Thomas Strand calls his special mix of pigeon food a trade secret, but whatever it is, it's working.
Strand, who will be 14 years old on Feb. 7, trained and nourished national champion Rob Roy, who recently won the first American Racing Pigeon Union race that Strand entered.
A home-schooled eighth-grader who lives near Nugents Corner, Thomas is the son of Michael and Vicki Strand. He's also a member of Thunder Birds 4-H, a pigeon group led by Jerry and Evelyn Guilmette.
Question: How did Rob Roy win his national championship?
Thomas: Rob Roy won the young birds category (less than 1 year old) in the youth division (for students under 18). There were 89 birds originally entered and 17 birds actually started the race. Only eight birds finished.
Q: Were you there for the finish?
Thomas: No, I sent Rob Roy to a loft in Arizona last March. I didn't even realize he was going to start the race, because we thought he was lost. But he did start Dec. 1 at Quartzsite, and he needed only 99 minutes and 11 seconds to arrive first in Goodyear (104.5 miles away) in a one-loft race.
Vicky: Rob Roy flew 1,854 yards per minute! That's a fast young pigeon.
Q: Were you surprised to hear about your victory?
Thomas: I was astonished, because I wasn't informed he was going to be entered in the race. Then I learned after the race that he had been shot in the leg by a BB gun. The loft owner, Richard Doud, cared for him and removed the pellet. One of my 4-H friends, Kate Patera, told me about the race and I called Arizona the next day and confirmed Rob Roy had won. He's back with me now. He's a beautiful blue bar with white flight.
Q: How many pigeons are you training?
Thomas: I'm in the middle of breeding season, and when they all hatch, it will be about 70 pigeons. I couldn't do this without my dad and mom. Dad built my loft and mom keeps records and helps clean it. The loft is so large that people call it the Taj Mahal of lofts.
Q: Looking at all these local ribbons you've won, you don't seem like a newcomer to pigeon racing.
Thomas: I was an original member of the 4-H group. I started with pigeons in May of 2010. I work about 10 hours a week with them, depending on the time of year.
Q: Will Rob Roy race again?
Thomas: No, because he might become confused, since he's already been trained for the lofts in Arizona. This national championship race will be held in Long Beach, Calif., next year, so I might send one of Rob Roy's babies to California for the race. Rob Roy has a future as a breeder. Pigeons can live 15 to 20 years, if they're not caught by a hawk.
Q: Any pigeon training secrets you want to reveal?
Thomas: I hold them out and let their wings spread, when they're not old enough to fly, and then I swoosh them around and let them get the feel of the air.
Q: What else do you like to do?
Thomas: Reading! I've made a list of more than 600 books I've read. I own about 300 of them.
