The fencers were able to resume the practice of their discipline since the 22 June, but with strong constraints health. Licensees will they come back in September if the conditions are too strict ?Has Lons-le-Saunier (Jura), on 23 June 2020, the fencing club prepared for the new rules in effect : impossible to lend equipment, to each his own. (JEROME VAL / RADIO FRANCE)
Since a few days, the room of a weapon of Lons-le-Saunier (Jura), situated on the first floor of a former municipal building, and came back to life. We hear again the clang of swords. “I missed no longer do fencing, not to see again my friends, I was stuck in me, “says Milano, 12 years old, the smile on his lips. I’m not worried by this recovery with the virus, but it is sure that there are differences compared to usual.”
A complete equipment of individual
Since the 22 June and the new phase of the déconfinement, it is allowed to resume workouts with the return of onslaught, but always with strong health concerns, especially in a sport like fencing, where the equipment is imposing. This is not quite a return to normal : children are first pooled at the bottom of the stairs to avoid seeing the world. No coat check either, everyone has to get dressed up and forced to pass by the toilet to wash the hands. New rules that also apply to equipment. “Every fencer must have a jacket, under-jacket, still not pants because they did not match, a glove and a mask”, explains Fabien Bouvier, the weapons master of the fencing club lédonien, for 40 years at the club.
On the floor white in the room, the facilities are crowded and there is a heap of a licensee now. This is one of the novelties of this recovery. “We prepared all the material to the children and sometimes they the exchange of one session to the next, “continued the coach. In the current context, we wanted to avoid that. Each fencer has made its small package he left in a corner with his name on it. It is he who will be responsible for it. It is the system that we will set up the next season.”
This requires an investment because you have to have a lot of material.Fabien Bouvier, a master of armesà franceinfo
But this is not the only constraint and sometimes the devil lies in the details. As in the electrical outlets, which are essential in fencing. “Normally, we whipped the outfits, tells the story of Dominique Veyrac, the president of the regional committee of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. But that means plugging and unplugging the jacks, the handle. This is not allowed, it should be disinfected every time. It is a little complicated.”
Concerns for the clubs
For the moment, at Lons-le-Saunier (the club has 90 licensees), almost everyone has responded to this in spite of the constraints. Adriana, mother of two young boys, was questioned for the return. “I asked myself the question a little bit but life goes on, school has resumed, it must continue, there is no reason. I am confident for my children, and we will come back.”
Continue or not to the new school year : it is obviously a topic of concern for the clubs to Dominique Veyrac. “I am concerned for the organization of the activity, and it is also necessary to protect the licensees and the weapons masters. Here in Lons-le-Saunier, it is a small club and it is not obvious how to implement this protocol. In small structures, as soon as there was a fall of licensees, it has a financial impact.”
One may ask whether certain structures will be able to survive.Dominique Veyrac, president of the regional committee of Burgundy and Franche-Comtéà franceinfo
Some clubs of the region, such as the Musketeers of Dijon were intended to maintain a link with parents throughout the summer to try to reassure them. “It is indispensable, but already the feedback we have from parents is encouraging, welcomes the president of the club bourguignon Michel Javouhey. Many people think giving their child to the new school year in September.” For the month of June, on the 51 licensed to Dijon, 35 have already resumed.
Fencing : recovery, but with severe constraints on health – Report of Jerome Val–‘—-‘–
