For all you pigeon racers…. do you have a few minutes?
Whether you’re a new comer to the sport of pigeon racing, or you have been involved in this for years and years, if would really help me out if you guys could answer a few questions for me. I’m writing a report about it for a class of mine and any information would help. Thanks! 
What are some of the first things a beginner pigeon racer needs to know?
Where or from whom did you learn some of your first/basic pigeon racing skills from?
Where did you find the most useful information [when you were beginning]? (ie internet websites, forums, other expects, pigeon clubs, experience, books)
Do you currently subscribe to any pigeon magazines, ezines, or newsletters?
Are pigeon racing books outdated, or is the information in there still useful for today’s methods?
Are there certain training/breeding/racing methods that are most popular? / Used most by pigeon elites?
If you were beginning pigeon racing all over again, what important information/techniques/methods do you wish you knew now that you didn’t know back then?
Do you feel that there is sufficient information on the internet alone that would make it easy for pigeon newcomers to start racing?
Where (either online or in print) do you go to find your most trusted information? Is this a place that you frequently come back to?
Is this where you go if you have questions or dilemmas? Do you always find the answers there that you’re looking for?
Normally, I’d take tons of time to answer something like this, but today I’m only going to hit the highlights because I still have work to get done.
1) Basic pigeon care; how to house, breed, and keep pigeons in a healthy envirnonment and loft. How to build a loft that supplies the essentials for pigeon health (a loft doesn’t need to be luxurious, but it does need to be healthy and help keep temperature contstant.)
2) Other breeders and flyers and much reading.
3) When I was a beginner, the internet was science fiction. There were only books and other fanciers who shared their knowledge.
4) Lately no, though there are some excellent ones on the market.
5) Many pigeons books, even the older ones, still have lots to offer. Pigeons are still pigeons. A good natural bird can still beat a good widowhood one on occasion. Even with lightening/darkening, and other more modern tweeks, the idea of having your pigeon home because it loves its loft is still the basic premise.
6) Good question. Today, I’d say more flyers are widowhood flyers with variations on that being practiced by various individuals.
7) Widowhood without a doubt, even with the dark/light stuff, I think overall widowhood is the way to go.
9) There are few places for that – which is one reason that I wind up answering questions like this at Yahoo answers. This is something that I’ve believed for a long time that the national organizations should have taken over and have in place – -someone who can float around sites like this or other forums and answer questions from beginners. That way info is accurate and it’s not overlaid with the idiocies of folks who don’t know the difference between a feral and a homer or a cropper.
BTW – if you’re in the U.S. good sources of info are the National Clubs:
http://www.pigeon.org American Racing Pigeon Union
http://www.ifpigeon.com International Federation of Homing Pigeon Fanciers
If you’re in Canada, check at the Canadian Racing Pigeon Union http://www.canadianracingpigeonunion.com/