Réalmont: veteran and adapted judokas reunited

Saturday, May 13 took place the last Tarn Judo Veterans meeting (judokas over 30 years old) of the season.

An event organized by the Veterans Commission of the Tarn Judo Committee represented by Yannick Maffre, the referent. For this final training of the season at the Thierry Fabriès Departmental Dojo in Réalmont, the judokas had the pleasure of being supervised by Jean-Marc Desestret (CN 6th Dan) and Jean-Pierre Mancet (CN 5th Dan) from Eï Do Kan de Castres. During this regrouping, the veterans shared the tatami with adapted judokas from the Tarn (judokas with mental and/or psychological disabilities), most of whom were veterans. No less than sixty judokas in all walked on the tatami of the Departmental Dojo. The lesson began with a common warm-up, Jean-Pierre took into account the veterans who had “given themselves well” with a technical part followed by randoris (combats) on the ground and standing up. Finally the veterans made some fights with the adapted judokas. It was a very constructive exchange for everyone and this training ended with the traditional Spanish inn. Among the thirty valid veteran judokas who had made the trip, there were representatives of the Tarn clubs but also from Aveyron. For some veterans, this gathering will have served them in their preparation for future national tournaments and French championships which take place at the end of May and in June. The goal of this type of event reserved for veteran judokas is that nothing is imposed, the whole thing being to have a good time between “old judokas”. Whether you are a competitor, whether you practice in leisure, whether you are a volunteer, from the white belt to the black, the main thing is to take pleasure in this type of grouping. A big thank you to Frédérique Huc, President of the Tarn Sport Adapté Committee and Olivier Rouquier her Federal Technical Advisor who accepted us on the mat. A big thank you to Luc Jubert, treasurer, Jean-François Desplos and Séverine Suc representatives of the Adapted Sport and Disabled Sports Commission within the Judo Committee of the Tarn as well as to Jean-Marc and Jean-Pierre of the Eï Do kan de Castres who gave us a lesson filled with seriousness but also with sweat… “ You don’t stop judo when you get old, you get old when you stop judo ».

Y. M.