Gard champion in U11 18 meters, 2nd national in his category, Axel, 9 years old, is the rising star of the Beaucaire archery club. He has just won the Critérium Poussin U11 by departmental teams. His dream ? Win a medal at the Olympic Games.
There is a lot of wind blowing in Beaucaire this Wednesday afternoon. It is therefore at the Garrigues Planes chapel that the young archers of the town’s archery club train. Among them, Axel, 9 years old, is already behind his shooting line 20 meters from his target, his impressive green and black bow in his hands. Last weekend he won, or rather “ crushed » the other teams during a departmental team criterium in Carcassonne: he came first in the individual ranking, with a score of 174/180, and first in the team. He is also ranked second in the national ranking, 18 meter category, with an average of 520 points (compared to 523 for first).
The club currently trains in a chapel in Garrigues Planes. It allows members to practice shooting away from the cold and wind, but is far from offering an ideal solution to Beaucairian archers. • C. Graizzaro
« There were six ends of three arrows, where he scored 174 points out of 180 », Explains Roxane, her mother, but also her trainer. “ Then, we add up all the scores of each archer to classify the departments: Gard already came first. Then there were duels with the other teams, in the semi-final they won 6-0, and they won again 6-0 in the final. It was a big team, they gave their all to this exercise which was new for them, and Axel had a blast. »
“In total, I have 11 medals and 3 cups! Mom said we were going to install a shelf in my room because they take up too much space.” • C. Graizzaro
A passion-heritage
Axel trains about six hours a week, under the watchful eye of his grandfather, also a trainer, and his mother, and participates in competitions on weekends. “ It’s his passion, he lives for it. We don’t force him, he really has it in his blood. Archery requires a certain attitude: you have to be calm, composed, attentive…And Axel has all these qualities, he really found his sport, the one that corresponded to his personality.»
Axel notes everything on the back of his medals: the name, place and date of the competition, his rank, and even his points, to keep track of his progress. • C. Graizzaro
Shooting training at 20 meters on an 80 cm target. • C. Graizzaro
A passion undoubtedly passed on as an inheritance, because even the little sister impatiently awaits her 6th birthday to finally be able to register like her brother, her mother and her grandfather before her, at the archery club. Indeed, Roxanne is herself a former national level archer. “ I had to stop for my studies, I am a liberal nurse. We don’t make a living from archery today unfortunately, even at the professional level. »
Axel lives, breathes and even sleeps archery! He has a 122cm target on his bedroom wall, and a jersey signed by his favorite archers. • Photo credit: Roxane, Axel’s mother
Shooting as a method of relaxation
When we ask the main person concerned, for him, archery is both a method of relaxation and a form of adrenaline. “ I like shooting my arrows, and the suspense of knowing where they will land on the target. It also shows that I know how to apply myself and be the best. But it also calms me down, as we always do the same movements. » And Axel is the perfectionist type: when he likes something, he tends to give it his all, ” at school as in archery », specifies his mother. “ And he has the very humble victoryspecifies Joëlle, her grandmother, he’s not going to jump in the air, he believes that if he won it’s because he worked for it. »
Adjustment shots before getting down to business: 64/70 points. “But Axel is only able to shoot in the yellow part of the target.” The objective? Always be as close as possible to the X, the center.
And his big dream is the Olympic Games. To achieve this, he is ready to do anything: “ I’m going to train while there’s still time. » He obviously intends to follow the events in Paris this summer, and is already making his predictions: for him, it is the Frenchman Thomas Chirault who will obtain gold. “ One day I went to the European tournament, and I saw him shooting. And it made me happy, I really want to become like him. “. Let us remember, however, that if the archers of the French team are determined (with a good proportion of Gardois moreover), those who will participate in the Games have not yet been selected, since the competition quotas have not yet been completed. .
Axel proudly hangs his arrows and feathers on his quiver, the equivalent of belts for martial arts. • C. Graizzaro
The club
The Beaucaire archery club has existed for 24 years, founded by Roxane when she was a teenager. Members, adults and children, also train on an outdoor field loaned by the town hall. It also organizes and hosts the Gard championship at the Angelo Parisi gymnasium, which on January 27 and 28 welcomed nearly 150 participants. It offers an equipment kit including a quiver and arrows and other equipment for 20 euros per member, in addition to lending the bow which can be expensive to purchase.
The training ground lent by the town hall has straw targets, as well as two sheds, one of which belongs to the club, to store all the equipment necessary for practicing this sport. • C. Graizzaro
For more information:
Training at the Beaucaire archery club is scheduled:
– Wednesday from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. for beginner children
– Monday and Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Wednesday from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. for teenagers
– Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for adults.
Club contributions amount to 110 euros, licenses to 45 euros for children, and 65 euros for adults.
You can contact Stephan Belis, the club president at 06.70.17.34.67 for more information.
2024-04-10 19:03:09
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