Honored to Carry the Racing Pigeon Digest Forward...
April 2026
There are certain names in our sport that carry real weight, and Gene Yoes is certainly one of them. For more than three decades, he guided the Racing Pigeon Digest and preserved something truly special: America’s only print magazine devoted specifically to racing pigeons. To now step into the role of publisher and editor is both an honor and a responsibility that I do not take lightly.
For many of you, this may be your first introduction to me. Others may remember that years ago I wrote for the Digest under the title Coast to Coast. That opportunity helped launch what later became the Loft Report website and social media pages, which over time grew into a trusted source of information for fanciers, with an average worldwide readership approaching 8,000 impressions per article. Some of you may also know me from YouTube through Lavender Hill Lofts, or from the Lavender Hill and Loft Report Facebook pages. This sport has given me experiences and friendships I could never have found anywhere else, and my goal is to bring that same energy, curiosity, and respect for practical, dependable information to the Racing Pigeon Digest.
I intend to modernize the magazine in thoughtful ways while protecting the foundation that has made it valuable for so many years. That means strong articles, practical loft management content, honest discussion of health and conditioning, coverage of racing and breeding, one loft race performances, and voices from fanciers who have something real to share. Good information matters. Accurate information matters. Useful information matters. That is the standard I want this magazine to represent.
This is a big challenge, but I am fully up to the task. More importantly, I see it as a chance to carry forward Gene’s vision and legacy while helping ensure the Digest remains relevant and respected for you, the reader, for years to come.
For the past 40 years, I have tried to approach this sport from the standpoint of giving back. I have never viewed racing pigeons as merely a way to enrich myself, or fanciers as customers to be worked over. I have always believed this sport and hobby deserve service, honesty, and genuine commitment. I’ve always tried to be plainspoken, fair, and to treat people with the same honesty and respect I expect in return. I make no claim to perfection; responsibility also requires humility, accountability, and grace.
I have always believed that if you love this sport, you should be willing to help carry its burdens as well as enjoy its rewards. Over the years, I have been a member in good standing in six clubs and have served in nearly every elected position at the club and combine level, with my last elected office being Concourse President. I have also served in several capacities at the national organization level. To me, being part of this sport has always meant more than competing. It means helping carry some of the load.
Over the years, I have been fortunate to build friendships with fanciers from every corner of the world and from every walk of life. What unites us is simple: we all want to learn, improve, compete, and enjoy the challenge of trying to get better week in and week out.
When I think about what has always drawn me to this sport, it is not just the competition. It is the camaraderie and lasting friendships I’ve enjoyed. It is attending the fall and winter shows, basketing nights, award banquets, fanciers’ breakfasts in the off-season, one loft race finals, conventions, and live auctions. It is the stories, the laughter, the road trips, the handshake friendships, and the chance to see old friends and make new ones. I have always believed in shaking the winner’s hand, meaning it, and respecting what it takes to win. It is being around those rare men and women who seem to have that golden touch in the breeding loft or on race day and learning something every time you are fortunate enough to be in their company.
To me, pigeon racing has always been a hands-on affair. It lives in the loft, on the road, in the clubhouse, at the show hall, in the auction room, and under the open sky on race day. It is seeing a new pair go together, finding that click breeding pair, banding babies with the hope of a new year ahead, and seeing a trusted race bird come home on a hard day. It is the whistle when the first birds appear, the laughter among friends, the old stories told again, and the quiet respect earned by those who have mastered the craft. Some things can be shared online, and that has its place. But the soul of this sport is still best experienced in person.
My own path in the sport started a long time ago. I got my first racing pigeons from the late Art “Big Ed” Zernia of Franklin, Wisconsin, proprietor of Hammer and Zernia Pigeon Supply Company for many years, a gentleman I remember with deep respect and gratitude. I started racing with a Benzing STB wind-up clock and capsules. Today, I have an electronic clock that feels advanced enough to land the space shuttle. Technology has changed dramatically in our sport, and in many ways for the better. But what has never changed for me is the feeling of seeing my birds coming home. The thrill, the anticipation, and the admiration for the pigeon itself remain exactly the same.
Pigeons have also been part of my family’s life across generations. My father keeps a flock of white pigeons for wedding releases, and now my son Fox, at 30 months old, wakes up asking to go help feed the “pigees.” Watching that joy through his eyes is hard to put into words. It reminds me that for all the competition, all the systems, all the advances in equipment and management, there is still something deeply simple and beautiful at the center of this hobby: people and birds.
The sport continues to evolve. More and more fanciers have stepped away from traditional backyard flying and found enjoyment in the many one loft races now available. That is understandable. Times change, schedules change, and people participate in the sport in different ways than they once did. I believe there is room for all of it. One loft races have created excitement, accessibility, and new opportunities, while the backyard loft remains, in my view, one of the enduring foundations - and indeed the backbone - of the sport. Both matter. Both bring people in. And each, in its own way, depends on the strength of the other if the sport as a whole is to thrive.
We also need to remember why we keep, raise, and race pigeons in the first place. When the days get tough, we cannot let that take the joy out of it. Even the unbeatable champions have off days, bad races, and difficult seasons. This sport asks something of a person. It takes discipline, patience, humility, and heart. It is not for the complacent, and it is certainly not for the lazy. But for those willing to put in the effort, it gives back something that is hard to find anywhere else.
The future of this sport will be shaped not only by the birds we race, but by what we are willing to pass along. The knowledge we share, the encouragement we give, the respect we show, and the example we set all matter. The sport has always been strongest when fanciers took pride not only in their own success, but in the health and future of the whole community.
No one builds a lasting legacy in this sport by standing alone. The people remembered most fondly are those who contributed, encouraged others, and left things better than they found them. That is the spirit I hope to bring to the Racing Pigeon Digest.
To Gene Yoes, I offer my sincere thanks and respect for a lifetime of stewardship. To the readers, advertisers, contributors, and supporters of this magazine, I look forward to earning your trust and building the next chapter together.
The birds still come first. The people who love them still matter. And the work of keeping this sport strong is worth doing.
I’m proud to take it on.
Drew Lesofski
Publisher & Editor
Racing Pigeon Digest