Louise Sallé / Photo credit: Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP
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10:18 a.m., June 13, 2023
It is the last day of revision of the baccalaureate in philosophy, this Tuesday, June 13, for graduates in the general and technological sector. There are only a few hours of cramming left before the start of the exam on Wednesday at eight o’clock, especially for some candidates who have some catching up to do. At the school of future champions, Insep, in Paris, Alex Lanier, 18, has two goals in mind: the baccalaureate and his qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the French team. And it’s far from easy to reconcile, for this great hope of French badminton. During a last remedial session with his philosophy teacher, Stéphane Floccari, a few reminders are made.
Video lessons between two badminton tournaments
“What would be good is that we remember today the important things that we want in tomorrow’s copy,” explains the teacher to his student. The teacher brings back some lesson memories for Alex. “What will you put forward, you, on nature?” asks Stéphane. “Nature? It would be a bit like the representation of the creation of the world”, answers the athlete, drawing on his knowledge.
This year, this student took many lessons by videoconference, between two tournaments abroad. Stéphane Floccari remembers it. “We spoke at any time of the day, in any conditions, that is to say, him, in a hotel lobby, going downstairs with suitcases and me going out with my dog, doing the corrected homework on the table”, he says with a smile.
“I mainly revise the subjects that I like”
For Alex, during the last hours that separate him from the event at the beginning of the week, it is no longer the time to swallow the notions that he lacks. He has a well-defined strategy so as not to get lost in his revisions. “I know the axes where I know that I am rather comfortable”, he indicates. “As we don’t necessarily have time to review the whole program with the training sessions, it will necessarily be necessary to bet on a few course themes, so I mainly revise those that I like”, confides Alex who will have the choice, the day of the test, like all high school graduates, between different subjects.
“The Olympics, a philosophy of life”
The pressure of the tank does not scare him. It remains derisory compared to its other objective. “I would say that the baccalaureate is a stage in a life, inevitably, we have to pass it”, he admits. “But the Olympics, for an athlete, is more than that, it’s a life philosophy, a life goal”. And despite Paris 2024 to be prepared, Alex chose to pass his baccalaureate in one year, unlike some students from Insep, also expected to join the French Olympic team, who pass it over two years.