The
Van Coppenolles
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In
2003 Luc Van Coppenolle a well known fancier
in Europe was general champion of the
Entente Belge and it is said that when
he was standing awaiting the title at
the ceremony he mentioned to a friend
'This championship is very nice to win,
but I hope to win once in my life-time
the 'European Super Marathon.' Well, one
year later in 2004 and Luc's dream became
a reality. Winning a championship which
is very difficult to win based upon the
first two nominated birds in the International
races from Barcelona, Perpignan, Pau,
Dax and Marseille against strong opposition
from Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Britain
and France. Van Coppenolle won the championship
with the following positions: 215th International
Pau 8,270b; 327th International Barcelona
24,913b; 483rd International Marseille
19,627b; 594th International Perpignan
17,570b; and 699th International Dax 17,526b.
Luc
Van Coppenolle was born into the sport
of pigeon racing for his father who died
a few years past used to bring Luc into
his loft to see the pigeons and eventually
the father and son became a partnership
in Belgian racing. In fact Luc and his
father Leon were the KBDB General National
Champion in 1986. Today Luc Van Coppenolle
still has the bloodlines of his father's
'Barcelona' in the loft which contains
one of the leading modern European strains.
As for the Coppenolle famous reds they
arise from Leons old stock. The 'Barcelona'
in his time won 28th International Barcelona
1977 against 10,502b; 88th National Barcelona
1979 against 6,612b; 286th International
Barcelona 1978 against 11,000b. The latter
great flyer contained the bloodlines of
Desmet-Matthijs 'Klaren', Devriendt x
Cattrijsse and Van Hee - Wervik.
A
true champion also at stock for he was
the father of the 'Primus Barcelona':
who scored 61st National Barcelona 1987
against 8,915b; 183rd National Barcelona
against 7,252b; 491st National Barcelona
1982 against 8,351b; 489th National Barcelona
1984 against 7,066b; 521st National Barcelona
1985 against 8,647b; 879th National Barcelona
against 8,886 birds. The bloodlines of
'Primus Barcelona' is now found in a lot
of the top birds in the Van Coppenolle
loft at present including 'Pau' who won:
3rd National Pau 1996 1,953b; 27th National
Pau 1997 2,084b; 98th National Marseille
1994 1,267b. Raced as a widower 'Pau'
was in 1996 4th World Champion Very Long
Distance and 1st Provincial Ace Pigeon
Long Distance KBDB East Flanders.
It
should be mentioned that another great
flyer Roger Florizoone contributed to
the formation of the Coppenolle strain
since about the beginning of the 1990s.
So much so that today approximately 65/70%
are off the bloodlines of a fancier who
was nicknamed 'Mister Barcelona' and who
died in 2004. Van Coppenolles mother was
a niece of Roger Florizoone and through
this relationship both families shared
their best with each other. An arrangement
apparently which was mutually beneficial.
An
important base pigeon of the strain is
the 'Blauwe Narbonne' who was 10th National
Narbonne 1997 6,021b; 35th National Barcelona
1997 12,371b. He comes from the 'Blauwen
Roger' who was bred by Roger Florizoone
and comes from a son of the 'Benoni who
scored 9th National Perpignan, 20th National
Pau and 25th National Marseille. The son
of 'Benoni' was paired with a sister of
the 'Witneus' who was 5 times at the top
from Barcelona and was the father of the
1st National Barcelona for Florizoone.The
dam of the 'Blauwen Narbonne, is 'Stammoeder
1' who derives from 'Nest brother Primus
1' and a daughter of the 'Freddy' who
was 5th International Barcelona 13,033b.
The
Coppenolles are a hardy type of pigeon
and they are winning for others wherever
they have been raced and are acknowledged
by pigeon commentators to be a strain
expected to make a large impact in the
distance racing of the new millennium.
Little did Luc's father Leon realize that
when he encouraged his son into the sport
that the name and the strain was destined
to play an important part in the continuing
history of the sport of long and marathon
distance pigeon racing.


by: Liam O Comain
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