He has the keys to the judo room in Bergerac (Dordogne). Seventy years of practice, including fifty years of teaching, gives some advantages. Christian Barthelemy, 77 years old, come in, turn on the light, and don’t glance at the trophies on the wall. He does not exercise for performance. “I’m not interested”, sweeps…
He has the keys to the judo room in Bergerac (Dordogne). Seventy years of practice, including fifty years of teaching, gives some advantages. Christian Barthelemy, 77 years old, come in, turn on the light, and don’t glance at the trophies on the wall. He does not exercise for performance. “It doesn’t interest me,” he sweeps away immediately. To understand his commitment, you have to know how to look over his shoulder. Behind his seat, a small poster details a number of values, as if they were always behind him.
” A long story “
For him, judo is “a long story”. It began in 1954. At the age of 8, thanks to his teacher whose name he has not forgotten (M. Boyer), he discovered a passion. He became a black belt ten years later, three years ahead of schedule. Christian Barthélémy then wanted one thing: to become a physical education and sports teacher (EPS). In parallel with the preparation for his exams, he passes a State certificate to be able to teach his favorite discipline. In 1971, he then became the youngest judo teacher in France, before achieving his other goal in 1973: becoming a PE teacher.
So, after judo training, Christian plunges his nose into his books. And breaks are rare. “You quickly become boring when you only do that. This success opens another chapter of his life, which takes place at the same time at the Association Sportive Poudrerie Bergerac (ASPB) and at the college of La Force, where he even managed to get the aggregation.
“Politeness, respect for others, humility”
For him, judo is more than a sport, it is a set of values. “Politeness, respect for others, humility. He cites a few that he cherishes. His speech, he judges it in opposition to the federation, which favors results and physical performance. “I have long been against sports studies classes. They reduce too much the lives of families, the adolescence of the students…”, advances the judoka.
” Atypical “
For him, the periods he shared with his students were above all privileged moments of transmission. A finding confirmed by one of his former students, now president of the ASPB Judo: Jean-Fabien Dijos. The latter now has his black belt, thanks to his ex-educator. “He was very interested in varied and participatory pedagogical approaches,” he says. When asked if he had a good teacher, he didn’t hesitate for a second: “Of course he did. »
“Atypical” is the term that Christian Barthélémy uses the most to define himself. His journey is the result, he assumes, of a deep desire to show that he could get there. “I was saved by judo,” he says. It is therefore with a feeling of success that he leaves the club which has seen him evolve for half a century. Heartbroken at having trouble finding a successor, but happy to be heading towards a retirement that he wants to be restful, with his family.
So when he leaves the room, turns off the lights and turns the key one last time, we understand the emotion. A page turns.
More information on the ASP Bergerac Judo Facebook page.
2023-08-07 07:59:16
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