Art,
What an exciting Thanksgiving weekend I had at the Lou Abbott German
Roller Canary Show in Vandalia, Ohio. First of all my best friend, Janice
Klein (Canary-L member) won best young champion team and with that win
advanced to master breeder!!!!! All three of her teams
scored over 200 points and her best team scored 249!!!!
As I wrote early, this was an especially busy Fall with judging 5 shows
and attending the National. I was so upset when I wrote you because I
didn't really even have a team. On the Monday before the Saturday show, I
finally had time to pick a team. This is not the way I like to do it. My
second team I selected on that Wednesday. We flew to Dayton on
Thanksgiving day. That evening, David and Judy Bopp invited us to their
house for Thanksgiving dinner!! Janice and I have had Thanksgiving dinner
with the Bopp's at the roller show for about ten years...Billy
Richardson, our roller judge, was there too!!!
On Friday, Bill Kennedy (Canary-L) dropped by as well and Linda and Jerry
McQueen from Marysville, Ohio (I met her in last year when I judged in
Columbus, Ohio), and George Steinberg, his wife, and Jake (his 10 year
old son). Four rollers were set up and Billy called out the tours (name
of the notes being sung). We all talked birds and had a good time. Linda
McQueen had shown American Singers for the first time this year and she
brought three singers for us to hear. The bird who had gotten a ribbon at
the American Singer show sang some recognizable roller notes.
Earl and Marilyn Nice from St. Louis brought three teams and arrived at
the show on Friday afternoon.
On Saturday, we all started the day with breakfast at the Waffle House
and then the judging started at 9:00. Around 11:00 my best team (all
young birds) were judged. I could hardly believe how wonderful they
sounded!!! They were vocal and scored side tours in water and Schockel (
one 10 and one 11 points) !! The team scored 256!!! Janice's highest team
came in and they were also wonderful, just 7 points below mine. To make
a long story short, I won Grand Champion Team (also young birds but
highest team in show) (Tour specials for hollow roll, bass, hollow bell
and flute) and Janice won Young Champion Team and joined me and others
now as Master Breeders!!!
Linda Mcqueen fell in love with our rollers. We wanted her to get a
good start, so on the condition that she show with us next year in
Dayton, Janice and I each sold her a trio of rollers. (She picked my
second best bird, he scored 69 points and one of Janice's best too.)
Jake came to me during the show and confided too me "Don't tell my dad,
but I like the rollers better than American Singers". He watered and fed
birds and listened to teams for about 6 hours Saturday. After the
judging, he told me had $100 saved and wondered if I could sell him a
roller for that? I let him pick his choice from my second place team and
will send him a couple of hens, They were my gift to him on the condition
that he come back next year and show with us!!!
Best of Luck at your show, let me know how you do.
Linda S. Hogan
canarytales@juno.com
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 1997 15:07:53 EST
From: Linda S Hogan
Subject: Re: More on Roller Show
Art,
On Saturday night, all show participants and visitors were invited to the
Bopp home for dinner. After a wonderful meal we all sat around and talked
rollers.
Sunday was a special day. We took out some of the teams and studied their
songs. One of Janice's teams had a superior bird in the number 2 position.
The other birds on that team could not sing well with this bird because
he was so much better than they were. The two roller judges, David Bopp
and Billy Richardson, myself, Janice Klein, and Linda McQueen worked
together to make a superior team from Janice's three teams. We took the
superior bird from the one team, selected similar birds from her other
teams, experimented and placed them in the correct position. Right before
our eyes we saw the birds listening, imitating, and improving their
song!!! When selecting a team it is good to start by grouping brothers
together. Then select the birds with the best flutes and group them
together. The deepest birds are placed in the number 1 and number 4
position. The weakest bird in the number 2 position.
We again went to the Bopp house for a late lunch and talk birds one last
time before going home. David and Judy Bopp are wonderful people. I
neglected to mention that David also picked us up at the airport!!!
I can't think of a better way to spend Thanksgiving..At the roller show,
we spend lots of time together, we share and learn from each other, and
send lots of time relaxing and enjoying the beautiful roller song. Our
families are supportive and each year they schedule our family
Thanksgiving on Wednesday evening so we can go to the roller show.
Ed: Sorry you couldn't find the show. I hope you will contact David Bopp
(513) 667-8857. I am sure he would be happy to set up a team for you etc.
Art maybe you could come to our show next year??
Linda S. Hogan
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 1997 15:59:02 EST
The first roller show of the season is in Miami, Florida the middle of
November. The last show is in January in Southern California.
I save my best showbirds for other roller exhibitors. I want to help them
get started on the road to becoming master breeders. The other condition
I put on Jake was that someday when he is a master breeder that he would
help others get started too.
It takes dedicated people to really learn to breed high quality rollers.
I myself banded my first roller in 1982. I bred my first really good
rollers in 1992. Since 1992, I have been placing my best birds with
serious roller breeders. The first guy was from New York. He gave up and
never showed the offspring. The second guy was from Kentucky. He gave up
and also didn't even show one time. I hear from the grapevine that he was
selling the prized stock at random. I called a roller breeder novice
Ellen Pugh from Kentucky and told her to get right over there and buy all
the birds he got from me. She did and with some blending with other birds
she made master breeder. Unfortunately, she decided to sell out after her
husband retired. Janice and I were given first pick of her birds and yes
we bought back some of our own blood lines. I have another guy in Miami
that I am helping. I sent him brothers and sister of my breeding stock.
Even with good blood, he has a lot to learn. This year he averaged 45
points where I averaged 60 points with the same stuff. We talked about it
and I think he will follow more of my advice next year. Now I have added
Linda McQueen and Jake.
canarytales@juno.com
From: Linda S Hogan
Subject: Re: More on Roller Show
Janice and I have worked together since 1982. We have always offered each
any bird we have. Last year, Janice selected my two best males. I kept
the third best male and he is the father of my 69 and 72 point birds this
year . The fourth male went to the Miami breeder. Last year, I got two
hens from Janice and this year I chose two of her males and a hen from
one of the males she got from me last year. She raised four hens from
that male. One for me, one for David and two for her to breed. One of the
two males I selected from Janice's birds eventually went to Billy
Richardson (that number 2 bird who was superior) because Billy fell in
love with him when he was judging. Janice also let Linda McQueen choose
any male from her three teams. She selected the two males she will keep
after we had picked what we wanted. What dedication to the roller fancy!
Janice and I will select hens as requested by David Bopp to send him for
breeding. A bird that helped my stock a lot was raised by Billy and went
to Ellen. I got him from Ellen when she sold out.
Linda S. Hogan
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 1997 20:12:21 EST
Hi Quynh,
I would be happy to have the postings (and any of my postings) on the Lou
Abbott Roller Show on your Oakland Web Site.
I replied to Art directly concerning roller judging. I am not ready to
judge rollers at this point but I appreciate your vote of confidence...I
currently judge type and colorbred.
Who won the show? Was it Jim Naquin? How did he do?
Congratulation on your white birds and your yellows are coming along too.
This was such a frantic fall with all the judging I am lucky the birds
were so cooperative...
I did try a different method on tutoring this year. My usual tutoring
method involves carefully observing my birds song and selecting the right
tutor to first correct the flutes, then the hollow roll and falling
hollow bell and finally add a drop of water and
This year I was so far behind that I didn't even have a team selected
until 2 or 3 days before leaving for the show because I had to be out of
town from Thursday through Sunday the weekend before the roller show. My
daughter was nice enough to feed and water but that was all she was
willing to do. This is no small task as I have 40 individual cages plus I
had about 25 males caged up in number 10 cages. Considering my leaving
town and my choices, I left a stack of 4 birds setting on top of each of
my 4 cabinets in the bird room. The other 9 birds I placed in three
stacks of three on a card table. I caged up the same three tutors I used
last year and placed them on the table top in a diagonal line across the
card table. When I came home and began to try to find a team, I started
with my stacks of 4 on the cabinets. Not one bird really pleased me and
my time to work them was down to find them Monday, work at two jobs a
double shift on Tuesday, Wednesday prepare Thanksgiving dinner for the
family so that I could fly to the show on Thursday morning.
My mother-in-law lives with us. She is 92 years old. When she heard my
stacks of 4 she said she just couldn't appreciate them so she was going
upstairs to her room. When I finally got around to the 9 table birds,
they were unbelievably good, even vocal. I put them into two teams. When
I got the best team figured out, my mother-in-law came downstairs and
even though she knows nothing about rollers, she said "Now you've really
got a team"!! She could tell that from upstairs with her doors closed!!!
All I did was move them to number 8 cages on Wednesday...
I went from feeling guilty, being depressed, to elation just that quick.
I called my friend Janice to share the good news..I had a team!!! The
birds had done it all for me!!!
Linda S. Hogan
canarytales@juno.com
From: Linda S Hogan
Subject: Re: More on Roller Show
canarytales@juno.com
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