Reprinted from INTERNTIONAL Article
P. Laseroms’s Jan Ardens
By R V Farbes
A Few years ago I got myself into a bit of an uncomfortable spot because of interviewing an outstanding loft which was re-writing the National races record book, The reason U wouldn’t publish the story was under no circumstances would this tell anyone where they bought the wonderful breeder they had. I was completely taken by surprise when I handled their National winners, and their parents. Here in my hand was what I thought was the most refined long-distance pigeon in existence. Most were smaller than average in size, feathering so silky they felt wet, backs narrower than anything I had ever seen, and by size you would guess they weighed 12 ounces, but in the hand felt as one tenth of that.
Perhaps even more surprising was the fact many weren’t apple-bodied, but though small in size seemed to lack any quantity of pectoral muscle. And the wings-how can one describe them? They literally hung by a wire from the shoulder. When in your hands the wings actually fell down over the side of your hands. I expected the owners to interrupt me saying OOPs, you’ve dropped a wing on the ground. “Here, let us put it back on the bird for you.” These birds are unbelievable. They should be the laughing stock of any show, but anyone with half a brain could feel that in his hands was a long-distance miracle –pigeons which time and again were winning prizes as the top of the International races—plus a string of National wins.
For you eye-sign enthusiasts I’m going to make more or less a confession-I have very little faith in the eye-sing theory. I was 14 years old, a grade eight student, when I bought Bishop’s first book on the subject, and proceeded to wear out edition after edition of it. And the same with the Australian, Fleming. Being the editor of a racing magazine I’ve been blessed with handling countless number of champion racers and breeders-and most to me only had about average eye-sign—except for three.
Firstly, we have the sliver hen of Al McGillis who lives in Ontario, Canada. This hen originated with Apache lofts on the east coast of the United States. And yes, she is a super producer. The second pigeon can be found in Belgium, and is the blue-wft foundation cock of Astoine Jaops (with a P), the “Broken Leg”. The third was the foundation cock of the loft we’re discussing above. This cock had a violet eye, with circle of correlation of balloon proportions. No picture is any magazine, or eye-sign book matched the eye of this Jan Aarden cock. The ridges and valley, or distance and speed lines, within the sign itself were a fairy tale picture book in detail. You could have asked any five year old what the color of circle was and he’d answer, violet. However, the super National winning pigeons down from him just had eyes. But some of the se offspring have bred First Prize National Winners. The question was, were did these birds originally come from? That’s what I wanted to know.
As usual my dear friend and the gentleman who writes as “Teacher” came up with the answer. And what answers he got! After doing some sneaky investigating he was hit between the eyes with the fact that almost every pigeon is the top ten of that years St. Vincent National was bred from our phantom loft, Plus…this had been happening with many nationals form some time. Then on further investigation we find that Piet DeWeerd had been putting many lofts on top all over the world by supply stock from this ghost loft.
But who is this masked man anyway?
PIET LASEROMS! New…What, or Who is a Piet Laseroms? Read on for the pigeon story you’ll not soon forget.
In the summer of 1985 I had the honor of traveling to visit what could be described as the best loft of Jan Aarden pigeons in the world. Some fanciers and pigeon writers in Europe would even say this loft houses the best long-distance family of pigeons found anywhere. I personally remember very well the words spoken to me by Piet DEWAEERD on the two simmer evenings. He said, “Ralph make no mistake about it, as a group of pigeons the Jan Aarden are the finest long-distance pigeons in the world.”
On my visit to Piet Laseroms, I was accompanied by John Marles, Harry van Zeylan, an editor with the Dutch racing pigeon weekly, and Mr. Joop Eksteyn, also a writer for the same publication, and Associate Editor of Racing Pigeon Facts International. What you read below is the information we gathered from Mr. Laseroms from the questions we asked, I’m sure it’s going to open up to you a whole new world, that of the Jan Aardens—the pigeons that from the backbone of the Netherlands long-distance strains. Pigeons which have won International races in rapid succession.
The world famous Ponderosa in Holland has published, “The Jan Aardens are difficult to beat. Especially on the tough pbs they are die-hards of the first water. They are not birds to let their wings drop quickly,” Perhaps to most students of long-distance National racing the “Dolle” stand out as the best known Jan Aarden. The Dolle’s” dam came from a Mr. Van Achtmaal, His father was down from the birds of Toontj Lichtenberg. More about these two lofts later.
Piet Laseroms fist became interested in Jan Aarden pigeons when he was 19 years if age. At that time he went to the city of Steenbergen, and visited a very famous long-distance flyer, Mr. Stoffden. He also visited a very famous long-distance fancier, Mr. Lichtenberg. In addition he regularly visited the equally well known top national loft of Jan van der Par of Steenbergen. At this time it was nationally recognized that Mr. Jan van der Par hand the best long-distance pigeons of Steenbergen. And he had only Jan Aarden pigeons. For many years Steenbergen was the undisputed top long-distance center in all of Holland.
LONG DISTANCE PIGEONS WINNING AT 100 MILES
Piet Laseroms has never been a man to do things half-hearted so he amazed the European pigeon world in purchasing every pigeon owned by the famous Jan van der Par. Not one pigeon feather was left behind. He purchased about 80 birds in all.
Later Piet bought yet another famous loft. That if the above mentioned, Mr. Van Achtmaal. Also here he bought every pigeon. After the death of Mr. van der Par, and Piet buying every pigeon, the loft of Van Achtmaal was the undisputed best dong-distance loft in Steenbergen.
The first pigeons Piet Laseroms began with were from the old Mr. Stofflen He bought youngsters off the pigeons which won 2nd, 3rd and 4th National St. Vincent. Also from Mr. Lichtenberg he bought a youngster from the “De Ten”, the Ace Long-Distance Hen from the Netherlands, With these Jan Aarden pigeons and the earlier mentioned entire loft purchased he formed the basis of the Laseroms Han Aarden loft we see today.
Shortly, Piet bred the champion “De Oude Blue”, bred from two pigeons from Mr. van der Par, the “01” and “07”. These two parents won the first television offered in the National races. This pigeon “De Oude Blue” accomplished the incredible feat of winning 16 times the pools at cases above 600 miles. She started winning as a yearling in 1962 and never quit.
The other key foundation pigeon was a son of “De Ten” of Lichtenburg’s. This pigeon was mated with a daughter of one of the best pigeons to ever grace the loft of Mr. Jan Aarden, the famous grandson of the “Aarden 18”. These bred the “Sproet”. (Sproet, meaning white spots on the head) This hen, the “Sproet”, won 2nd National St. Vincent, after spending one and a half hours on the roof. She missed winning 1st National by two seconds. In the Moulin’s Semi-Nationals she was 3rd overall and won 2nd South National. She also won the “Gold Ring” for her magnificent performance in combination with her Dax and St. Vincent result.
The “Sproet” was not only a champion racer, but was even more valuable as a breeder. She bred the “Gold Crack”, plus many other extremely outstanding racers and breeders. With the son of the “Sproet” Piet won, at Orleans Semi-Nationals, a new car. Brothers van Zelderen, now winners of 4 Nationals won a new car in the Nationals in 1972 and the Laseroms’s Aardens, plus 4th National in 73 with the same “Sproet” line. Horst Brudhouse, from Breda, won 1st National St. Vincent 1979 with a pigeon, which was the fastest pigeon released on the day from St. Vincent, but wasn’t entered in the National, was also of the same Aarden line of Piet Laseroms. Plus, the pigeon to win 1st North National, on the same day, for Mr. Westerhuis, was of the Piet Laseroms’s “Sproet” line.
As can be seen the three fastest pigeons in the whole country, flying to three different lofts, were all of the Piet Laseroms’s Aarden stock.
And the performance of this bloodline never seems to end as Mr. can Zundreds, from Zegge, won 1st National Dax, with birds from the line of Laseroms “Sproet”. The partnership, vander Linden/Verschuren, from the city of Helmond, won 1st National Dax, winning a new car and were five hours ahead of the next pigeon. They also won 6th National St, Vincent, winning a television. Plus, they win last year from Chatreaux 1st XNB Semi-National with a pigeon of the Laseroms’s Aarden line crossed with a bird from Jan Cools. Mr. Scowl, at Hoeven, won 2nd National St, Vincent, with the “Sproet” line. Mr. F, Stelberg, won series two and series three for the St. Vincent and Dax Nationals and National Championship Long-Distance only using the Lazeroms’s Aardens.
/but the fantastic accomplishments of the birds seems to never end. Results indicate the unbelievable accomplishments of the wiry-tough, long-distance speed merchants are if anything getting better. In 1985 three of the National bred from Piet Lazeroms’s stock. In 1984, the 1st National St Vincent and 1st National Pau were both Piet Lazeroms’s lines of Jan Aardens. Plus, the 1st International Pau winning of Mr. Peters was a Lazeroms’s Aarden.
Who can ever forget the “Dutch Mater’s” Toon and Henay Geurts. A father and son team, who with only a 6 pair of breeders, and about 20 racers, became the toast of Holland champion fanciers with winning a Top-Ten National Championship three years running, and they had to have two years running the Ace National Long-Distance Pigeon (with 2 different pigeons) to perform this feat. Even the huge Ponderosa has never been able to make the National Top-Ten three years running. But is it so surprising that in the T & H Geurts pedigrees you will often see the name, Lazeroms’s Jan Aarden.
In 1984 almost every pigeon in the top dozen of the St. Vincent National, with ever 30,000 pigeons entered, as a Piet Lazeroms’s Jan Aarden. In 1985 the 1st National St. Vincent and the 1st National Pau, and 1st International Pau of Case Cox and 1st National Bordaux were all blood stock if the Piet Lazeroms’s Jan Aarden.
Perhaps J. Eksteyn of the Vredusduif Weekly Racing Pigeons Magazine, and a fancier who often finishes in the top-ten, is a province with 4500 fanciers, has been quoted as saying, “There is no one who can show such results as the Piet Lazeroms’s Jan Aardens”.
A further modern example of these Lazeroms’s Aarden pigeons, and what they can do, in yet another loft us the case of Mr. Balle from Alblasserdam, near Rotterdam, who entered only 4 pigeons in the Barcelona National, and won 1st Series Three and 2nd Series Two. From Pau the same day, he won the “Grand Pot” pool. All with Lazeroms’s Aarden. The 1st Pau International Hens, of Mr. Sprenkls, was also a Lazeroms’s Aarden. The last four years in the St. Vincent Nationals (with usually over 30,000 pigeons) ALL the car winners were won by Lazeroms’s Aardens. In total his pigeons won 12 automobiles in the last 14 years competing in the Nationals.
Holland’s famous pigeon journalist, Harry van Zeylen, said “even I had no idea the Lazeroms Aardens were such phenomenal pigeons,” He only discovered the truth of what was happening when he systematically investigated rumors and analyzed the records in 1985.
But what of Piet Lazeroms himself. Today he houses fewer breeders that most of the North well known lofts. Hi is feeling most fortunate lately because two years ago, criminals stole from his home lofts, every single pigeon on the race team. What is most fortunate is all the breeders were housed at his brother’s residence. To date only four of the stolen race birds have returned. All with the bands cut off.
Piet races both the nest and windowhood system. He has found the Lazeroms Han Aarden, in poor weather, win more prizes if raced to the nest. On the nice days the windowhood cocks do the job. Piet has always been demanding on his pigeons, in fact many fanciers look at what he asks of his pigeons and merely shake their heads that he
has any pigeons left.
BASKETED FOR SEMI-NATIONALS WITH BROKEN LEGS
Many fanciers who know Piet say no man can be so demanding of his pigeons and still have birds left to fly and breed. As an example, the ace pigeon, “Gold Crack”, in the year he won the Nationals “Golden Crack Award” he raised 12 youngsters himself. But only the strongest pigeons are considered good enough to play a part in this family of Aardens. The “Golden Crack” returned from the race with both his legs broken. But for Piet Lazeroms this only a chance for him to prove what his pigeons are capable of. For the next race the legs were not healed enough for the pigeon to stand for more than a couple of seconds, but Piet in his ever determined way continued to race the “Gold Crack”. When he took this champion in for basketing he made arrangements sit e handlers would lay the pigeon down gently in the shipping crate. In this Semi-National from Ruffac, unfortunately he has now injured his kneel. But again he was sent right back out to the Dax and Bergerac Nationals, plus he was to raise 12 youngsters the same year. Piet told us, “I’ve always wanted to do with my pigeons what others have considered impossible”.
Always looking for new ways to push the Jan Aardens to the limits of testing, Piet, this year, shipped his yearling to 18 races. And not usually short distance races either. The program Piet laid out to push them to the limit was that they be raced 2 and 3 times a week, with a short-distance or middle-distance race on Wednesday and a long-distance race every weekend. And they performed brilliantly. These pigeons have proven for years, if handled properly, they will win from 100 to 650 miles. There are the same yearlings on being sent to a long-distance race almost every week are the birds that also had to carry the loft colors from the Bergerac National. Harry van Zeylon pointed out to us, the records show the more miles they got the further they pulled ahead of the competition. As an example, a yearling one weekend flew a tough 600 miles and the next weekend was again entered in a 630 mils race winning a top prize both races.
Last year, Piet gave as a gift to the man who assists him in cleaning the lofts a late-bred youngster. This youngster was hatched so late in the year that he had to miss even the last of the young bird late bred training races. His new owner was satisfied to train him this year as a yearling and then raced the pigeon this year in every race on the schedule. Plus the pigeon had to fly Chatereux, then one week later La Souterain, and 3 days later re-basked for Merseille, and he won a top prize every week.
Piet says, “Yes unbelievable pigeons and they don’t have to carry anything, they have no weight, they are only feathers that fly”. On our visit both Harry and Joop pointed out to us that Piet “Champion Og” would be the champion pigeon of Holland, however much to their disgust, Piet is always reluctant to enter such contests.
As many fanciers who have visited Europe have discovered the Jan Aarden line of pigeons sometimes have the most magnificent eyes. I wondered if Piet Lazeroms had noticed any correlation between eye color and performance, either breeders or flyers. He has to come to some definite findings along these lines. The birds which have the most beautiful and brilliant brown eyes, often with a wide golden circle of correlation can be both great breeders an flyers, with one noticeable exception. Piet has discovered you must never mate two birds with this brown eye together if you wan to breed good race birds. When they are mated as this he has seen you breed the finest physical specimens , but they are always lazy. He insists with his Jan Aardens you should mate the gorgeous darker brown eyes with a lighter eye. Piet Lazeroms has also come to the conclusion that every eye is good a good eye for breeders and racers except for the condition above. He said, “The only thing I’m afraid of is two beautiful dark brown eyes mated together.
A further discovery he has made is that he can mate two dark brown eyes together for the purpose if breeding future stock birds. But he always mates the resulting offspring with pigeons with pearl eyes. “Most people,” Piet says, “like brown eyes best, and they then breed browns to browns that like as if they could out fly the world.” However, Piet told us emphatically, “This is not the way it should be done.” He also says that Jan Aarden pigeons are not the only pigeons with dark eyes and the dark-checkered feathering, with white flights, coming with eye and feathering of all colors. Many of the Aarden pigeons have always had the brightest of the orange eye.
Piet has always believed that making increased demands on his pigeon’s endurance and speed, is the way to treat his if you want only the best and strongest. Also, it has proven for Piet almost impossible to loose these pigeons. Even after being away for a year or two it is said they always come home, if able to do so. Recently he had a pigeon come home from a disastrous 1000 mile race from Spain. Only about 20 pigeons have been reported to have ever reached home from this race, where the birds were released into the day of heavy down-pours. One pigeon of Piet’s that returned did so only a couple of days shipping to the Barcelona National. Piet said, “My dear pigeon, this is something you’ve done. You’ve obviously walked home and know most of the way so I’ll ship you again immediately.” The pigeon went to on win his prize in the National.
Normally today’s fanciers associate the shorter winners with the speed specialist pigeons who are muscularly built as the Jannsens and de Kalk lines. The long-distance birds are often built as a marathon runner-lean and wiry. Many of the Lazeroms Aardens are built this later way; pigeons with no back, but they are pigeons that can win week after week from 100 miles.
When visiting Piet Lazeroms we all assumed that is pigeons were strictly long-distance pigeons. However, we were bright enough to ask him how they so at all distances. It was pointed out to us that years ago he usually won the short and middle-distance championships, with his Aardens. He told us that the Aarden pigeons are not only long-distance birds. Many, especially those with the blood of the “Sproet” are able to win from 60 to 750 miles. The lines descended from “02” and “03” normally excel in races from 500 to 750 miles. And Piet is out proving again they can be the finest sprinters against the cream of the spring pigeons.
Piet jokingly remembers one evening last year when he had a couple of drinks too many at the club. This evening in a most challenging mood he publicly issued the challenge to the club that on one could out race his pigeons at the short and middle-distance races, if he managed them differently than he does for the long-distance races. How did he do? In 1986, he left the competition far behind, being one and a half races ahead in points. This was competing against the sprint specialist Janssens and Klak pigeons. But not only at Piet Lazeroms do they sprint for home. One of Holland won with a grandson of Piet “08” 10 prizes in the short distances races.
At the time of ending our visit with Piet Lazeroms we all were shaking our heads in disbelief at the performances of these pigeons, especially for the endless multitude of fanciers. On leaving the table, Mr. Joop Eksteyn happened to uncover some Combine race results for the latest two young bird races. Joop liked at us all, and in disbelieve said, “My goodness this man has won both races, with young birds, competing against 3500 pigeons per race.
On leaving Piet Lazeroms’ residence we all realized we had witnessed something very special in the world of pigeons racing - we’d met the founder of one if the greatest families of racing pigeons in the history of the sport.
