Saturday evening, June 24, for the club party, superlatives follow one another. “Historic”, “unprecedented”, “incredible”. A world champion and three new athletes joining the French under-18 team: the canoe-kayak club Teichois (CKCT) continues to write its name in the annals.
Of all the staff of the France team, it is he who has the greatest…
Saturday evening, June 24, for the club party, superlatives follow one another. “Historic”, “unprecedented”, “incredible”. A world champion and three new athletes joining the French under-18 team: the canoe-kayak club Teichois (CKCT) continues to write its name in the annals.
Of all the staff of the France team, it is he who has the greatest number. A performance that is all the more remarkable given that the structure, created in 1977, relies solely on volunteers. And an undeniable youthfulness that constitutes its lifeblood.
Baptise Guilhem, 23, has chaired the Teich canoe-kayak club for three years.
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At only 23 years old, Baptiste Guilhem has chaired the association for three years. A nurse, he arrived in 2014 as a practitioner before becoming a monitor. In the space of five years, the club has grown from 30 to more than 80 members. About thirty young people, from 8 to 17 years old, joined the paddle school.
Canoeing or kayaking is often transmitted from parents to children, it is a family atmosphere that emanates from the club. With, consequently, a collective pride at the announcement of the last podiums.
The “Fantastic Four”
The “fantastic four” as Baptiste Guilhem calls them were there on Saturday evening. The eldest, Elsa Gaubert has been the club’s champion for many years. At 23, the young woman, world champion in two-seater canoeing in 2019, has just repeated the feat on June 11. In engineering school, she trained at the France pole in Toulouse and remained licensed at Teich.
We can start in a very small club […] An advice ? Get used to never giving up.
The Teich canoe-kayak club honored its champions: Elsa Gaubert (world champion), Alex Durracq, Aurélien Roubinet and Yoan Breisch (selected for the French team). In the center, Baptise Guilhem, the president of the club lacks superlatives.
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At his side, Axel Durracq, Aurélien Roubinet and Yoan Breisch, 18 and 16 years old, have just joined the French team and will participate in the world championships, at the beginning of July, in the Czech Republic.
“A historic succession” assures Baptiste Guilhem. “We can start in a very small club” summed up Elsa Gaubert, addressing the youngest practitioners. His advice? “Get used to never giving up. »
Kayaking for everyone
To this list are added the performances of Lily-Rose Chiroy who, at 14, became champion of Aquitaine and will participate in the French championships in order to integrate, too, the hope pole. As well as those of Romain Degot, vice-champion of Aquitaine on the way, too, for the championships of France and who has also just passed his monitorship. Just like Aurélien Roubinet who also joined the office of the association.
“This year, we have six new instructors trained,” insisted Baptiste Guilhem. Practitioners, engaged in competition and ready to pass on: the formula seems to be winning. This was underlined by Philippe de Las Heras, the deputy in charge of sports and associative life, welcoming a “great team” and “the investment of everyone”.
The base of the canoe-kayak club of Teich is in Lamothe.
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The city has just completed extension work, premises, locker rooms and pontoon at the club level, whose base is in Lamothe. The club is financed through its rental activity. Descent on the Leyre, initiations, courses, adapted practice (he has the disabled label), he applies his leitmotif: “kayak for all”. Maxim to which we could add: “medals too. »
