New York Combine Breeder of the Year Award

 

By Pete Fratangelo Sr.

 

The New York Combine Breeder of the Year Award is an annual award given to the New York Combine member who has had the most success at New York Combine shows that show season.  The New York Combine is the premier club in the world for showing the American Domestic Show Flight.  To win at the Combine is simply to beat the absolute best.  To win more than any other competitor throughout a show season is truly a hard earned and magnificent accomplishment.  It can only be achieved by those breeders that consistently breed large numbers of excellent quality Domestic Flights across many color classes.  Winning the New York Combine Breeder of the Year Award signifies more than the accomplishments of that breeder in that specific year, as significant and difficult to achieve as those accomplishments are.  Winning this award signifies that the winner is a top breeder of American Domestic Show Flights, is dedicated to breeding and showing the very best in a variety of colors and classes, and is able to put in the effort, knowledge, and experience required to breed and maintain a large stud of top quality Domestic Flights.

 

The Breeder of the Year Award is one the most Prestigious Awards that the Combine bestows and is won by the breeder of American Domestic Show Flights who scores the most points during the three-show showing season of the New York Combine.  Points are traditionally awarded at the NYC Young Bird Show in October, the NYC Fall Show held in mid to late November (usually as part of the Big Apple Invitational), and the NYC Futurity Show held in late January.

 

Points are awarded at these shows for young birds only and at the Futurity Show, only in Division One (which is open to all breeders).  Points are awarded as follows:  In each class (12 young bird classes at each show), a First Place gets 3 points, Second Place gets 2 points, and Third Place gets 1 point. In addition, the Best in Show bird at each show gets an additional 5 points.  Thus, there is a maximum of 6 points per class times 12 classes, which is 72 points, plus 5 points for Best in Show equaling 77 points available at each of these three New York Combine shows.  That is a total of 231 breeder points available per show season.  In case of a tie by two breeders, two Breeder of the Year Awards are given that year.

 

2010 New York Combine Breeder of the Year

 

In the 2010 Show Season, the New York Combine awarded Breeder Points at three of its shows.  At its Young Bird Show held at the VFW Hall in Bellerose, NY on October 23, 2010, New York Combine Master Breeder Joe Rossi led all point-getters with 16 points.  Other point-getters at this show were Phil Block (12 points), Master-Breeder Angelo Cavallo (10), Master-Breeder Bill Cusack (7), Master-Breeder partnership of Andrew Franze and Mike Monasso (7), Pete Garcia (5), Walter Lee (4), Joe Monteleone (3),  Gary Lee (3), John Thornton (2), and Lothar Beer (2). 

 

The New York Combine held its Fall Show in 2010 in conjunction with the Third Annual Big Apple Invitational in White Plains on November 13, 2010.  Carlo Parente, President of New York Combine affiliate club the Southern Domestic Flight Association, led the point totals with 13 points, while the Master-breeder partnership of Andrew Franze and Mike Monasso followed with 12 points, Master-Breeder Joe Rossi had 11 points, and the partnership of Tiny Concepcion and Chris Reyes also had 11 points.  Phil Block (7 points), Walter Lee (5), John Thornton (4), Pete Garcia (3), Anthony Iocovello (3), Gary Lee (2), Western Domestic Flight Association President John Heppner (2), and Joe Monteleone (1) also won points at this show. 

 

Finally, at the New York Combine Futurity Show held at the VFW Hall in Bellerose, NY on January 22, 2011, Gigante & Monteleone took 44 points, while John Thornton (10 points), Master Breeder Bill Cusack (5), Joe Monteleone (5), Master Breeder Angelo Cavallo (2), and Master-Breeder Joe Rossi (2) also won points at this show.  Complete results and photos of some of the winners of these shows are available under the “Show Reports” tag on the left side of this website.

 

The winner of the 2010 Breeder of the Year Award is once again the partnership of Sal Gigante and Fred Monteleone.  Gigante and Monteleone took the award with a total of 44 points, all won at the New York Combine Futurity Show.  This point total just barely placed ahead of Joe Rossi, who earned 43 points total over all three shows.  Winning Breeder of the Year  s all the more impressive because Gigante & Monteleone did not show at either the Young Bird Show or Fall Show in 2010.  Gigante & Monteleone have won the Breeder of the Year Award many times in the past, including the past six years straight.  This accomplishment adds to an already incredible resume of breeding top quality, Championship American Domestic Show Flights.  Congratulations to Sal and Fred on winning this award again, and in most impressive fashion.

New York Combine Breeder of the Year Award Winners Since Inception

Year	Breeder of the Year

 

2005 through 2010	Gigante & Monteleone
2004	Angelo Cavallo*
1999 through 2003	Gigante & Monteleone*
1998	John Thornton
1996 and 1997	Vinnie Montanino*
1985 through 1995	Gigante & Monteleone*
1984  - two-way tie	Gigante & Monteleone* & Lou Massucci*
1983	Lou Massucci*
1982	Gigante & Monteleone*
1981	Angelo Cavallo*
1980	Gigante & Monteleone*
1978 and 1979	Angelo Cavallo*
1977	Frank Molla

Only 6 New York Combine Members in 33 years have won this prestigious award.