1. Nancy Mackowiak is
familiar to many
PSG members as an
instructor in the résumé
writing class. More
recently, during her
informative presentation
on LinkedIn, she not
only shared her tips
for making the most
of this valuable tool, but
also gave us a glimpse of how she maintains a
healthy balance between her job search activi-
ties and family life: raising, training and racing
pigeons with her husband, Gene, and daughter,
Erin.
Gene began raising pigeons as a teenager in
Newark; Nancy learned to share his affection
for the sport after they met. Housed in two lofts
(one for breeding pairs and their chicks, one for
the racing birds) behind their home in Warren
County, the pigeons are safe from predators in
-
anating from the lofts signal their contentment.
Every day, the birds are fed and watered; the lofts
are scraped down to keep the birds and their
habitat clean. After breeding and raising genera-
tions of pigeons, Gene has the knowledge to deal
with most problems before they endanger the
Nancy explained that April marks the beginning
of a 10-week racing season for old birds – those
hatched before January 1. Young birds – those
hatched after January 1 – will have their season in
August. The races are organized by pigeon racing
clubs and combines; Gene is currently president
of the Skylands Racing Pigeon Club. The night
before a race, the owners place their birds in
special crates and take them to the club’s meet-
Getting to know…Nancy Mackowiak
by Peggy Woosnam
(continued on page 11
NETWORKER, MAY 2012 Page 10
ing place. The crates are loaded onto a trailer and
driven to the race’s starting point, typically along
major east-west interstates through Pennsylvania
and Ohio: I-78, I-76 and I-70.
The next morning, the birds are released en
range from 150 to 500 miles, a distance covered
in a single day. Nancy and Gene will keep an eye
on the sky as the end of the race approaches.
they’ll release a bird or two to guide the
others home. An electronic scanner placed at the
entrance to the loft reads the leg band of each
pigeon, records the time and converts it to yards
per minute. Results are submitted to the sponsor-
ing club to determine the winners. The trophies
in the Mackowiaks’ family room attest to their
success in the sport.
Like any athlete, a racing pigeon has to be in top
-
pare the birds for the race season. Nancy and
Gene load the birds into their crates and drive
them to a release point for a training toss, releas-
building up distance, the pigeons get in top shape
for the racing season.
Nancy with white
racing pigeon
ID bands identify the birds

2. Just as some humans are born to be sprinters and
others for the marathon, the birds have similar
characteristics as well. Some pigeons excel in
shorter races; others have the stamina and endur-
ance to cover longer distances. The Mackowiaks
try to select pigeons for the races based on their
past successes.
attention is paid to the ratio of carbohydrates and
proteins. A basic mix of grains including corn,
NETWORKER, MAY 2012 Page 11
Getting to know…Nancy Mackowiak
energy. Probiotics and medications are also added
when necessary to protect the birds from a variety
of bacterial and viral infections.
Even with the best preparation, the pigeons face
natural and man-made hazards, such as power
lines and antennas. Hawks are pigeons’ greatest
natural danger, but members of the weasel fam-
high winds can blow them far off course. Some-
times, exhaustion or injury prevents the birds
from returning home. At other times, the birds
just get lost; one of the Mackowiaks’ pigeons
ended up in West Virginia.
As Nancy, Gene and
Erin prepared for the
opening race of the
season on April 15,
Nancy said being in
transition is a little
like being a racing
pigeon. “You never
know, when you’re
set free, whether it’s
mile race from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a Mackowi-
among the thousands of birds competing from
the Central Jersey Combine, Nancy, Gene and
Erin are proud that their bird did well against the
club champion, a member of the International
Federation American of Homing Pigeon Fanciers
Hall of Fame for Old Birds.
One of the babies
Perched for success
Erin Mackowiak has a gentle touch