As every Tuesday afternoon for a few weeks now, children arrive one by one at the ramps of Sammy Skate Club. Today, there will be five of them, all with disabilities, putting on helmets and knee pads to try out scooters, rollerblades, or skateboards for an hour. Hugo, 15, keeps smiling as he goes back and forth along the course. “I’ve come a few times. I had never done this before, so at first I was a little scared,” the teenager whispers. But no worries: Hervé Le Lorc’h, Mattéo Sergent, and Damien Le Marer, the masters of the sport, are here to guide all these kids.
Sixty accompanied children
Since January, the Groupement de Coopération Sociale et Médico-Sociale (GCSMS) “Le Petit Chêne”, which includes respite houses in Saint-Évarzec and Melgven, has partnered with the French Paralympic and Sports Committee (CPSF) to strengthen the link between medical and sports structures. “Only 4% of clubs in France are able to accommodate people with disabilities,” reminds Elorrie Golhen, Brittany representative of the Committee.
Hervé and Damien, employees of Sammy Skate Club, have been trained to welcome this public, and are assisted throughout the session by some volunteers from the Gouesnach association “La ferme de Tobie.”
Under the laughter and good cheer, the children weave through the slaloms. A great introduction to action sports!
“Building confidence”
Just behind them, scooters grind on the ramps and a skateboard, with a leather chair attached, navigates the slaloms. Hearing the laughter echoing through Sammy Skate Club’s hall, it seems the children are enjoying themselves. “The idea is to make the activity accessible. At first, they are hesitant. But soon they gain confidence in themselves. It’s an activity that leaves a mark on them, and they sometimes talk about it for weeks,” reports Laurent Quiviger, sports manager at Le Petit Chêne. “They take pleasure in being able to do a sport like everyone else,” adds Aurélie Guillou.
To end today’s session, Hervé, Damien, and Mattéo perform some flips and demonstrations, all while being applauded and cheered by Hugo, Ethan, and all the others.
