“For years now a great name and still so young”
Arjan Beens Genemuiden.
At TopPigeons we strive for quality and are more than content to offer you specially bred youngsters in our long distance category of this very young but enormous champion from Genemuiden. What has not been written over this fancier over the years? Some call him the “ Miracleman”, “Marvelman”, and others describe him with headlines as “He makes mincemeat of the opposition”, “The conductor that takes his classy orchestra to a higher level each year” or other statements like “Arjan Beens, A National Icon”. None of this is expressed in his own words by this true champion. In all honesty the evidence is to be found in the staples of achievements as living proof. So, simply stated, Beens is just sublime !!!
Arjan Beens.
Still a Young lad living with his wife and three sons; Jan, Rik en Gijs in the lovely Overijssel a town named Genemuiden. This is the location where in the last few years pigeon sport is practiced at an amazing high level. The manner in which long distance pigeons are clocked as if arriving from a sprint race was thought impossible for years but turns out to be possible With a fairly large racing team the “Master from Genemuiden” incredibly clock birds from the long distance on the moving band.
Some proof of this below and I will stick to the last five years, not results from a box full of cobwebs.
Periqueux 914 km. G.O.U. 8/N.P.O. 6.843 pigeons; 1, 2, 3, 5, 13, 60, 68, 71, 75 etc. (50/85)
Bergerac 955 km. Nat. Sect .3 15.490 pigeons; 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 35, 57 etc. (55/88)
Orange 945 km. Nat. Sect. 3 6.595 pigeons; 27, 30, 34, 36, 47 etc. (15/20)
Brive 895 km. NU Total 18.246 pigeons; 6, 9, 12, 32, 33 etc. (13/38)
Cahors 999 km. Nat. Sect. 3 11.054 pigeons; 7, 20, 48, 59, 61, 83, 138 etc.(26/40)
Orange 945 km. Nat. Sect. 3 6.595 pigeons; 27, 30, 34, 36, 47 etc. (15/20)
Montpellier 1014 km. Nat. Sect. 3 7.856 pigeons; 6, 14, 56, 122 etc. (16/18)
Montauban 1001 km. Nat. Sect. 3 5.293 pigeons; 26, 62, 74, 79, 111, 122 etc. (17/30)
Bordeaux 986 km. Nat. Sect. 3 5.575 pigeons; 10, 31, 46, 75, 91, 123, 145 etc. (18/29)
And I could keep going on. But aside from that array of great results with early birds it’s also the average amount of prizes that he has won the last years;
2007 63%, 2008 48%, 2009 49 %, 2010 63% and in 2011 even a 70% score
But also top from Barcelona 2010.
Arjan has told me that he is slowly but surely building a team of pigeons that are to race the International ZLU morning liberations. To check for himself if he was on the right track he sent a few birds that he thought were the right ones to Barcelona 2010. This was the first time he participated and sent seven birds to the Barcelona Classic. On the first day no birds arrived. This in itself was no shame because it was tough going. But when the Beens pigeons arrive, they all arrive. From the seven entries six were clocked in the prizes with the following arrival times 07:47, 08:02, 09:08, 10:40, 13:20 and 15:31 Hrs. What about that, on his first participation six of the seven birds in the prizes, match that. After getting to know this “Master”, believe me, he is the coming man !!!
Different top three placing’s.
1st National Bergerac 15.490 pigeons
1st N.P.O. Brive 9.053 pigeons
1st N.P.O. Perigueux 6.843 pigeons
2nd National Bergerac 15.490 pigeons
2nd National St. Vincent 5.862 pigeons
2nd National Limoges 10.823 pigeons
2nd N.P.O. Brive 6.536 pigeons
2nd N.P.O. Perigueux 6.843 pigeons
3rd N.P.O. Brive 6.536 pigeons
3rd National Bergerac 15.490 pigeons
3rd N.P.O. Perigueux 6.843 pigeons
Etc. etc.
As inquisitive as we are.
If you can clock birds like this several times a season and in consecutive seasons, it is simple according to me, Beens must be a Top fancier that possesses superior pigeons.
Going back to the year 2007.
Until the end of the 2006 season it was the name of the Beens Bros. To be read on the race results mainly from distances up to 750 km. Since 2007 it has been the man in question himself that continued alone with the emphasis on the afternoon liberations. With a will to win, descendants of the best pigeons to be found in Holland and an unbridled input it seems that success is guaranteed. Arjan has acquired birds from the absolute top lofts through the years. The first birds came from both the well known Limburg Brothers from Zuidveen and Jelle Jellema from Steggerda. Furthermore pigeons came from other toppers like; First Prize Pigeons, Jan Polder, Hagens Bros., Batenburg-v.d. Merwe, A.P. Overwater, Bakker Bros. And the most recent ones came from Verweij-Castricum, Peter de Haan and Van de Velden. With these pigeons the “Master” started breeding, breeding, breeding followed by racing, racing and even more racing and not to forget of course a tough selection.
His System.
The system that Arjan uses is the tried and trusted natural system. With a team of 90 old birds and 100 yearlings he Works his way through the season. From the first training toss every bird is basketed up until the Saturday before an important race. The favorite nest position is sitting on eggs of between 10 and 14 days. This is suitable for both cocks and hens. But whatever way you choose to race and despite the medical guidance it still comes down to having super birds and Beens has them.
“Miss Gijsje”.
Observing the amount of super pigeons present in his loft made my mouth water. I would like to put one particular hen in the spotlight which is the super hen, “Miss Gijsje”. Being a late bred from 2008 she was raced three times in 2010 winning three prizes. The prizes she won in her debut year were;
7th National Cahors 11.054 pigeons (1741 mpm.)
6th NU Brive 18.246 pigeons (1037 mpm.)
652nd National Cahors 4.998 pigeons ( 891 mpm.)
This deemed her as second category long distance West European Country Cup 2010 in Dortmund. Arjan decided in 2011 to continue racing her and from her three entries she won;
6th National Montpellier 7.856 pigeons (2057 mpm.)
15th National Brive 11.957 pigeons ( 968 mpm.)
545th NU Cahors 12.712 pigeons
And again she won 2nd. Place category long distance West European Country. Again a fantastic result and the question arises, who has a better bird?
Golden Pigeon 2011 International Long Distance Competition.
In the competition organized by the pigeon paper ‘De Duif’, Beens also won gold. He captured the first place against the elite lofts of Europe in this completion leaving behind him as second his good friend Mark van den Berg and as third the combination Batenburg – van de Merwe.
The results that counted for the Golden Pigeon.
Brive 5.194 pigeons: 1st nominated won 6th and the 4th nominated won the 30th prize.
Orange 2.716 pigeons: 1st nominated won 59th and the 3rd nominated won the 9th prize.
Montpellier 2.175 pigeons: 1st nominated won 1st and the 6th nominated won the 58th prize.
Further Championships.
The way he has raced he obviously won more titles than the Golden Pigeon which probably was the most glamorous but other championships as below were also won.
Champion Northern Union 2011 (Federations 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11)
Arjan means, “The Best Long Distance club in The Netherlands)
Of the five championships to be won he got; three First Championships and another two places in the top ten.
1st General Champion (Nominated and Unnominated added together)
1st Nominated Champion ( 2 of the top three of the list )
1st Marathon Champion (the top six on the list count) this was a prolongation of 2010 Title !!!
2nd Super Prestige Champion (top two of the list count)
7th Unnominated Champion.(is a 1:10 system)
A lovely anecdote.
After getting to know Arjan a few years ago, I know he will never give in. Nee, In Arjan’s own words “Catch me if you can”. By this he means, “the stronger the birds of the opposition are the harder he will try”. Or even better, “You yourself get stronger because of the opposition”.
I will finish this article with those comments of the great champion. We wish you as aspirant buyer the best of luck with these pigeons. Afetr reading this article it might be said “Success guaranteed”!!
Johan Hamstra