In the large pool at the Verdun Aquadrome, Jackson Demestre, 15 years old, and Logan Marchand, 20 years old, take on the lengths. Educated at the Le Colibri Adapted Teaching School – formerly called the Medical-Educational Institute (IME) – in Thierville-sur-Meuse (Meuse), both are part of the French adapted para-swimming team which brings together 23 high-level swimmers with intellectual disabilities. If they will not be in Paris 2024, their objective is clear: the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
How could anyone imagine that just a few years ago they didn’t even know how to swim? “At the beginning, it was complicated because I was afraid of water”, recalls Jackson. As for Logan “the first time I took him for a simple walk, he moaned for an hour saying he didn’t like sports! »recalls their trainer, Arnaud Tardy.
The two boys arrived at IME at the ages of 9 and 10, failing at school and with major behavioral problems. It was Arnaud Tardy, a sports teacher, who taught them to swim and then allowed them to be spotted by the French team and to join an ordinary swimming club, Sport Athlétique Verdunois (SAV). “No one would have bet on them”likes to say this triathlon enthusiast, who began, more than fifteen years ago, to direct his young mentally retarded students towards sport and competition.
A schedule adapted to training sessions
Logan, rather grumpy, stayed at the back of the class, couldn’t stand failure and got angry at the slightest annoyance. “Swimming has brought me a lot of good, self-confidence, discovering lots of things, seeing other people. » Upon arrival, Jackson was to hold the hand of an educator, “always ready to jump on the first child who looks at him askance”, remembers Mr. Tardy. The observation is unanimous for those who deal with boys: it’s night and day in terms of behavior. “It’s really the sport that balanced everything, judges the sports teacher. But it’s also because, for once, someone told them that they were doing something good, encouraged them. »
Although their disability is mild, Jackson and Logan have difficulty reading and counting, and they need daily support. Interns at Colibri, their schedule has been adapted to daily training sessions. They have class two or three times a week and work on reading and mathematics in a concrete way – to help them be more independent in their daily lives.
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