Fly Day
By Terry Duncan
For years I've been trying to take first place in our club flies. I think it's human nature to want to win, to be number one, the best, king of the mountain. In the Roller hobby we all want to be a Master Flyer and have bragging rights. Every day we go in our lofts and stare at our birds. This cock is twenty feet, this hen is thirty feet maybe if I put these two birds together I'll get the perfect kit birds. No wait if I put this pair together I will get better style and speed.
How many times have you walked out of your loft with a smile on your face and said to yourself, please let this be my year? Ok fly days coming up and I will be ready this time. I'm doing every thing right; my birds are in the best condition they have ever been. All this week you've been scoring your birds. Yesterday you got some big brakes, the day before the same or better. For some reason two birds started to drop out the kit after about 15 min. Well I better pull those birds but which red check is that? I know the blue bar must go but which red check is that? Ok I got him that's the one.
Should I fly the day before fly day? With hawks and over fly's I think I'll let them rest one day. Tomorrow is fly day and your anticipation is growing. All night all you can think about is what your birds are going to do. 6:45 am you’re the first flyer of the day. People are starting to gather in front of you house. What's going through your head? Did I feed them enough to fly the time? Will they fly to high and cost me points? Should I pull the black white flit that fly's out, well he always makes it back and rolls with the kit. Man1 rolling pigeons is hard work. To day you must score high to make second place in the club.
7:00 am The birds go up as they cycle the house and start to climb they brake. Shit I forget to call time. "Time!" Another brake, all right lets go! Do it again! As the judge scores your birds you watch to see if the brakes will keep coming. "Yes" one more and it’s a good one. The birds are flying about 250 feet and braking with rhythm. All eyes are on the birds as they run the clock down, no mishaps, no birds out, well except the deep one that took to long to get back to the kit. But he always made it back just in time for the next brake. It was a good day. OK OK this is what really happen. You pulled the wrong red check and it stayed out the whole fly. The black white flit kept flying out, missing the kit, and costing you points. If you had flown Friday you would have pulled the right red check and “If” “If”?
