Someone asked me to link to the birds central site from this blog. While I saw no relevance to what I generally care about I did notice that they had a section for discussing pigeon racing. I then linked on to the American Racing Pigeon Union which begins with the question....

"Do you fit the profile? We find that this hobby has a great appeal to those who enjoy working with animals, to those who appreciate athleticism, to those who like friendly, wholesome competition. If you find yourself in one or more of these descriptions....be careful, you may discover that the allure of these amazingly athletic birds is overpowering. You can seek out your own comfort level with the birds.

If you desire a lower-key approach, with only a handful of homing pigeons for the family to enjoy, that's certainly an attractive approach for many. The spectrum also includes those who are deeply committed to racing. Races range in distance from 100 miles to 600 miles, with 300 miles being among the most popular distances.
"

Maybe I should try racing pigeons although I should probably go with the lower key approach of having only a handful of homing pigeons for our family to enjoy. Sounds like fun, right?