2020 - 2021 UPDATE
If you are someone slightly interested in or most serious about the great family of pigeons which originated from Paul Sion and then were imported from France to Charles Heitzman in Kentucky then you have now found the single best site that there happens to be. I ask that you continue to read all the text and study all the photos and learn this website so that you will know first hand what is what with the finest Sions currently in the world today.
PLEASE allow me to thank you for visiting this site, I appreciate your interest very much. Racing pigeons have always been an integral and important part of my life since I was a very small boy and now I find myself an old man. I don't know how I could have managed getting through life without my pigeons as they have always been there for me in good times and bad. They have rewarded me far more than I could ever express, more mentally than anything. But now as I see myself that old man and actually having to deal with all the chores involving them, I find them also helping me physically, which is also beneficial. It is such a strange life we all live and without pigeons I cannot imagine what life might have been. Truly, they have brought such color to my life.
I can still remember many years ago when I was much younger and helping Charles Heitzman feed and water his birds. We once paused on his steps leading up to his main racing loft and he said to me, "You know, these pigeons keep me young." And I so often think about that remark as now it holds true for me. The relationship I had with Heitzman was very special and a story all in its own. If you will explore more on this website you will see a very long article I wrote about Mr. Heitzman which is called: "THE HEITZMAN STORY." It is the best story ever written about my old and dear friend. I would appreciate it if you would take the time to read this story as then it will give you a much better idea as to who I happen to be and part of the reasons why I have devoted my life to the most beautiful long distance racing pigeons in the world----SIONS. I fell in love with them instently as I did my wife, Chesteen, and to this day Chesteen and my Sions have remained always there, long and forever into my life.
Mr. Heitzman was the finest man alive---- ever---- with racing pigeons and also a real gentleman with people. As such he became my mentor and remains so. I have aspired to follow everything which he taught me as a grandfather might his grandson and I believe I have taken this family of Sions into a new era where they are proving themselves today and tomorrow to be superior racers at all distances and at all speeds and racing in all parts of the USA and world. They remain the most solid family of racing pigeons ever founded and if you will take out the time to explore this website you will begin to appreciate all that I am saying. Again, I appreciate your interest in any of this and hope you find it interesting, historical, fascinating and that of a family of racing pigeons which has its eye on the future more than any family racing pigeons on earth. As Heitzman always said: "FROM THE BEST COME THE BEST."
It is hard for me not to brag on these great Sions as I love them so, as if I were bragging on my own grandchildren which is an easy matter for grandfathers to do. You see, I feel these birds are not only a reflection of Paul Sion but also that of Charles Heitzman and now my poor self as well. And I should remark, since I began this website a few years ago, I am now approaching an incredible one-third of a million fancier-visitors to it who have looked at my Sions. I am rather in awe and highly honored that so many fanciers would stop to inspect my Sions. And that many of them have written, called or emailed me to talk about them. I have enjoyed meeting so many new friends and listening to so many wonderful pigeon stories. Many of them involving Mr. Heitzman. And stories I had never heard before which have all only richly added to the life I knew with him. I so often find myself wishing that he were still alive and that I was there at his lofts beside him with his Sions. But that will never be ever again and so I must try to hold on to so many memories and do all those things which I feel Mr. Heitzman would have wanted, and more.
A few years ago, I made a special trip to go back to Mr. Heitzman's home in Jeffersontown. Kentucky where he had maintained all his magnificent lofts and much more. I had to go back one more time to satisfy my curiosity. And what I found left me in tears as yes, the beautiful home still remained, but all the lofts behind the home were varnished. Just that one magnificent tulip popular tree remained. A tree where Mr. Heitzman and I had sat under many times watching his birds fly. Seeing all this absolute nothing but a bare hillside in the country and that one tree left nothing for me but a hollow feeling and reminded me of how quick our lives come and go. I have, for you, included the photos I took of that visit now on this updated website. They are among the more than 2,000 photographs I have taken mostly this past year and added to this website this month to give everyone a real idea and appreciation of what my colony of Sions actually look like at this point in time. I believe you should find them to be incredible. I wanted them to be in their most natural poses just as did Heitzman with so many different photos back when he was creating his book on SIONS. I do not believe that a pigeon has to stand a certain way and look like it is in some concrete fake attention in order for you to see its real beauty. I have never been one of those "monkey see-monkey do" fanciers and I hope never to be. As such that is why you see all the different kinds of photos I have given to you and why I have also gone to great lengths to give you so much. I follow my own intuition on such matters and let all the other fanciers do what they might.
PLEASE always know, I am available and easy to find at any time anyone may want to reach me. You may just want to talk pigeons and that is always fine by me. And a real part and joy in having them. This is the best current information for contacting me:
Earl Lowell "Robbie" / "NO SWEAT" Robbins, Jr.
207 LONGVIEW DRIVE
RICHMOND, KENTUCKY 40475
U. S. A.
Telephone: 859-624-8113 HOME
859-582-0503 Cell
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: HEITZMAN SIONS
I am also easily found all over the internet as I am an author which has written for nearly a half century under the pen name "NO SWEAT" and I have been successful in many other interests. If you will continue to explore this website you will see in photos and stories much of what I mention--please do! As you explore you will learn--- if you go to each icon and read all it owns -----you will find yourself spending a good deal of time in educating yourself about my life with Sions. There is an area on my website titled "MORE" and I ask that you also read all it contains.
Without question the closely related and carefully-selected bred SIONS now being produced at "THE NO SWEAT LOFTS" in RICHMOND, KENTUCKY are without question ---------the finest actual long distance racing SIONS ---in existence throughout the world. And quite probably, the single finest actual long distance racing pigeons------PERIOD------ now in the world. The true facts are: NO other loft claiming to breed Sions actually takes all of its YOUNG BIRDS each and every year and releases them from AT LEAST 500 air miles or more. I must emphasize, I am not talking about what pigeons did in times past, history. I am talking about TODAY! These are NOT pretty--delicate--show birds simply bred to attract buyers because of their sweet appearances. No. Theses true old line Sions are NOT that!
My long distance Sions are actual racing pigeons not to be confused with show birds. And yet, as you can quickly see in my photos--they are absolutely gorgeous racers. These happen to be true racing pigeons as I will clearly discuss. For starters, as in solid facts, during the past 15 years, the NO SWEAT SIONS----YOUNG BIRDS---I repeat, YOUNG BIRDS----have been released from 700 air miles FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES---and on each of those four different releases I got YOUNG BIRDS to fly back home. These 700 air mile YOUNG BIRD tosses happen to be the single longest tosses for YOUNG BIRDS in all the entire world. On the last 700 air mile toss, I was accompanied by John McQuithy and Sam MILLER on the release. They also released their own birds along with the NO SWEAT SIONS. Some of those being old birds. They did not get any of their birds back. But the THE NO SWEAT LOFTS got four hens back. Two different videos were taken of this last 700 MILE YOUNG BIRD release and can easily be seen on the net by going to: "YOU TUBE 700 MILE YOUNG BIRD RELEASE NO SWEAT." Please look at those videos when you have the time.
ADDITIONALLY, in 2019, THE NO SWEAT LOFTS entered the grueling and world prestigious SOUTH AFRICA MILLION DOLLAR RACE series. This is the single most recognized race where the best go against the best in all the world. I owe a great thanks to four men who formed a syndicate called THE NO SWEAT SYNDICATE which helped finance this adventure. These men being, JW JENNINGS IN NORTH CAROLINA, JOHN McQUITHY IN INDIANA, ROBERT THOMPSON in KENTUCKY and WALT in INDIANA. They were four men who know my life given to this family of racing pigeons and believed in my family of long distance SIONS which I have devoted much of my life in creating over my 61 years with racing pigeons and now fast approaching some well-earned 1,000 first places. Yes, 1,000 FIRSTS competing at all levels of competition across the USA and the world. In the end, the NO SWEAT SIONS finished 41rst and 88th. The famed Mike Ganus entered SIX TIMES more birds than I did and he had ONE bird which barely beat me in the final and longest race. AND please note: This year, 2020, GANUS entered FIVE TIMES MORE birds than I did and this year on the longest and final race, MIKE GANUS had NO birds which were able to beat my No Sweat Sions . ZILCH-NONE-ZERO. NADA! PLEASE stop for a minute and do give all that some serious thought! And once again, my SIONS finished in the top 100, finishing 94th and 304th. THESE FACTS SPEAK PLAINLY FOR THEMSELVES regarding the true quality of this outstanding family of Sions when it comes to flying long distances----now being produced at THE NO SWEAT LOFTS in Richmond, Kentucky, the same honored Bluegrass state where Heitzman also devoted his life to these Sions. Kentucky not only has the finest race horses in the world--we also have the finest racing pigeons!
This is not brag----- it is FACTS! These are SIONS having originated from my close friend, a man who was both my father and grandfather for much of my life, CHARLES HEITZMAN ---but they are now very much racing in the "modern era" of racing pigeons and now racing against the very finest racing pigeons in all the world and way more than proving their incredible qualities and holding in great esteem their own. My blue young hen named SUMMERTIME led the entire USA in average speed for some five different races and was also 5th in the WORLD in Average speed during the 2019 Africa series.
These HEITZMAN SIONS after all these many years are now actually MY OWN FAMILY OF SIONS: the "NO SWEAT SIONS" which not only produce the longest distance racers in all the world as YOUNG BIRDS but are showing all the world they are quite versatile. They will race successfully at any distances, at any speeds and at any place on the earth. Just last year on five different occasions the NO SWEAT SIONS flew OVER 2,000 YARDS PER MINUTE. Two young hens flew back from 400 miles averaging 2,300 YPM. IF any so called "expert" expounds that the Sions are slow---I advise, please just smile and walk away because this person has no genuine or real knowledge of what he is spouting. All too often in our sport one fancier will say something and it will get repeated and before too long it somehow becomes a fact. Such is so true regarding Sions. I have had to bite my lip so often reading or listening to fanciers who think they know all about Sions but in truth don't honestly have the remotest real idea about them. These expert characters just love to repeat what they heard from someone who actually didn't begin to know what he was talking about.
These Heitzman--NO SWEAT SIONS, reflect much of what the actual original Sions appeared as which were bred by Paul Sion. If you genuinely knew as to what Paul Sion's basic family of birds appeared --- you would then come to learn that they were far and away not always exact in type----and certainly, many were not "beautiful" and "sweet" in appearance as some "expert" fanciers today want everyone to believe and purport: No! Not all Sions are alike in appearance--"Sorry, Charlie"--- but that is the facts.
Fanciers who spout they can always, most assuredly, identify a Sion and would know one five hundred miles away are, well, comical, in a sad way. That kind of garbage-stuff is wonderfully WRONG. You only need to study the actual photos of the original Paul Sions to see for yourself what those birds which basically made up his family looked like. I have. I have been privy to so much of the original Paul Sion materials and photos which you could never believe. And I have done it, I suppose, far more than anyone alive today. And when you do, you will see many of the pigeons in my family of Sions well reflecting back to those original types. It remains a grand testament to the strength of the genetic code this family mysteriously owns. Genes which have survived and have clearly been cherished, saved and cultivated by Paul, Charlie and "NO SWEAT" for some hundred years. I have kept this family entrenched in racing. That is what it has always been about. They were always meant to be racers--NOT show birds. I have the true old family of long distance racing Sions. I breed many of them and train them very hard and in the end I am immensely proud of them.
THESE INCREDIBLE FACTS ARE WHY I PLAINLY STATE THAT THIS FAMILY OF evolved HEITZMAN SIONS ARE BY FAR THE FINEST ACTUAL RACING SIONS NOW IN EXISTENCE IN ANY PLACE ON EARTH. And they are bred only in RICHMOND, KENTUCKY. In the heart of the Bluegrass where Heitzman also once bred the Sions. Please know, I wasn't the first person in the United States to win ALL THREE of the USA's major racing pigeon shows all in the same year--for nothing. I full well know what comprises a beautiful racing pigeon. And please also know, if you are actually and truly seeking the old bloodlines of CHARLES HEITZMAN, then this is TRULY the one loft and the actual main loft to find such. Particularly if you happen to be actually looking for quality. No person was closer to Heitzman than yours truly. You only need to research this website to appreciate this fact. I have written more articles about CHARLES Heitzman than all the other writers and "near-do-wells" who have ever mentioned him ---all combined together and multiplied times a hundred. CHARLES HEITZMAN often said to me, "Robbie, you know my birds better than I do." Please do not be FOOLED by other lofts who pretend to have the quality of Sions which are bred at THE NO SWEAT LOFTS. Talk is cheap. Advertising can be diabolically manipulative. There are other fanciers trying in every way to copy who I am in dire hopes of cheaply attracting fanciers. Hoping to attract fanciers who possess no real knowledge of where the genuine quality Sions happen to reside. The NO SWEAT LOFTS are not some Barnum and Bailey act but rather a story of someone who has devoted his life to maintaining Sions and making them the finest racing pigeons in the world--PERIOD! Racing performances such as my HEITZMAN SIONS---NO SWEAT SIONS are doing this very day---are unparalleled---that is what thse Sions are and are all about. Not history but the future. Not racing against a small club but against the finest fliers in all the world. TODAY AND TOMORROW!
It should also be noted, when I entered birds in THE TWO MILLION DOLLAR HOOSIER CLASSIC, The single greatest pigeon race at that time ever in North America, last year, I had an entry finished 16th on one of their toughest races and also had four entries which burned up in the fire. Those were four entries which all stood a solid-great chance in winning the race.
The NO SWEAT LOFTS continue to produce articles for The Racing Pigeon Digest. Two years ago, I finished the definitive article and story ever written on CHARLES HEITZMAN. It was serialized and published in THE RACING PIGEON DIGEST. GENE YOES, the editor of the RACING PIGEON DIGEST, relayed to me, it was one of the best received articles he had ever published. That article is now on my current website--this website---and called "THE HEITZMAN STORY." I ask that everyone read this story so that you get a good knowledge as to who I am and the relationship I had with Charles Heitzman. Last year, I finished a very long article called, GIMME SHELTER, which was also serialized----this article was about my life's observations of flying racing pigeons from EXTREME long distances. I also finished a fictional ghost story on CHER AMI, named, TALE FEATHER. And another article called, LYNAGH'S, in which I discussed the cave in in Chile where five racing pigeon fanciers were trapped and were eventually rescued. Importantly, I finished a 450 page book on CHARLES HEITZMAN AND SIONS which is written in Chinese and is supposed to be published in CHINA at some near date. And currently, I am working on a new article which will hopefully inform our sport exactly where all the SIONS happen to now be here in the USA and elsewhere and what is happening with them. My loft has become THE SION FLAGSHIP of the world and is the one loft which is home to 700 mile YOUNG BIRDS,
I am down loading a group of over 2,000 new photos for you. These are all Sions bed by me and relevant to the colony of Sions I am now maintaining. The newest photos are basically located in three different new areas on my website These are all HEITZMAN--NO SWEAT SIONS bred down from HEITZMAN SIONS which all basically originated from PAUL SION. TRUE SIONS. All of these SION photos were taken by me, ROBBIE ROBBINS / "NO SWEAT" in and around the NO SWEAT LOFTS ----basically during a six month period from October, 2019 to March, 2020. At about the same time the VIRUS news began to hit. I did not photograph all of the birds. But certainly, there are enough photos which will give your eye a feast and will show you the rich and extreme quality of this NO SWEAT SION FAMILY and what I am now working with and breeding from.
The photos will speak for themselves. They represent the core of the finest Sions in the entire world TODAY. This website is now fast approaching one-third of a million "hits" since it was created just a few years ago---speaking highly as to how popular the Sions remain today. And I wanted to keep this interest flowing. To make it one of the very best racing pigeon websites in the world. And to educate the world on SIONS,
Basically, THE NO SWEAT SIONS are medium-sized racers with a wide variance in eyes, Almost all the colors are blue bars, silver bars or reds and most of the reds are darker colored reds. The blues basically are line-bred down from the old, famous LE-ROI Sion blood imported into the USA by the famed, Lew Curtis, of which, Heitzman was able to acquire two babies from and used extensively in his own Sion breedings. His original Sion pair, 1033 and 1104, two red checks, one (1033) of which was bred down from Le Roi. My silvers all go back to LE ROUSELETTE, which was arguably Paul Sion's greatest racer ever, taking nearly 40 different firsts in racing. Additionally, many of my silvers are bred down from Paul Sion's the OLD GRIS FAMILY. The reds are primarily line-bred back to "OLD 51" which was HEITZMAN'S iconic red cock which he bred in 1951, banded, AU 1955 KY 51051. IF you actually know Sions and have a genuine eye for the Sions , and for those Sions which ACTUALLY perform then you will see just how I have molded this family into what I now am terming, THE NO SWEAT SIONS. Yes, they are a true family. Quite recognizable once you begin to carefully eye and study them. AND RIGHTFULLY SO being termed THE NO SWEAT SIONS as I can now go back many generations and show where I bred each and all of the birds in any bird's given pedigree. MANY of my 2020 young birds all share one thing in common: ALL FOUR OF THEIR GRANDPARENTS FLEW 500 MILES OR FARTHER AS A YOUNG BIRD! As Charles Heitzman loved to say, "FROM THE BEST COME THE BEST----THE APPLE DOES NOT FALL FAR FROM THE TREE!"
This year my plans are simple: return back to SOUTH AFRICA and also take my own YOUNG BIRD team southwest toward NEW ORLEANS for a 500 or 600 mile release sometime in mid to late October. These are SIONS which are winning and racing against the best in the world----TODAY!!! They are not show birds you hope might possibly return back from 100 miles. They are not birds called Sions attempting in some fashion to live off long distant supposed relative's reputations of having flown against a few hundred birds. THIS IS NOT THOSE BIRDS! This family of Sions is the truest old family of Sions you could ever imagine which are performing TODAY at the peak levels of racing in the entire world. And know, it has not been easy to get these SIONS to wind up being as such. It has taken many years of high production, extreme tough tosses and careful quality selections on what are finally kept. Over and over again all through many years. OLD SCHOOL breeding and OUT OF THE BOX THINKING-TRAINING at its best. NOT quick fix-its relying on ridiculous big money and buying other birds but just the opposite. Working carefully within ONE own gene pool--NEVER introducing any other birds! And searching --always--to find the best of the best. And doing it by firmly believing that the best racing pigeons are those that are the most intelligent and have the best homing instincts. And that all this is always best discovered in those birds which are constantly tested from extreme long distance flying. Theories and pedigrees mean nothing---performance means everything. Extreme long distance flying brings the cream to the top.
I would appreciate and hope that you will study the photos of these HEITZMAN SIONS which are now basically what I term, "NO SWEAT SIONS" and note their qualities. Photos have a way of saying more than words. Again, allow me to repeat: I am always happy to answer any and all questions regarding Sions. My contact information is easily located on this site. It is accurate and up to date. I am always best reached by email: [email protected]. Also, PLEASE CAREFULLY leave messages on my home phone: 859-624-8113. Always make certain you speak clearly and slowly and leave your complete phone number. Do it more than once for assurance. I appreciate anyone who still recognizes SIONS. They are the greatest racing pigeons on earth. They have gone from MONS PAUL SION to COL. CHARLES HEITZMAN and now to Kentucky's author, "NO SWEAT." Three men devoting their lives to this one family of incredible racing pigeons. As I stated, the facts speak for themselves. As in anything, so often, it is the person BEHIND the birds which makes them great. If you don't have someone wholly devoted to them then nothing can be achieved. THAT IS NOT THE CASE AT THE NO SWEAT LOFTS where I maintain the highest possible standards in racing pigeons and keep Charles Heitzman's goals, memories and dreams alive every second of the hour of every day.
Again, please allow me to thank you for visiting this site. I hope that you will take out the time to thoroughly investigate all the material I have thus far compiled in creating it. There is a lot to see and learn. And I hope you will use this site as a future reference when someone mentions a Sion. Please remember, always feel free to contact me at any time regarding racing pigeons.
THANK YOU.
BLESSINGS,
Earl Lowell "ROBBIE" / "NO SWEAT" ROBBINS, JR.
207 LONGVIEW DRIVE
RICHMOND, KENTUCKY 40475
HOME PHONE: 859-624-8113
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: HEITZMAN SIONS
PLEASE allow me to thank you for visiting this site, I appreciate your interest very much. Racing pigeons have always been an integral and important part of my life since I was a very small boy and now I find myself an old man. I don't know how I could have managed getting through life without my pigeons as they have always been there for me in good times and bad. They have rewarded me far more than I could ever express, more mentally than anything. But now as I see myself that old man and actually having to deal with all the chores involving them, I find them also helping me physically, which is also beneficial. It is such a strange life we all live and without pigeons I cannot imagine what life might have been. Truly, they have brought such color to my life.
I can still remember many years ago when I was much younger and helping Charles Heitzman feed and water his birds. We once paused on his steps leading up to his main racing loft and he said to me, "You know, these pigeons keep me young." And I so often think about that remark as now it holds true for me. The relationship I had with Heitzman was very special and a story all in its own. If you will explore more on this website you will see a very long article I wrote about Mr. Heitzman which is called: "THE HEITZMAN STORY." It is the best story ever written about my old and dear friend. I would appreciate it if you would take the time to read this story as then it will give you a much better idea as to who I happen to be and part of the reasons why I have devoted my life to the most beautiful long distance racing pigeons in the world----SIONS. I fell in love with them instently as I did my wife, Chesteen, and to this day Chesteen and my Sions have remained always there, long and forever into my life.
Mr. Heitzman was the finest man alive---- ever---- with racing pigeons and also a real gentleman with people. As such he became my mentor and remains so. I have aspired to follow everything which he taught me as a grandfather might his grandson and I believe I have taken this family of Sions into a new era where they are proving themselves today and tomorrow to be superior racers at all distances and at all speeds and racing in all parts of the USA and world. They remain the most solid family of racing pigeons ever founded and if you will take out the time to explore this website you will begin to appreciate all that I am saying. Again, I appreciate your interest in any of this and hope you find it interesting, historical, fascinating and that of a family of racing pigeons which has its eye on the future more than any family racing pigeons on earth. As Heitzman always said: "FROM THE BEST COME THE BEST."
It is hard for me not to brag on these great Sions as I love them so, as if I were bragging on my own grandchildren which is an easy matter for grandfathers to do. You see, I feel these birds are not only a reflection of Paul Sion but also that of Charles Heitzman and now my poor self as well. And I should remark, since I began this website a few years ago, I am now approaching an incredible one-third of a million fancier-visitors to it who have looked at my Sions. I am rather in awe and highly honored that so many fanciers would stop to inspect my Sions. And that many of them have written, called or emailed me to talk about them. I have enjoyed meeting so many new friends and listening to so many wonderful pigeon stories. Many of them involving Mr. Heitzman. And stories I had never heard before which have all only richly added to the life I knew with him. I so often find myself wishing that he were still alive and that I was there at his lofts beside him with his Sions. But that will never be ever again and so I must try to hold on to so many memories and do all those things which I feel Mr. Heitzman would have wanted, and more.
A few years ago, I made a special trip to go back to Mr. Heitzman's home in Jeffersontown. Kentucky where he had maintained all his magnificent lofts and much more. I had to go back one more time to satisfy my curiosity. And what I found left me in tears as yes, the beautiful home still remained, but all the lofts behind the home were varnished. Just that one magnificent tulip popular tree remained. A tree where Mr. Heitzman and I had sat under many times watching his birds fly. Seeing all this absolute nothing but a bare hillside in the country and that one tree left nothing for me but a hollow feeling and reminded me of how quick our lives come and go. I have, for you, included the photos I took of that visit now on this updated website. They are among the more than 2,000 photographs I have taken mostly this past year and added to this website this month to give everyone a real idea and appreciation of what my colony of Sions actually look like at this point in time. I believe you should find them to be incredible. I wanted them to be in their most natural poses just as did Heitzman with so many different photos back when he was creating his book on SIONS. I do not believe that a pigeon has to stand a certain way and look like it is in some concrete fake attention in order for you to see its real beauty. I have never been one of those "monkey see-monkey do" fanciers and I hope never to be. As such that is why you see all the different kinds of photos I have given to you and why I have also gone to great lengths to give you so much. I follow my own intuition on such matters and let all the other fanciers do what they might.
PLEASE always know, I am available and easy to find at any time anyone may want to reach me. You may just want to talk pigeons and that is always fine by me. And a real part and joy in having them. This is the best current information for contacting me:
Earl Lowell "Robbie" / "NO SWEAT" Robbins, Jr.
207 LONGVIEW DRIVE
RICHMOND, KENTUCKY 40475
U. S. A.
Telephone: 859-624-8113 HOME
859-582-0503 Cell
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: HEITZMAN SIONS
I am also easily found all over the internet as I am an author which has written for nearly a half century under the pen name "NO SWEAT" and I have been successful in many other interests. If you will continue to explore this website you will see in photos and stories much of what I mention--please do! As you explore you will learn--- if you go to each icon and read all it owns -----you will find yourself spending a good deal of time in educating yourself about my life with Sions. There is an area on my website titled "MORE" and I ask that you also read all it contains.
Without question the closely related and carefully-selected bred SIONS now being produced at "THE NO SWEAT LOFTS" in RICHMOND, KENTUCKY are without question ---------the finest actual long distance racing SIONS ---in existence throughout the world. And quite probably, the single finest actual long distance racing pigeons------PERIOD------ now in the world. The true facts are: NO other loft claiming to breed Sions actually takes all of its YOUNG BIRDS each and every year and releases them from AT LEAST 500 air miles or more. I must emphasize, I am not talking about what pigeons did in times past, history. I am talking about TODAY! These are NOT pretty--delicate--show birds simply bred to attract buyers because of their sweet appearances. No. Theses true old line Sions are NOT that!
My long distance Sions are actual racing pigeons not to be confused with show birds. And yet, as you can quickly see in my photos--they are absolutely gorgeous racers. These happen to be true racing pigeons as I will clearly discuss. For starters, as in solid facts, during the past 15 years, the NO SWEAT SIONS----YOUNG BIRDS---I repeat, YOUNG BIRDS----have been released from 700 air miles FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES---and on each of those four different releases I got YOUNG BIRDS to fly back home. These 700 air mile YOUNG BIRD tosses happen to be the single longest tosses for YOUNG BIRDS in all the entire world. On the last 700 air mile toss, I was accompanied by John McQuithy and Sam MILLER on the release. They also released their own birds along with the NO SWEAT SIONS. Some of those being old birds. They did not get any of their birds back. But the THE NO SWEAT LOFTS got four hens back. Two different videos were taken of this last 700 MILE YOUNG BIRD release and can easily be seen on the net by going to: "YOU TUBE 700 MILE YOUNG BIRD RELEASE NO SWEAT." Please look at those videos when you have the time.
ADDITIONALLY, in 2019, THE NO SWEAT LOFTS entered the grueling and world prestigious SOUTH AFRICA MILLION DOLLAR RACE series. This is the single most recognized race where the best go against the best in all the world. I owe a great thanks to four men who formed a syndicate called THE NO SWEAT SYNDICATE which helped finance this adventure. These men being, JW JENNINGS IN NORTH CAROLINA, JOHN McQUITHY IN INDIANA, ROBERT THOMPSON in KENTUCKY and WALT in INDIANA. They were four men who know my life given to this family of racing pigeons and believed in my family of long distance SIONS which I have devoted much of my life in creating over my 61 years with racing pigeons and now fast approaching some well-earned 1,000 first places. Yes, 1,000 FIRSTS competing at all levels of competition across the USA and the world. In the end, the NO SWEAT SIONS finished 41rst and 88th. The famed Mike Ganus entered SIX TIMES more birds than I did and he had ONE bird which barely beat me in the final and longest race. AND please note: This year, 2020, GANUS entered FIVE TIMES MORE birds than I did and this year on the longest and final race, MIKE GANUS had NO birds which were able to beat my No Sweat Sions . ZILCH-NONE-ZERO. NADA! PLEASE stop for a minute and do give all that some serious thought! And once again, my SIONS finished in the top 100, finishing 94th and 304th. THESE FACTS SPEAK PLAINLY FOR THEMSELVES regarding the true quality of this outstanding family of Sions when it comes to flying long distances----now being produced at THE NO SWEAT LOFTS in Richmond, Kentucky, the same honored Bluegrass state where Heitzman also devoted his life to these Sions. Kentucky not only has the finest race horses in the world--we also have the finest racing pigeons!
This is not brag----- it is FACTS! These are SIONS having originated from my close friend, a man who was both my father and grandfather for much of my life, CHARLES HEITZMAN ---but they are now very much racing in the "modern era" of racing pigeons and now racing against the very finest racing pigeons in all the world and way more than proving their incredible qualities and holding in great esteem their own. My blue young hen named SUMMERTIME led the entire USA in average speed for some five different races and was also 5th in the WORLD in Average speed during the 2019 Africa series.
These HEITZMAN SIONS after all these many years are now actually MY OWN FAMILY OF SIONS: the "NO SWEAT SIONS" which not only produce the longest distance racers in all the world as YOUNG BIRDS but are showing all the world they are quite versatile. They will race successfully at any distances, at any speeds and at any place on the earth. Just last year on five different occasions the NO SWEAT SIONS flew OVER 2,000 YARDS PER MINUTE. Two young hens flew back from 400 miles averaging 2,300 YPM. IF any so called "expert" expounds that the Sions are slow---I advise, please just smile and walk away because this person has no genuine or real knowledge of what he is spouting. All too often in our sport one fancier will say something and it will get repeated and before too long it somehow becomes a fact. Such is so true regarding Sions. I have had to bite my lip so often reading or listening to fanciers who think they know all about Sions but in truth don't honestly have the remotest real idea about them. These expert characters just love to repeat what they heard from someone who actually didn't begin to know what he was talking about.
These Heitzman--NO SWEAT SIONS, reflect much of what the actual original Sions appeared as which were bred by Paul Sion. If you genuinely knew as to what Paul Sion's basic family of birds appeared --- you would then come to learn that they were far and away not always exact in type----and certainly, many were not "beautiful" and "sweet" in appearance as some "expert" fanciers today want everyone to believe and purport: No! Not all Sions are alike in appearance--"Sorry, Charlie"--- but that is the facts.
Fanciers who spout they can always, most assuredly, identify a Sion and would know one five hundred miles away are, well, comical, in a sad way. That kind of garbage-stuff is wonderfully WRONG. You only need to study the actual photos of the original Paul Sions to see for yourself what those birds which basically made up his family looked like. I have. I have been privy to so much of the original Paul Sion materials and photos which you could never believe. And I have done it, I suppose, far more than anyone alive today. And when you do, you will see many of the pigeons in my family of Sions well reflecting back to those original types. It remains a grand testament to the strength of the genetic code this family mysteriously owns. Genes which have survived and have clearly been cherished, saved and cultivated by Paul, Charlie and "NO SWEAT" for some hundred years. I have kept this family entrenched in racing. That is what it has always been about. They were always meant to be racers--NOT show birds. I have the true old family of long distance racing Sions. I breed many of them and train them very hard and in the end I am immensely proud of them.
THESE INCREDIBLE FACTS ARE WHY I PLAINLY STATE THAT THIS FAMILY OF evolved HEITZMAN SIONS ARE BY FAR THE FINEST ACTUAL RACING SIONS NOW IN EXISTENCE IN ANY PLACE ON EARTH. And they are bred only in RICHMOND, KENTUCKY. In the heart of the Bluegrass where Heitzman also once bred the Sions. Please know, I wasn't the first person in the United States to win ALL THREE of the USA's major racing pigeon shows all in the same year--for nothing. I full well know what comprises a beautiful racing pigeon. And please also know, if you are actually and truly seeking the old bloodlines of CHARLES HEITZMAN, then this is TRULY the one loft and the actual main loft to find such. Particularly if you happen to be actually looking for quality. No person was closer to Heitzman than yours truly. You only need to research this website to appreciate this fact. I have written more articles about CHARLES Heitzman than all the other writers and "near-do-wells" who have ever mentioned him ---all combined together and multiplied times a hundred. CHARLES HEITZMAN often said to me, "Robbie, you know my birds better than I do." Please do not be FOOLED by other lofts who pretend to have the quality of Sions which are bred at THE NO SWEAT LOFTS. Talk is cheap. Advertising can be diabolically manipulative. There are other fanciers trying in every way to copy who I am in dire hopes of cheaply attracting fanciers. Hoping to attract fanciers who possess no real knowledge of where the genuine quality Sions happen to reside. The NO SWEAT LOFTS are not some Barnum and Bailey act but rather a story of someone who has devoted his life to maintaining Sions and making them the finest racing pigeons in the world--PERIOD! Racing performances such as my HEITZMAN SIONS---NO SWEAT SIONS are doing this very day---are unparalleled---that is what thse Sions are and are all about. Not history but the future. Not racing against a small club but against the finest fliers in all the world. TODAY AND TOMORROW!
It should also be noted, when I entered birds in THE TWO MILLION DOLLAR HOOSIER CLASSIC, The single greatest pigeon race at that time ever in North America, last year, I had an entry finished 16th on one of their toughest races and also had four entries which burned up in the fire. Those were four entries which all stood a solid-great chance in winning the race.
The NO SWEAT LOFTS continue to produce articles for The Racing Pigeon Digest. Two years ago, I finished the definitive article and story ever written on CHARLES HEITZMAN. It was serialized and published in THE RACING PIGEON DIGEST. GENE YOES, the editor of the RACING PIGEON DIGEST, relayed to me, it was one of the best received articles he had ever published. That article is now on my current website--this website---and called "THE HEITZMAN STORY." I ask that everyone read this story so that you get a good knowledge as to who I am and the relationship I had with Charles Heitzman. Last year, I finished a very long article called, GIMME SHELTER, which was also serialized----this article was about my life's observations of flying racing pigeons from EXTREME long distances. I also finished a fictional ghost story on CHER AMI, named, TALE FEATHER. And another article called, LYNAGH'S, in which I discussed the cave in in Chile where five racing pigeon fanciers were trapped and were eventually rescued. Importantly, I finished a 450 page book on CHARLES HEITZMAN AND SIONS which is written in Chinese and is supposed to be published in CHINA at some near date. And currently, I am working on a new article which will hopefully inform our sport exactly where all the SIONS happen to now be here in the USA and elsewhere and what is happening with them. My loft has become THE SION FLAGSHIP of the world and is the one loft which is home to 700 mile YOUNG BIRDS,
I am down loading a group of over 2,000 new photos for you. These are all Sions bed by me and relevant to the colony of Sions I am now maintaining. The newest photos are basically located in three different new areas on my website These are all HEITZMAN--NO SWEAT SIONS bred down from HEITZMAN SIONS which all basically originated from PAUL SION. TRUE SIONS. All of these SION photos were taken by me, ROBBIE ROBBINS / "NO SWEAT" in and around the NO SWEAT LOFTS ----basically during a six month period from October, 2019 to March, 2020. At about the same time the VIRUS news began to hit. I did not photograph all of the birds. But certainly, there are enough photos which will give your eye a feast and will show you the rich and extreme quality of this NO SWEAT SION FAMILY and what I am now working with and breeding from.
The photos will speak for themselves. They represent the core of the finest Sions in the entire world TODAY. This website is now fast approaching one-third of a million "hits" since it was created just a few years ago---speaking highly as to how popular the Sions remain today. And I wanted to keep this interest flowing. To make it one of the very best racing pigeon websites in the world. And to educate the world on SIONS,
Basically, THE NO SWEAT SIONS are medium-sized racers with a wide variance in eyes, Almost all the colors are blue bars, silver bars or reds and most of the reds are darker colored reds. The blues basically are line-bred down from the old, famous LE-ROI Sion blood imported into the USA by the famed, Lew Curtis, of which, Heitzman was able to acquire two babies from and used extensively in his own Sion breedings. His original Sion pair, 1033 and 1104, two red checks, one (1033) of which was bred down from Le Roi. My silvers all go back to LE ROUSELETTE, which was arguably Paul Sion's greatest racer ever, taking nearly 40 different firsts in racing. Additionally, many of my silvers are bred down from Paul Sion's the OLD GRIS FAMILY. The reds are primarily line-bred back to "OLD 51" which was HEITZMAN'S iconic red cock which he bred in 1951, banded, AU 1955 KY 51051. IF you actually know Sions and have a genuine eye for the Sions , and for those Sions which ACTUALLY perform then you will see just how I have molded this family into what I now am terming, THE NO SWEAT SIONS. Yes, they are a true family. Quite recognizable once you begin to carefully eye and study them. AND RIGHTFULLY SO being termed THE NO SWEAT SIONS as I can now go back many generations and show where I bred each and all of the birds in any bird's given pedigree. MANY of my 2020 young birds all share one thing in common: ALL FOUR OF THEIR GRANDPARENTS FLEW 500 MILES OR FARTHER AS A YOUNG BIRD! As Charles Heitzman loved to say, "FROM THE BEST COME THE BEST----THE APPLE DOES NOT FALL FAR FROM THE TREE!"
This year my plans are simple: return back to SOUTH AFRICA and also take my own YOUNG BIRD team southwest toward NEW ORLEANS for a 500 or 600 mile release sometime in mid to late October. These are SIONS which are winning and racing against the best in the world----TODAY!!! They are not show birds you hope might possibly return back from 100 miles. They are not birds called Sions attempting in some fashion to live off long distant supposed relative's reputations of having flown against a few hundred birds. THIS IS NOT THOSE BIRDS! This family of Sions is the truest old family of Sions you could ever imagine which are performing TODAY at the peak levels of racing in the entire world. And know, it has not been easy to get these SIONS to wind up being as such. It has taken many years of high production, extreme tough tosses and careful quality selections on what are finally kept. Over and over again all through many years. OLD SCHOOL breeding and OUT OF THE BOX THINKING-TRAINING at its best. NOT quick fix-its relying on ridiculous big money and buying other birds but just the opposite. Working carefully within ONE own gene pool--NEVER introducing any other birds! And searching --always--to find the best of the best. And doing it by firmly believing that the best racing pigeons are those that are the most intelligent and have the best homing instincts. And that all this is always best discovered in those birds which are constantly tested from extreme long distance flying. Theories and pedigrees mean nothing---performance means everything. Extreme long distance flying brings the cream to the top.
I would appreciate and hope that you will study the photos of these HEITZMAN SIONS which are now basically what I term, "NO SWEAT SIONS" and note their qualities. Photos have a way of saying more than words. Again, allow me to repeat: I am always happy to answer any and all questions regarding Sions. My contact information is easily located on this site. It is accurate and up to date. I am always best reached by email: [email protected]. Also, PLEASE CAREFULLY leave messages on my home phone: 859-624-8113. Always make certain you speak clearly and slowly and leave your complete phone number. Do it more than once for assurance. I appreciate anyone who still recognizes SIONS. They are the greatest racing pigeons on earth. They have gone from MONS PAUL SION to COL. CHARLES HEITZMAN and now to Kentucky's author, "NO SWEAT." Three men devoting their lives to this one family of incredible racing pigeons. As I stated, the facts speak for themselves. As in anything, so often, it is the person BEHIND the birds which makes them great. If you don't have someone wholly devoted to them then nothing can be achieved. THAT IS NOT THE CASE AT THE NO SWEAT LOFTS where I maintain the highest possible standards in racing pigeons and keep Charles Heitzman's goals, memories and dreams alive every second of the hour of every day.
Again, please allow me to thank you for visiting this site. I hope that you will take out the time to thoroughly investigate all the material I have thus far compiled in creating it. There is a lot to see and learn. And I hope you will use this site as a future reference when someone mentions a Sion. Please remember, always feel free to contact me at any time regarding racing pigeons.
THANK YOU.
BLESSINGS,
Earl Lowell "ROBBIE" / "NO SWEAT" ROBBINS, JR.
207 LONGVIEW DRIVE
RICHMOND, KENTUCKY 40475
HOME PHONE: 859-624-8113
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: HEITZMAN SIONS
