Mădălin Tănase is national champion at super AS and double vice-champion at Fond Yarlingi, he won the 5th place in the National Record category, as well as many other titles at county level, starting from the Fond, Demifond, AS, Super AS, Record, General category. Behind his passion for pigeons, however, is an impressive life story, which shows how much it can help a man to raise these little birds. He comes from a troubled family, his parents separated when he was little and he was about to end up in a foster home. His luck was his grandmother, who took care of him, although he did not have a very good financial situation. Growing up, however, in the country, in the middle of nature, Mădălin fell in love with pigeons and began to raise them in the household of the family from Floresti commune, Prahova county. In parallel, he started doing sports. First ground fights, then boxing, kickboxing and martial arts. Today he is a military officer and has his own academy - the "Madalin Ambition" Fighting Academy. The name is not chosen by chance and reveals one of its most important qualities. But the pigeons are his soul. "I can say that they raised me and educated me in a beautiful style, because pigeons have a culture. Like any other sport, it is addictive, but it is a healthy one. They kept me away from all the bad things ", says Mădălin. Read in the following lines what his 2018 competitive year is like, what game system he has and how he helps his pigeons to recover after a difficult competition.

Madalin, for a start, tell us how and when did your passion for pigeons begin?

It was pure coincidence. At the age of 5, I was with my grandmother at the school in Floresti, where she worked, I found a book on Zoology that I flipped through and I saw two traveling pigeons. Their image fascinated me and I set out to have my own pigeons in a short time. I asked a neighbor to give me two copies, and gradually I added more. I kept them in a small closet, brought from school by my grandmother. She didn't agree with my passion, she said I wouldn't learn a book and one day she broke it down. The pigeons slept in walnut, I cried at their mercy and had to rebuild the closet that was their farm. However, I started raising racing pigeons in 2003, when I met the great cross-country and marathon champion, Bădin Vasile from Brăila. I bought 47 pigeons from him and I set out to make a great performance in the Romanian pigeon sport. Now I compete in the Victoria Floresti Club, affiliated to the Union of Professional Pigeon Fellows in Romania. We have three farms with 15 compartments. I have 80 pigeons in the queen, of which 20 are from famous breeders such as Cosmin Olteanu, Dodin Vasile, Petrică Cococi, Simion Emil, Dumitran Stelian, doctors Stănescu and Dobre, as well as doctor Ștefan Anderlik. I also have pigeons purchased according to the pigeon system. Last year, we won the Golden Race final, 1st and 5th place in 2017, with a 57-minute lead over the next pigeon.

What game system do you use?

Only naturally, at the Fond and Marathon. I let them mate and breed during the sports season, because when they have small chicks in the nest, their motivation to return is maximum.

How is the 2018 competitive year?

I can say that I started it right. In category I and II we won the following places:

- Category I, at the Adjud stage no. 1- 2nd and 7th place in 1997 pigeons and a number of 60 breeders / trainers

- Pașcani - 14th and 17th place from 1850 pigeons and 61 breeders

- Săveni no. 1 (very hard stage, with many losses) - first place in 1823 pigeons and 63 breeders

- Rădăuți - Prut - 2nd place and 14th place out of 985 pigeons and 49 breeders

- Săveni no. 2 - 1st place and 2nd place (they both arrived once, the one who was first at Săvenit no. 1 is the 2nd place); out of 512 pigeons and 36 breeders; 1st place in the Breeders category

- Kremenciuk (Ukraine) - 4th place on the launch of 4071 pigeons and 403 breeders

- Pașcani - 1st place out of 647 pigeons and 53 breeders

- Bacău - 4th and 5th place out of 385 pigeons and 27 breeders; 1st place on breeders (team)

- Săveni - 1st and 2nd place out of 2849 pigeons and 61 breeders

How do you help them recover from a competition?

To be a pigeon trainer means to know very well what is chemically contained in the diet and medication of these birds. They have a hard time recovering if you don't give them the right food. I have been using Beyers products for two years and it helps them to recover quickly, but not only that, but also to be eager to go to the competition. And, be careful, we are not talking about a doping substance, but a natural one, used in sports. The food is very good, we use all phases of maintenance, charging, energizing. I am very attached to them. I don't sacrifice pigeons even if I'm starving. I couldn't eat them, even though I was a poor child ...

Maybe because without realizing it, they helped you grow healthy ...

Categorical! I got rid of a lot of bad things. The fact that I focused most of my attention and even money on pigeons, did not allow me to start smoking, drinking or drugs. I, instead of buying a pack of cigarettes, I better go and buy vitamins for pigeons. I haven't eaten peanuts all my life as my pigeons ate in a year. Wherever I go, when I return, I don't even open the house, because I go to the pigeons first. All up to them. To see that a handful of meat returns home from 1800 km or that it comes without an eye, without a leg ... It's something incredible!

How does the passion for pigeons reconcile with your profession as a military officer and coach of martial arts and bodybuilding?

Perfect! I think you know Mike Tyson's story. She's a role model for me. The first punch in her life she gave to someone was when she was 10 years old, when she saw a boy twisting a pigeon's neck. I started playing sports in the hope that I would get rid of the social problems I was facing. Although I had no chance, I fought. An important role was played by the fact that I met two important people. It is about Colonel Liviu Ștefănescu and Dr. Adrian Crăciunescu, who on boarding a ship from Hungary, in 1991-1992, reached out to me and said "baths, children, you have some qualities!". They advised me to go on sports, I did wrestling, boxing, then I graduated from the National School of Coaches, specializing in martial arts and kickboxing, black belt 2 DAN, and I became a coach. In 2005 I founded the "Madalin Ambition" Wrestling Academy. I also gave him my name because the names I had chosen were not accepted and I had to redo the documents several times. We have children from different social backgrounds, both poor and rich. We have over a thousand medals won both nationally and internationally with athletes. I also brought pigeons to the gym, most of the children from the academy, girls and boys, want to become pigeon lovers. We really have little girls raising pigeons.

Very interesting, especially since nowadays the little ones don't spend so much time in the middle of nature ...

That's how it is. And I really want to sound the alarm this way. It is a legend that if you start a sport, you do not learn to read. Take a look at how much the rate of obesity or cardiovascular disease has increased in recent years. Why? Because the child no longer knows an animal, a bird, no longer runs after a ball in the field, in the park, no longer eats green fruit or drinks water from the river. Now if he eats an apple, who knows what he was treated with. The child thinks the pigeon he sees is a hen or a parrot. It is important for the little ones to have contact with nature. If a child is engaged in pigeon-loving or another discipline, he will never have money to spend on cigarettes, drugs, pecans and other unclean things that can catch his life and misfortune. At many events we participate in, we also take pigeons with us and explain to people why they are special birds. During the war, they were used as ambulances, carrying blood. He was also used as a messenger. Therefore, they played an important role, they saved many soldiers from death.

Do you have a message for those at the beginning of the road in the secrets of pigeon-loving?

To be well documented in terms of the anatomical part of the pigeons, to give them quality food and medication. I recommend Beyers products because I have seen the effects on my pigeons. And, last but not least, to have ambition. Anyone who wants to start raising pigeons or be part of the "Ambition Madalin" Wrestling Academy, contact me. I offer free pigeons and support from all points of view to anyone who wants to persevere in these directions.