Their sport is not just for the birds

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Imagine a sport in which the athletes race hundreds of miles -- at 1,200 yards a minute -- without stopping for water or food. Imagine a sport whose human participants consider their trainees "exhilarating" and "totally amazing."

Who knew that homing pigeons -- commonly called "racing homers" -- are such compelling athletes?

The father and son team -- John Chouinard Sr., of Jefferson City, and John Chouinard Jr., of Centertown -- knows. As members of the Capital City International Racing Pigeon Club, the two men raise and race homing pigeons competitively from small backyard sheds they call "lofts."

Every weekend throughout the spring and fall, the men send their best birds in cages with a delivery driver to cities across the Midwest. From places like Blue Springs and Junction City, Kan., the birds are clocked and released. From that point on, it's a no-holds-barred sprint to see whose bird is the fleetest.

Chouinard Sr., said the key to quality racers is keeping the birds in good health with impeccably clean housing. "We also spend a lot of money on medication and vaccinations," he said.

Being able to predict how fast the birds fly means the men know when to expect them back home. At birth, each pigeon is given an identification band on the foot, making it impossible to confuse them.

For Chouinard Sr., the sport is a friendly competition -- emphasis on competition.

"If someone tells you they are doing it for fun, they are lying to you. You're out there to have your birds win," he said.

105-mile race

The two men sit outside waiting for their return, so they can document each racer's time. Most of the time, the birds arrive within minutes of their estimated arrival time. A short race of 105 miles always starts in the early sunrise hours. The birds are usually back by 10:30 a.m. A special clock documents the time of return to a fraction of a second.

However, unexpected stormfronts, predatory hawks and hunters sometime turn the journey into a battle for survival.

The two men have hundreds of fascinating stories about these "thoroughbreds of the sky." One thing is certain: the birds are built for stamina.

Chouinard Jr. said he's had flyers return to the loft pierced through with shot.

"You always have a few losses," he said, adding the small charges are like children; losses are regretted deeply. "I'm always kicking the dirt, waiting."