service also stood out), everything was well organized, and there was an abundance of choices regarding the dishes.
On stage, a variety of flowers and trophies, all for the many laureates.
The afternoon program began with the traditional opening speech by the provincial chairman, Mr. Dany Vandenberghe, a speech which we present here in full.
The afternoon program was also attended by the provincial chairman of KBDB O-Vl, Mr. B. Piens, and appointee M. Rousseau.
Quote! The speech from the provincial chairman:
Dear friends pigeon lovers,
Dear supporters,
Good afternoon everyone,
On behalf of the provincial committee PE West Flanders, I warmly welcome you all to our provincial champions day, which, as always, signifies a highlight for the pigeon lovers in our province.
For the fourth consecutive year, we are happily hosted in our now familiar location here at Salons de Vrede.
We are particularly pleased to welcome 263 guests today, who will soon honor our champions and all classified enthusiasts.
We are also proud of the four national winners and six national titles our province has gained this season. Even the national overall champion KBDB 2024 is to be found in West Flanders this year.
It had been since 2016 that West Flanders hosted the national overall champion in its ranks. After 8 years, it is once again time, and we are particularly proud of that.
Congratulations to all national and provincial laureates, and we will certainly return to that extensively shortly.
As is tradition, our proud youth champions already made their appearance this morning.
A sincere thank you to the board of the youth movement, who selflessly continue to dedicate themselves to our West Flanders youth for many years.
Also, a word of thanks to the board of the West Flanders cooperation, who, despite very limited means, still manage each year to present provincial and zonal results for the KHF and Pontoise races. Thanks to this cooperation, several West Flanders enthusiasts have managed to qualify for the national and provincial championships. This morning, their champions also received their prize money here. It's wonderful that this could happen on our provincial day.
The past season was one we will not soon forget.
The weather was really not cooperating, and thus our pigeons had to stay in their baskets longer than they liked, not to mention the many losses among some enthusiasts.
Handlers had to redo flights multiple times, some even over several days, clocking more overtime than they liked.
Release officials spent hours in despair looking at weather maps and webcams, trying to lead everything in a good direction as much as possible.
In short, everyone had their share this season, but still all prizes were filled, and we celebrate our champions today.
Next season will also focus on the elections, beyond the sporting aspect.
Elections (and this is new) will take place at the end of July, with the newly elected officials starting in early November 2025.
Everyone knows that being an appointee is not an easy task and that criticism and discussions are never far away, but still, actions must always be taken in the interest of pigeon sport in our province. Doing well for everyone is, however, nearly impossible.
Whether we can continue to exercise our mandate will obviously depend on you.
You will be able to judge us on the path we have taken over the past term.
Perhaps there will be new people here next year to greet you on provincial day, and if so, we will certainly wish the new team all the success.
Finally, I also want to address the people, board members, and volunteers of the associations. Many are represented here, and that pleases us.
I know better than anyone what you must endure to keep everything running. Here too, criticism is never far away, but try to do what they do.
Realize that without these people, our pigeon sport no longer exists.
These people deserve all respect and a big thank you from all pigeon lovers. Hats off.
We will now begin our beautiful afternoon. Our loyal spokesman Jacques Mestdagh will guide you through the busy program, ending with another performance by Leah Bien.
Some of you have seen and heard her before and can testify that the atmosphere is always lively. She brings the greatest hits from the 70s-80s-90s and can imitate Tina Turner like no other. And of course, everyone can let loose for a dance.
I would say enjoy this beautiful afternoon and the culinary treats that will be presented to us shortly.
Thank you very much.
End of quote.
The busy program with the tribute to the zonal winners, the many classified in the provincial championships, the general provincial champions, the national winners, and the 1st national asduif champions was smoothly completed between the various courses of the banquet, so that the performance of singer Leah Bien could start on time, allowing the interested dancers to showcase themselves on the dance floor right away.
In short, the planned program was executed flawlessly according to the scheduled time.
Chris Debacker from Beveren-Leie: 1st Overall Champion West Flanders 2024.
For the second consecutive season, Chris Debacker managed to become the 1st overall provincial champion in the coastal province.
The 2nd place is under discussion and
3rd place went to Hok Bastiaenssens from Zerkegem after a also fine season.
All laureates in the provincial championships of the P.E. West Flanders had already appeared in the press.
The provincial laureates in the WVS (sprint and small half distance): the top 3 per category
Small half distance old and yearlings:
1st R & F Coone from Ledegem /
2nd Fr. Depuydt from Hooglede /
3rd Glenn Schipman from Zerkegem
Small half distance yearlings:
1st Paul Haesaert from Torhout /
2nd R & F Coone from Ledegem /
3rd Fr. Berquin from Ledegem
Small half distance young pigeons:
1st Vanwildemeersch-Vyncke from Westkapelle /
2nd Rik Cools from Ruiselede /
3rd Dany Demeulemeester from Bavikhove
Sprint young pigeons:
1st John Van De Casteele from Wingene/
2nd Rony Calus from Heist aan Zee /
3rd Dominique Grymonprez from Kuurne
Additionally, within this organization, there were always 15 prize winners according to zone A1 and zone A2 per category.
A total of €2760 in prize money was paid out by the responsible persons Patrick Duyck and Paul Cuvelier.
The West Flanders Youth Movement
Thanks to the intense efforts of the board within the West Flanders Youth Movement (a model for the entire country), many young or novice enthusiasts were honored once again, this in 2 main groups.
Again, congratulations to all classified participants and to the board, because it must be said that what they are performing behind the scenes for their organization deserves immense praise.
The general champions were Melvin Florissoone from Voormezele and Luc Vercoillie from Ingelmunster.
This regarding the West Flanders Youth Movement.
At around 5 PM, there was still a performance by singer Leah Bien, who immediately ensured the necessary atmosphere.
The complete photo report of the afternoon program with the homage to the provincial classified can be found on the KBDB West Flanders site. => https://www.kbdb.be/actueel-west-vlaanderen/ => Video https://youtu.be/1QnjISJvK5o
What we personally heard in the corridors !!
- A general feeling of disappointment among the fond-playing enthusiasts due to the cancellation of beautiful fond classics and the annual changes in the fond calendar
- Many congratulations to the provincial board for the wonderful provincial day they have managed to organize for several years now at the unique location like Salons “de Vrede” in Ichtegem... in a splendid setting and during a high-quality culinary event, the provincial champions are warmly honored to everyone's satisfaction.
We conclude this report with a big salute to the provincial board of the P.E. W-Vl, consisting of Dany Vandenberghe, Wim Logie, and Paul Haesaert, assisted by provincial secretary Nico and a colleague.
Hats off, gentlemen… your work was once again meticulously done and polished.
Text: J. Mestdagh / Photos: Nico De Schuyffeleer for the P.E. W-VL/ Patrick Duyck for the WVS/Elyse Bouten and Romain Schoonacker for the WVJB.