Boutarbour trained hundreds of athletes over the 20 years he was associated with the club. He trained athletes, but also good people, good citizens, assets for our society.
“When a young person arrives with us, we know that he is there for a long time, we know that we will see him grow, that we will see him evolve,” explains Boutarbour, who still remembers becoming coach of the Adrénaline club after responding to an announcement published in The Voice of the East. I am proud of all of the athletes I have worked with over the years who have achieved success, but I am just as proud of the journey of those who have become doctors, physiotherapists, lawyers, engineers or who are in the university…”
But the fact remains that with limited means, he also trained champions of his sport. Let us think of Maude Croteau-Vaillancourt, Rémy Julien, Annie Durand-Marandi, Benjamin Lord, Kathryn Moreland, Caleb Pivin, Samuel Pinceau, Laurie Boivert, Ismaël Meunier-Boutartour (yes, his son) and several others, who all experienced success at the Canadian level. In fact, the list could go on for a long time, but we don’t have all day.
“For 20 years, we have done a lot in difficult conditions, we will say that,” Boutarbour continues. It’s amazing how many times we asked ourselves: ”Well, where are we going to practice?” The truth is that we never had a real home for the club. If we are successful, it is because our athletes are invested and the young people, like the people on the management team, have their hearts in the right place.”
“We have never let ourselves be stopped by all these difficulties that we have to face.”
— Fathi Boutartour
Moreover, he is delighted with the recent announcement that the J.-H.-Leclerc school site will have brand new equipment for athletics enthusiasts starting in July 2025.
“It’s good news. Because between you and me, we have nothing to be proud of in Granby if we compare ourselves to cities of our size like Saint-Jean or even to smaller cities like Magog, which are much better equipped than us.
At 53, Fathi Boutartour wants to take care of himself. (Stéphane Champagne/La Voix de l’Est)
One passion, one life
It was love that brought Fathi Boutartour to Quebec and Granby. But with him, he brought his passion: athletics. His passion, but also his life.
“I come from Tunisia and I competed on my country’s national athletics team. Here, I arrived with my knowledge and with this desire to share my knowledge. I gave a lot to the club, but also to all the educational institutions (notably Massey-Vanier and Mont-Sacré-Cœur) with which I worked. I had something to offer.”
And after all these years, he feels like he can offer elsewhere. At least, he wants to go see.
“Teaching athletics is demanding. It never stops. There, at 53, I want to take care of myself a little, I want to return to Tunisia for a while. And I want to listen to what someone could offer me. Europe gave me nice winks. We’ll look at it with our heads at rest…”
— Fathi Boutartour
Adrenaline won’t die yet. Maude Croteau-Vaillancourt and Pierre Gosselin will ensure continuity, which reassures Boutartour. Gosselin and Normand Phaneuf were the ones who hired our man, still grateful, at the time.
“Granby and the region have solid foundations in athletics. I’m happy to see a girl like Maude, a jewel of our club, wanting to get involved in this way.
Maude simply wants to give back a little of what she received from Fathi Boutartour and Adrénaline.
“We changed lives…” says the coach.
