Scouts and Racing

Scouts and homing pigeons. How hard is it to get Scouts involved in the hobby of raising and racing homing pigeons?

Being a part of the 2005 Boy Scout Jamboree has proven that there definitely is an interest. Scouts and Troop Leaders were fascinated with the birds on display. It was not unusual to see the same faces several times throughout the 10-day event.

The location, Ft. A.P. Hill in Virginia, just outside of Fredericksburg, consists of 76,000 acres. 3,000 acres of that is devoted to the Jamboree event. Approximately 40,000 Scouts, plus 30,000 friends and family, walk through or stay on location in a sea of campsites. Punctuate that with a visit by President Bush for a huge audience draw.

The American Racing Pigeon Union was included in the National Exhibits tent, alongside NASA. The displays that provided a “hands on” experience for the visitors had the largest audience. In the photograph, Herb Cartmell (AU Constitution, Bylaws & Policy Advisor) is seen in a group of Scouts wanting to handle the birds and get more information. Herb also lent a creative hand to develop a postcard and flyer devoted to the support of reinstating the Pigeon Raising Merit Badge.

At the display, one table provided literature about the history of the birds, the basics of racing and also current AU member publications. A second table provided samples of items used in the sport, such as examples of clocks, leg bands, countermarks and chip bands, feed, grit, nest bowl, eggs and display birds.

Herb Cartmell, Bill Mitiu (AU Plains Zone Director) and Karen Clifton (AU Executive Director) represented national staff covering the display. Local members volunteered their time, talents and materials to make the display a success. Majid Abedi, of the Fredericksburg Homing Pigeon Club, provided display birds and cage, food samples and much more. Dwight Hunter, of the Chesapeake Virginia Family Racing Pigeon Club, gave his time to share the sport with the Scouts. Archie Kimberlin, of the James River Racing Pigeon Club, was a trooper, helping with the display and conducting attention getting bird releases. In fact, one of the releases was a major event during the Jamboree and was listed on the flag raising ceremony schedule. In spite of Archie’s injuries from a fall, he was determined to give the Scouts an exciting exposure to the birds in flight. They also had an opportunity to send notes on the release birds which were then forwarded from Archie’s loft with a form letter that Archie himself designed years ago to extend a positive outward public reach.

All these volunteers, in spite of their busy lives, are owed a great deal of thanks for giving all that they did for the event. We are indebted to their devotion to sharing the sport.

Over 300 Scouts, leaders and volunteers signed up, either to receive free information or to support the effort toward reinstating the Pigeon Raising Merit Badge that disappeared for lack of use in the 1980’s.

What can we do now to make the merit badge reinstatement a reality?

Several years ago, Karen Clifton initiated communication about this topic with the national Scout office. To speed the approval process, she compiled a draft for a new proposed racing pigeon merit badge book. With that document, and the channels of communication established plus the show of support from the Jamboree, the AU is able to make a formal presentation to the national Scout office. The approval process can be lengthy. Having the draft to reduce work on their part is helpful to move it along.

Part of the preparation for that presentation is compiling a list of people who are willing to serve as contacts/mentors for Scouts that are interested in experiencing the hobby.

A Merit Badge is dropped if it is not used a certain number of times within a three year period. It is our hope to demonstrate that a network of AU members can sustain the badge by having a long time network of contacts in place.

So it now comes down to you, the individual to let us know that you would like to be a part of this. The more people we have, the better the chance to show an ability to assist Scouts with obtaining the Pigeon Raising Merit Badge. Contact us at 405-848-5801 or aupromo@aol.com.

As a Scout matures, he can look back on his experience with homing pigeons and quite possibly come back as an adult, along with his children. That is one way to look to the future and preserve a favorable response to the sport.

The stars of the show preparing for the display.

AU Bylaws Advisor, Herb Cartmell, tests NASA equipment.