A Grand Champion is a bird that has accumulated at least 20 points and has won at least one Best in Show. The number of points depends on the number of entries in a show according to the following table. One exception is the first show ever for a club, where the 1st place bird gets 5 points even if there are less than 101 entries, the 2nd bird gets 4 points, etc. This is to encourage new shows where the entries may be small. However if a first show had over 150 entries, the normal number of points would apply of coarse. Another exception is the National Cage Bird Show, where the maximum points are awarded regardless of the number of entries.

Profiles of the Winning Birds

04-L450
Owned by Roger Stroman

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2005 Chapter 37	Patrick Miller	2nd	3
2006 National Cage Bird Show	Patrick Miller	2nd	5
2006 Chapter 6	Jerry Hosten	1st	6
2007 Greater Chicago	Jerry Hosten	2nd	3
2007 DRAGON	Patrick Miller	1st	6
total points			23

03-M573
Owned by Dorothea Ashbery

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2004 Chapter 1	Sam Can	3rd	4
2004 Chapter 25 (show 1)	Steve Baptiste	4th	3
2004 Chapter 25 (show 2)	Tad Rykojc	1st	6
2004 Chapter 31	Sam Can	3rd	4
2006 BBF with Chapter 16	Mike Seiler	2nd	5
2006 Chapter 25	Tak Rykojc	3rd	4
total points			26

03-C281
Owned by Roger Stroman

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2004 Motor City	Alicia Baker	1st	6
2005 Benton Harbor	Patrick Miller	1st	4
2005 Chapter 6	Allan Gibson	5th	2
2005 Society of Canary & Finch	John Haddad	1st	4
2006 Society of Canary & Finch	Steve Baptiste	3rd	4
2006 Chapter 6	Jerry Hosten	2nd	5
total points			25

06-F219
Owned by Saoud & Nadege Rihan

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2006 Chapter 1	Alicia Baker	1st	6
2006 Chapter 25 New Jersey	Tad Rykojc	1st	6
2006 Chapter 28 MASCOT	Danny Iacavone	1st	6
2006 Chapter 17 New Jersey	Angelo Gervasi	5th	2
total points			20

05-R068
Owned by Saoud & Nadege Rihan

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2005 MASCOT	Sam Can	4th	3
2005 Jersey Shore	Laura Schwanof	2nd	5
2006 BBF	Michael Seiler	1st	6
2006 New Jersey	Michael Seiler	4th	3
2006 MASCOT	Danny Iacavone	2nd	5
total points			22

02-B454
Owned by Michael Seiler

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2003 Chapter 1	Danny Iacovone	1st	5
2003 Chapter 17	Angelo Gervasi	1st	6
2004 Chapter 17	Angelo Gervasi	2nd	5
2005 Chapter 25	Saoud Rihan	4th	3
2005 Mascot	San Can	6th	1
total points			20

01-D892
Owned by Michael Seiler

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2002 NIROC	Mike Grohman	1st	6
2003 St. Louis	Gary Tom	2nd	2
2003 Livonia	Mike Grohman	1st	5
2005 Chapter 25	Saoud Rihan	2nd	5
2005 Mascot	San Can	3rd	4
total points			22

03-D508
Owned by Bob & Judie McGuire

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2003 Santa Clara	Allen Gibson	2nd	4
2004 Chapter 30	Ella Galik	1st	4
2004 PAS Quad #1	Laura Schwanof	2nd	4
2004 PAS Quad #2	Alicia Baker	4th	2
2004 Santa Clara	Mike Grohman	1st	5
2005 PAS Quad	Allen Gibson	1st	5
total points			24

05-T049
Owned by Joaquin Torres

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2005 GCCBC	Judy Snider	1st	5
2005 NCBS	Steve Baptiste	1st	6
2005 NIROC	Tad Rykojc	1st	5
2005 Chapter 6	Allan Gibson	1st	6
total points			22

04-E447
Owned by Saoud & Nadege Rihan

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2005 MACC	Dorothea Ashbery	2nd	4
2005 Chapter 32	Mike Grohman	5th	2
2005 BBF	Danny Iacovone	1st	6
2005 Chapter 1	Michael Seiler	3rd	4
2005 MASCOT	Sam Can	1st	6
2005 Jersey Shore	Laura Schwanof	1st	6
total points			28

04-E433
Owned by Saoud & Nadege Rihan

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2004 MASCOT	Michael Seiler	1st	6
2004 Chapter 1	Sam Can	2nd	5
2004 Chapter 17	Angelo Gervasi	1st	6
2005 Cleveland	Michael Grohman	3rd	4
total points			21

02-G921
Owned by Saoud & Nadege Rihan

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2004 BBF	Steve Baptiste	5th	2
2004 Jersey Shore	Daniel Iacovone	2nd	5
2004 Chapter 25	Michael Seiler	2nd	5
2005 Chapter 16	Daniel Iacovone	5th	2
2005 Chapter 1	Michael Seiler	1st	6
total points			20

03-G284
Owned by Saoud & Nadege Rihan

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2003 Jersey Shore	Tad Rykojc	1st	5
2004 BBF	Steve Baptiste	2nd	5
2004 Chapter 25	Mike Seiler	1st	6
2004 NCBS	Judy Snider	6th	1
2004 MA CC	Mike Seiler	3rd	4
total points			21

03-G290
Owned by Saoud & Nadege Rihan

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2004 MACC	Mike Seiler	1st	6
2004 BBF	Steve Baptiste	3rd	4
2004 MASCOT	Mike Seiler	2nd	5
2004 Chapter 17	Angelo Gervasi	3rd	4
2004 Chapter 25	Mike Seiler	4th	3
total points			22

02-G849
Owned by Saoud & Nadege Rihan

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2002 Jersey Shore	Mike Seiler	6th	1
2003 MACC	Angelo Gervasi	1st	6
2003 Chapter 17 (Oct. 11)	Mike Seiler	1st	6
2003 MASCOT	Laura Schwanof	2nd	4
2003 Chapter 25 (show 2)	Tad Rykojc	3rd	4
total points			21

01-P978
Owned by Sam Can

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2001 BBF	Laura Schwanof	2nd	5
2001 Jersey Shore	Angelo Gervasi	4th	3
2001 NCBS	Mike Seiler	6th	1
2002 Chapter 32	Judy Snider	6th	1
2002 BBF	Laura Schwanof	4th	3
2002 Chapter 25	Patrick Miller	1st	6
2003 Chapter 17	Mike Bacon	6th	1
2003 Chapter 32	Bill Jacobs	1st	6
2003 BBF	Chris Twaddle	4th	3
2003 Chapter 25	Steve Baptiste	3rd	4
total points			33

00-H152
Owned by William & Donna Jacobs

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2000 Cleveland	Sam Can	4th	3
2000 Greater Chicago	Laura Schwanof	3rd	2
2000 NIROC	Jerry Hosten	2nd	5
2000 Chapter 6	Ivan Colorado	2nd	4
2001 NIROC	Judy Snider	3rd	4
2002 Chapter 37	Sally Kemerer	1st	6
total points			24

00-H169
Owned by William & Donna Jacobs

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2000 Greater Chicago	Laura Schwanof	2nd	3
2001 Toledo Bird Association	Albert Montanaro	3rd	4
2001 NIROC	Judy Snider	4th	3
2002 St. Louis	Allen Gibson	1st	6
2002 Society Canary & Finch	Doria Durkin	4th	3
2002 Motor City	Steve Baptiste	1st	6
2002 Greater Chicago	Albert Montanaro	3rd	3
total points			28

98-J777
Owned by William & Donna Jacobs

Show	Judge	Place	Points
1999 Toledo Bird Association	Michael Grohman	3rd	4
1999 Greater Chicago	Clay Beegle	2nd	4
1999 NIROC	Earlene Nickoloff	1st	6
2002 Chapter 37	Sally Kemerer	2nd	5
2002 Greater Chicago	Albert Montanaro	1st	5
total points			24

01-D814
Owned by Mike Seiler

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2001 Baltimore Bird Fanciers	Laura Schwanof	4th	3
2001 MASCOT show 1	Sam Can	1st	5
2001 Jersey Shore	Angelo Gervasi	1st	6
2002 Maryland All Canary Club	Sam Can	4th	3
2002 Chapter 25, show 1	Angelo Gervasi	1st	6
total points			23

00-F889
Owned by Sam and Marilyn Can

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2001 Pittsburgh ASAP	Bill Jacobs	1st	6
2001 Chapter 17	Danny Iacovone	1st	6
2002 Chapter 32	Judy Snider	2nd	5
2002 Chapter 17	Danny Iacovone	1st	6
total points			23

00-F871
Owned by Sam and Marilyn Can

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2000 Chapter 25	Daniel Iacovone	4th	3
2001 ASAP	Bill Jacobs	3rd	4
2001 BBF	Laura Schwanof	1st	6
2001 Chapter 25 show 1	Jerry Hosten	2nd	5
2001 Chapter 25 show 2	Mike Seiler	5th	2
2001 NCBS	Mike Seiler	4th	3
total points			23

99-L015
Owned by Warren & Sally Kemerer

Show	Judge	Place	Points
1999 BBF	M. Grohman	1st	6
1999 MASCOT	T. Rykojc	1st	6
2000 Society Canary & Finch	M. Grohman	6th	1
2000 Cleveland	S. Can	2nd	5
2000 BBF	M. Seiler	3rd	4
total points			22

96-U380
Owned by William & Donna Jacobs

Show	Judge	Place	Points
1997 DRAGON II	E. Nickoloff	4th	3
1999 Society Canary & Finch	W. Meyer	2nd	5
1999 Central Ohio	W. Meyer	2nd	4
1999 NIROC	E. Nickoloff	4th	3
2000 Society Canary & Finch	M. Grohman	1st	6
total points			21

99-C714
Owned by Tom & Celia Miller

Show	Judge	Place	Points
2000 BBF	M. Seiler	1st	6
2000 MASCOT	S. Kemerer	1st	5
2000 Jersey Shore	S. Can	2nd	5
2000 National	A. Montanaro	1st	6
total points			22

98-F478
Owned by John Keller

Show	Judge	Place	Points
1998 Cleveland	M. Seiler	1st	6
1999 Chap. 26	W. Meyer	3rd	3
1999 ASAP	M. Seiler	3rd	4
2000 ASAP	M. Grohman	2nd	5
2000 Toledo	P. Miller	1st	6
total points			24

98-B867
Owned by Sam & Marilyn Can

Show	Judge	Place	Points
1998 Chap. 17	D. Iacovone	3rd	4
1999 BBF	M. Grohman	6th	1
1999 MASCOT	T. Rykojc	3rd	4
1999 Jersey Shore	L. Schwanof	4th	3
2000 Chap. 25	D. Iacovone	2nd	5
2000 Chap. 17	T. Rykojc	1st	6
total points			23

97-K027
Owned by William & Donna Jacobs

Show	Judge	Place	Points
1998 Badger	Hosten	2nd	3
1999 Toledo	Grohman	2nd	5
1999 Society Canary & Finch	Meyer	1st	6
1999 Missouri	Miller	2nd	5
1999 NIROC	Nickoloff	2nd	5
total points			24

97-C140
Owned by Warren & Sally Kemerer

Show	Judge	Place	Points
1997 Mid-Western	Mike Bacon	4th	3
1997 DRAGON *	Chris Twaddle	2nd	5
1998 Mid-Western	Clayton Beegle	1st	5
1998 Columbus	Patrick Miller	1st	6
1998 MASCOT-Odd	Frank Zuech	1st	6
total points			25

* won DRAGON Futurity

97C140 is out of 95K543 (12 pts.), one of the Kemerer's favorite birds, which is out of 94K496 (19 pts., but chipmunk fatality), which is out of 93A390 (Grand Champion, 5 BIS under 5 different judges). The mother of 97C140 is half Kemerer and half Rykojc. I was fortunate to have judged 97C140, and what I remember is freedom, showmanship, and above all variety - I don't think I have ever heard a bird with his variety. He also has good tone and length of song. But, he almost ended up in a pet shop. As he approached the breeding season in 1997-98, he developed a bad note that really got to the Kemerers. They placed him in a very low cage hoping he would stop singing, no dice; they then placed him in a dark low area of the bird room hoping he would shut up, to no avail; they then waited for the molt, hoping not to hear the bad note, but he still kept singing through the molt. But, low and behold, when he finished his molt the bad phrase disappeared, and the rest is history - three straight Best in Shows! The Kemerers only bred 97C140 twice due to the bad note, but has two sons that have placed already, 98K895 (3rd BIS, ASAP) and 98K896 (2nd Best Young, Niagara Falls).

96-D008
Owned by Tad Rykojc

Show	Judge	Place	Points
1997 ASAP	Patrick Miller	1st	6
1997 MASCOT One	Clayton Beegle	3rd	4
1998 BBF	Sally Kemerer	3rd	4
1998 MASCOT Odd	Frank Zuech	4th	3
1998 National Cage Bird	Sally Kemerer	1st	6
total points			23

What sets 96-D008 apart is showmanship. Sally Kemerer said at the National he sang for the entire 20 minutes, with a great mellow tone, smooth song with lots of variety, and flows from one tour to another, but above all - a great showman. Sally said she actually broke out in chills when she heard him sing at the National, his song was that beautiful.

Jessie Durkin has had the following Grand Champions:

Band No.		Year Won
E188-82		1986
D405-89		1992
D404-89		1993
D968-90		1992
D919-90		1993
D446-94		1996

Things that she finds interesting....

E188-82 is the Father of F654-86, a wonderful male who had over 20 ASC points but failed to get a Best in Show.

The unlucky F654-86 was the Father of D404-89 and D405-89 (who are brothers and kept beating their poor old dad at the shows).

D405-89 is the Father of D919-90 and D968-90 (Brothers) and D446-94 (a half-brother)

All of the above birds were excellent Fathers and all helped raise their babies. So much for the idea that inbreeding doesn't work and that males who feed their young loose their song.

F12-84
Owned by Judy Snider

Medium variegated hard-feather yellow male. Size: average. This bird was bred from my alpha strain, based on a Morrison border male and Nowatzski female rollers. He had great personality and stage presence and fed all his young through the years. He won best in show his first time out and never failed to sing in a show. This bird had good but not great tone quality. His secret on the showbench revolved around his resourcefulness: He would typically be the first bird to sing, would sing his somewhat limited repertoire in a very smooth and confident manner never breaking off. He would break only long enough to listen and when the other birds would reveal their songs, he would integrate their notes into his own song. In competition he would mimic water notes, a wierd cardinal and even sing his own notes backwards in an attempt to outdo the other birds. He really seemed to sense that he was in competition and was determined to have the day for his own. When he returned home he did not bother with the notes of other birds, but went back to singing his old song unless, of course, I put on a tape.

Year	Show	Judge	Place	Points
1984	Motor City Bird Breeders	Mahnken	first	six
1985	Harrisburg PA	Simons	first	six
1985	Pittsburgh PA	Vipond	first	six
1986	Cleveland OH	Schaefer	first	six
1986	Pittsburgh PA	Hoey	second	three
1986	National, Missouri	Mahnken	second	five
1986	Chapter Six, Chicago	Schaefer	first	six
1987	Cleveland OH	Simons	first	fi ve
1987	DRAGON, MI	Gibson	fourth	three
1987	National, Ohio	Hoey	second	five
1988	Cleveland, OH	Hoey	third	three
1988	Pittsburgh, PA	Hoey	second	three

Total bests in show: six
Seconds: four
Thirds: one
Fourths: one

Total points earned: 57 (Earned points from seven judges)

G05-86
Owned by Judy Snider

Heavy variegated medium to large buff green male bred from my alpha strain crossed with a male from Frank Zuech. This bird had exceptional deep tone quality and a song ëas smooth as glassí as the first judge who heard him put it. His first time out, unfortunately, he never got to sing. Due to steward error, he never somehow got into the judging room. In the earlier part of the day he was assumed to be part of a class yet to sing. When that classís turn came, he was pushed aside, assumed to belong to a class which had already sung. I resolved then and there upon an additional reform in benching birds to prevent this from happening again. The judge, who picked him best in show a week later at Pittsburgh said, ëwhere was this bird last week? I swear he would have won if I could have heard him sing last week in Detroit! But though many judges preferred G05ís song to that of his brother, G15-86 (the Kellogg champion), he could be fickle. One year he got so fat I feared he would not breed, though he did produce many young. Time has proven that G05ís blood, even in small doses, was a powerful tool in maintaining tone and balance in my line in the next decade, though I donít believe his genes were as powerful as those of his less melodious brother, G-15. All in all, he was what I call 'a smooth operator'.

Year	Show	Judge	Place	Points
1986	Pittsburgh PA	Hoey	first	four
1986	National Missouri	Mahnken	fifth	two
1987	National Ohio	Hoey	third	four
1987	Chapter Six, Chicago	Gerritsen	second	five
1988	Cleveland OH	Hoey	first	five
1988	National Calif	Gerritsen	fifth	two

Total bests in show: two
Seconds: one
Thirds: one
fifths: two

Total points in show career: 22

G15-86
Owned by Judy Snider

This American Singer was probably one of the greatest birds ever to grace an American Singer stage. Though I have bred many birds since whose song I preferred over G15-86, this bird possessed what I like to call ëbalanceí. He had a great tone, though not the absolute greatest. He possessed variety nonstop, could mimic, never broke off, was generally the first to sing in any class without being tedious or overwrought about it. He also possessed a sliding descending passage that could make the hair stand up on the back of your neck if you like that particular note, and every judge he ever met up with seemed to like this note. As a breeding male, he was the greatest resource I ever had. His son became my first Kellogg champion, two other sons won shows. His daughters produced grand champions for both Alberta Riedel and Jessie Durkin. Many birds on the showbench today are related to G15-86 in more ways than their owners even realize, often from both sides of their pedigrees! A large self-green buff bird, many of his offspring are hard-feathered green, which I donít quite understand, since genetically this is supposed to be impossible. G15-86 was an athlete and very difficult to catch when he escaped, which he did frequently, in my room. The year he won the Kellogg cup at the ripe old age of three I said to myself when catching all of my males, ìThe last male I catch will be my highest-scoring bird, maybe even a Kellogg winner! I didnít realize until an hour later, when I tallied up the census, that ëhis majestyí was missing. A search throughout the floor-to-ceiling flight revealed he had escaped me by hiding in his ësecretí compartment in the heating duct in the ceiling. I flushed him out, caught him, and he began to sing as soon as placed in the song cage. One thing I noticed about him: Whenever he won, there was usually a spread between him and the second-place bird. His brother, G05-86, was generally thought to be more mellow by those who studied them both in detail. He was fertile in the breeding cage, once fertilizing three hens who hatched almost simultaneously, one nest of seven (all of which survived) plus two nests of six each.

Year	Show	Judge	Place	Points
1986	Motor City Bird Breeders MI	Hoey	second	five
1986	NIROC Chicago	Gibson	second	five
1986	Kaytee Great American Chicago	Schaefer	fourth	three
1986	DRAGON MI	Bassett	third	four
1987	Cleveland OH	Simons	fifth	one
1987	Motor City MI	Yuhas	first	six
1987	Chapter Six Chicago	Gerritsen	first	six
1988	Motor City MI	Miller	first	six
1988	Cleveland OH	Hoey	second	four
1988	National Calif.	Gerritsen	fourth	three
1989	Great American Baltimore	Pilsnik	first	six
1989	Motor City	Hoey	fifth	two
1989	National New Orleans	Pilsnik	first	six

Total bests in show: five
seconds: three
thirds: one
fourths: two
fifths: two

It might be added that when he lost, it was generally to his brother, G05-86 or to his uncle, F12-84 or to one of my son Tomís birds who were also winning in those days.

Total points in show career: 57. (earned points from nine judges)

These two birds, F12-84 and G-15-86, nephew and uncle, are tied as the two top scoring birds --- ever.

Return to Past Winners Index