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Articles.
Watch out the Brits are coming - I think.
If you look at the chart below, produced by the British Results Database, you can clearly see that recently the B.I.C.C. International entries have risen year by year. Only a little yet but rising nevertheless. Then, if you compare total British entries to results, it is obvious that we need a minimum entry of around 1,000 pigeons to make our mark at International level. A brief piece of history has shown that we have the fanciers and we have the pigeons, we just need the will.
The time has come for the B.I.C.C. to show some initiative and openly encourage International participation throughout the whole country. We need to draw British fanciers out from the muddle of their puddle culture and expose them to the delights of the deep, where big fish can swim, and all can have a whale of a time.
If you look at the chart below, produced by the British Results Database, you can clearly see that recently the B.I.C.C. International entries have risen year by year. Only a little yet but rising nevertheless. Then, if you compare total British entries to results, it is obvious that we need a minimum entry of around 1,000 pigeons to make our mark at International level. A brief piece of history has shown that we have the fanciers and we have the pigeons, we just need the will.
The time has come for the B.I.C.C. to show some initiative and openly encourage International participation throughout the whole country. We need to draw British fanciers out from the muddle of their puddle culture and expose them to the delights of the deep, where big fish can swim, and all can have a whale of a time.
So what can they do and what can they achieve?
It would be foolish, I think, to believe that the B.I.C.C. alone can put right all the things that have gone wrong with the British pigeon sport over the years. It would also be rash to believe that much can be achieved overnight. However unless some action is taken, and taken fast, the plainly visible decline in British pigeon racing will accelerate rapidly. Taking no action is therefore no longer an option. This all makes the forthcoming BICC Committee meeting of critical importance.
If the BICC cannot do it alone then it is vital that they have the courage to approach others. First however, I believe, the BICC must re-establish its object in life it must decide what its prime function and purpose is. Surely that must be to facilitate greater participation in International Racing. What we witnessed when the NFC decided to participate in an International race was a much greater take up, a much greater participation and of course with that also came a much greater success. The two clearly go together, and that surely is the word that counts, together.
However much you analyse and examine the differences between the continental systems and our own the one thing that you return to again and again is that they get it together. We on the other hand seem determined to set things apart. This basic difference produces for us a much more expensive, less efficient, poorer equipped, less cohesive and frankly less worthwhile race scene. This must all change if our sport is to survive.
The BICC could, and should, start this ball rolling.
In a recent article, Earthquake Thinking, John Clements set out the proposition that the N.F.C., the B.B.C and the B.I.C.C. should act together and between them provide a race every two weeks through the season thus establishing a true National programme which would overcome the proliferation of smaller and less meaningful events. Whether it is this particular combination or that particular programme is a matter for debate, along with much other detail, but something of this nature must take place. The recent explosion in energy prices, the ramping up of pollution and safety regulations combined with a constant tightening of health, safety and animal welfare regulation means that we must consider newer and dearer vehicles to transport our pigeons. The obvious economic solution to this is to use fewer vehicles more efficiently, another compelling argument for getting it together. Perhaps the final factor in favour of such a coming together would be the ability to have a more professional administration. This era of information technology is producing a society who both require and demand much more information immediately and accurately. The age when we rely on those few, prepared to do it for nothing, is fast disappearing and the service provided appears increasingly inadequate. A more centralised approach would bring with it the advantages of scale and the advantages that modern technology can provide.
On 26th October 2008 the BICC committee is to hold a meeting to discuss and plan where the Club should go from here, a situation which the Government and politicians like to call taking the hard decisions. I am not sure what is hard about them because to me the choices are clear and the solution obvious. At this meeting the Committee only needs to establish and decide two things. First they need to make clear what the primary object of the BICC is. Secondly they need to understand, accept and state that the BICC cannot do this alone and so it must seek the co-operation of others. These two things established and accepted the rest follows as a matter of detail and planning, because once you have your objectives clear the planning route becomes that much easier. That is not to say that the implementation will be easy, probably quite the contrary, but if you once know where you want to go it does make it clearer how you get there. The final thing that the committee needs to do on this occasion is to commission a deep and thorough examination and analysis of the Clubs finances. They will need to have a detailed knowledge and understanding of where and how money comes in and goes out before future meetings are held to decide the detail of progress which must be done with economy, not cheapness, in mind. I wish them well and openly offer any assistance at any stage that I can.
Nigel Lane
It would be foolish, I think, to believe that the B.I.C.C. alone can put right all the things that have gone wrong with the British pigeon sport over the years. It would also be rash to believe that much can be achieved overnight. However unless some action is taken, and taken fast, the plainly visible decline in British pigeon racing will accelerate rapidly. Taking no action is therefore no longer an option. This all makes the forthcoming BICC Committee meeting of critical importance.
If the BICC cannot do it alone then it is vital that they have the courage to approach others. First however, I believe, the BICC must re-establish its object in life it must decide what its prime function and purpose is. Surely that must be to facilitate greater participation in International Racing. What we witnessed when the NFC decided to participate in an International race was a much greater take up, a much greater participation and of course with that also came a much greater success. The two clearly go together, and that surely is the word that counts, together.
However much you analyse and examine the differences between the continental systems and our own the one thing that you return to again and again is that they get it together. We on the other hand seem determined to set things apart. This basic difference produces for us a much more expensive, less efficient, poorer equipped, less cohesive and frankly less worthwhile race scene. This must all change if our sport is to survive.
The BICC could, and should, start this ball rolling.
In a recent article, Earthquake Thinking, John Clements set out the proposition that the N.F.C., the B.B.C and the B.I.C.C. should act together and between them provide a race every two weeks through the season thus establishing a true National programme which would overcome the proliferation of smaller and less meaningful events. Whether it is this particular combination or that particular programme is a matter for debate, along with much other detail, but something of this nature must take place. The recent explosion in energy prices, the ramping up of pollution and safety regulations combined with a constant tightening of health, safety and animal welfare regulation means that we must consider newer and dearer vehicles to transport our pigeons. The obvious economic solution to this is to use fewer vehicles more efficiently, another compelling argument for getting it together. Perhaps the final factor in favour of such a coming together would be the ability to have a more professional administration. This era of information technology is producing a society who both require and demand much more information immediately and accurately. The age when we rely on those few, prepared to do it for nothing, is fast disappearing and the service provided appears increasingly inadequate. A more centralised approach would bring with it the advantages of scale and the advantages that modern technology can provide.
On 26th October 2008 the BICC committee is to hold a meeting to discuss and plan where the Club should go from here, a situation which the Government and politicians like to call taking the hard decisions. I am not sure what is hard about them because to me the choices are clear and the solution obvious. At this meeting the Committee only needs to establish and decide two things. First they need to make clear what the primary object of the BICC is. Secondly they need to understand, accept and state that the BICC cannot do this alone and so it must seek the co-operation of others. These two things established and accepted the rest follows as a matter of detail and planning, because once you have your objectives clear the planning route becomes that much easier. That is not to say that the implementation will be easy, probably quite the contrary, but if you once know where you want to go it does make it clearer how you get there. The final thing that the committee needs to do on this occasion is to commission a deep and thorough examination and analysis of the Clubs finances. They will need to have a detailed knowledge and understanding of where and how money comes in and goes out before future meetings are held to decide the detail of progress which must be done with economy, not cheapness, in mind. I wish them well and openly offer any assistance at any stage that I can.
Nigel Lane