200-500 Lofts Category
Cornella  Family Loft
Flown by: Alex Cornella

Tell us a little about yourself?
I bought my first pigeon in 1959, an unbanded blue check hen for 75 cents. Since that time I have been a member of five clubs: one in Kansas, one in Indiana and three in New Jersey. My first taste of real competitive flying was in the mid 1970s in Paterson, New Jersey. I was fortunate to fly in partnership as an apprentice, more accurately, with Jimmy Malatesta, who flew under New Jersey Loft in the hotly contested Paterson Club. Ed Peranio, Frank Rainey and Art Kachadrian were the heart and soul of the club. Jimmy had tremendous pigeons, mostly Huskyen Van Riels, and was the best mentor a neophyte could want. Not only did he teach me a lot about the sport, more importantly, he was a role model of what true sportsmanship means.

I didn't compete between 1989 and 1994 because of a couple of job transfers and house moves. When I moved from New Jersey to Indiana, my wife, two children a dog, a cat and 30 pigeons were with me all on the same jetliner. My quarter horse had already been shipped and was boarded at the home of a pigeon flyer. As I drove up the street to our new house with this menagerie in the back of my pickup truck, the neighbors thought the Beverly Hillbillies were moving in. Three years later the process was reversed, only this time I brought three kids, two dogs, two horses, and 50 pigeons with me.

My wife and children all pitch in with caring for the birds. In fact, if it was not for my lovely wife Rena looking after the birds while I'm at work or on business trips, I would have to give up pigeons. In addition, she's always the perfect hostess to pigeon flyers who stop at the house, even complete strangers. Since she was trained as a chemist, she gives me valuable advice on science and medications. I always feel sorry for pigeon flyers who say their wives or families dislike the birds, because I am very lucky in that respect.

During business travels I try to make time to visit outstanding lofts in different parts of the United States or Europe. I have visited quite a few of the big names and the not so big names, always looking for outstanding stock or learning something new about pigeon racing. I have been to the Netherlands three times, and Belgium and England once. In 1995, I was fortunate enough to combine business with pleasure and attend the Blackpool Show and the Olympiad in Utrecht. In the spring of 1997, I was in the Netherlands on business and made time to visit some of the better lofts.

Do you think your position is a good one as far as combine races are concerned ?
Far from it. We fly in the Central Jersey Combine against 400 plus lofts. The front is about 100 miles wide and 60 miles deep. Our 15-acre hobby farm is located in the northwest corner of the state, which makes us one of the shortest and northernmost lofts in the combine. The overfly and the drag favor the longer and southern lofts. To make matters worse, the prevailing winds are north west for many of the races, pushing the birds away from our location. Unless the wind is calm or has some south in it, we don't stand a chance on race day.

The CJC is acknowledged to be the largest combine in the United States, with 400 members that engage in a 10 race old bird schedule beginning in April and a 10 race young bird schedule beginning in August. All races are shipped on a western course over the low mountains and valleys of Pennsylvania and Ohio where the birds must traverse large cities, farms and expanses of deciduous forest inhabited by birds of prey, hunters and power lines. The old bird schedule starts with two consecutive 150-mile races in April and ends with a 500-mile race. The young bird schedule begins with two consecutive 100-mile races in August and terminates with a 300-mile race. The weather can vary wildly during the course of the race seasons with frigid temperatures and even snow flurries in early April or late October as well as hot, suffocating humid conditions in August.

Do you have a original family of pigeons ? And what type of birds do you now fly ?
I have two basic families of pigeons -- Janssens and Old-Line Fabrys. I also have one excellent pair of Meulemans I fly straight and crossed.

Over the years I have obtained Janssens as close to the original Janssen Brothers bloodlines as I could afford. Since I am raising a family, my pigeon buying budget is rather limited. However, we have reached a state of equilibrium with our breeding stock, and have more than enough proven breeding pairs, so it is no longer necessary to add but a few select birds from time to time who possess great breeding potential and that blend into our strong stud. In fact, I use birds for pumpers that I have rarely bred, but would make excellent breeders. I have particularly tried to add "Merckx" lines, since I like the feather quality, body muscle, conformation and performance.

I also keep Old-Line Fabrys that go back to the 1960s for several reasons. First, they seem to be a faster maturing bird, which makes them good for young bird races. Second, they excel in the slower, tougher races. They also make excellent crosses with the Janssens. Beyond that -- they are exceptionally beautiful pigeons that are easy to tame.

Can you give us a little history on your champion bird ?
He is a small cock I named "Home Alone," since he won 1st place in the CJC combine as a young bird versus 3,000 plus birds. He beat the second place pigeon by 30 minutes and 60 YPM. He was one week shy of 5-months old when he accomplished this feat. Curiously, the next pigeon to my loft was a Fabry-Janssen hen that came 20 minutes later, but I didn't bother to clock since I figured she was so far behind. Little did I know.

As a young bird, Home Alone came along slowly until he won the 2nd combine 300-mile race toward the end of the season. He had been to four races, but didn't distinguish himself. However, his nest brother was flying very consistently, winning enough club and combine diplomas to win IF Hall of Fame and Ace Pigeon Award honors. The birds were hatched on May 17 and flown to the perch without benefit of lightening or darkening systems or motivational tricks. Tragically, a Peregrine Falcon killed Home Alone's brother before I could campaign him as a yearling. Home Alone is a straight Janssen closely linebred to the Old Merckx. His mother was bred in my loft off a daughter of Ganus' 969. His sire was bred by the Clwyd Lofts in Wales from a son of Old Merckx and a daughter of Velo. Students of Janssen pedigrees are aware that Velo is a son of the Old Merckx and 969 is a grandson.

Until Home Alone and his brother were yearlings, I thought they were hens. The Merckx pigeons can fool you that way, since they tend to be very quiet as youngsters and possess effeminate heads.

As a yearling Home Alone went to four races on the widowhood system, was the first or second bird home in each race and won 1st, 2nd and 4th club. However, the 1st prize is unofficial since someone in my club tampered with my clock without telling me about it and I was disqualified. While I give the flyer who did this to me the benefit of the doubt that it was unintentional, it is this kind of inconsiderate action that drives people out of the sport.

As a two-year old widower in 1996, Home Alone went to four straight races, was rested a week at the 500 mile station and went back for four more straight races. I didn't send him to the 500 because I believe it takes a more mature bird to compete in this event and because these are holdovers sometimes lasting three or four days that are often disasters in terms of returns. In addition, I am not convinced our birds get the best of care while they are held in the trailer. If you love your pigeons as I do, you certainly want to give them very chance to make it home from such a challenging athletic event.

Again, he was virtually the first or second bird to the loft always flying through the open door directly to his box. His most notable performances as a two-year old were 1st, 3rd and 6th (twice) club as well as 10th and 25th combine versus 2,609 and 3,684 birds respectively. He also placed 17th in the 4-State North East Union 400-mile race against 4,570 birds.

I have had a number of offers for him coming as far away as Taiwan, but Home Alone will be campaigned one more season and then retired to the stock loft.

How many birds do you race ?
Since time is a big factor in our busy work and family life, we only race seven or eight widowhood cocks in old birds and 15 in the young bird series. We keep 15 pair of breeders and 5 pair of surrogates, and raise 50 to 60 youngsters. I figure for each youngster I raise, I have to raise one for the birds of prey, which are thicker than flies around here. I don't have time to do extensive training, so I the race basket does most of the training, and the culling for that matter. If they are not smart enough to come home, I don't need them.

Random Thoughts
The racing pigeon sport is facing big challenges. For sure, changing lifestyles and demographics are big factors. This sport has a lot to offer young people, families and senior citizens in terms of keeping in touch with the wonders of science and nature, providing fulfilling, healthy activities and fraternity, but we to do more to keep the sport alive and share all of its excitement and wonder with people who would enjoy it. Retired people in particular are looking for interesting hobbies to fill their time in satisfying ways and pigeon racing would be ideal for them.

The little time I have to spend in my lofts affords me a sense of therapeutic relaxation that has helped me keep sane in spite of all the forces of modern life that tend to drive people crazy. Pigeon racing is truly an international sport and I've made friends throughout the USA, Europe, South Africa, and Asia through because of pigeons, expanding my perspective on the world. I can think of few other hobbies that that are so rewarding on so many levels.