Dince its founding in 1909 by Father Comat, La Vigilante de Bayonne has evolved from a male Catholic patronage into a true sanctuary for the young girl gymnasts of the region. The club has since developed a warm and family spirit, which continues to charm and retain its members.
In its early days, La Vigilante offered a multitude of sports for local boys, from soccer to archery to basketball. Today, the club only has five boys, for 400 girls. Catherine Montois, former president for twenty years and now treasurer, explains this development: “In the 70s, a group of girls introduced dancing, then gymnastics. The boys, due to a lack of coaches, headed to other clubs, notably the Crusaders. » From now on, La Vigilante has no less than 405 licensees.
“Family History”
The real strength of La Vigilante lies in its community and family spirit. Pascal Delannoy, originally from Saint-Palais, has been a volunteer coach since 1998. “I was a firefighter in Paris, where I practiced gymnastics. When I came back to work in Anglet, I registered my daughter at La Vigilante and started working for them quite naturally. Today, my daughter has also become a supervisor and my granddaughter is also registered in the club. Here, we have wonderful memories, it’s a real family story. »
“I like to give my time for La Vigilante, it was given to me as a child, now it’s my turn to give back and help”
This family spirit is also reflected in the commitment of the volunteers, who have been able to sustain the club during lean times. “The majority of supervisors are parents or alumni of the club. It’s touching to see them bring their children today. This creates rare continuity and cohesion,” says Catherine Montois.
Letitia Chamouleau, employee since September 2023, confirms this unique atmosphere: “I love the spirit at La Vigilante. There is a lot of mutual support and listening, which is not found everywhere. Before, I was in the private sector, there was a profit and performance aspect that displeased me. »
A renowned club
The training of young people and supervisors is essential to maintain a quality level of supervision. “We provide training to young people and supervisors to ensure the quality of the work. The children at La Vigilante come from everywhere around, there aren’t many gymnastics training offers in the region, so we take everyone. There are a lot of requests, we refuse 150 children per year,” specifies the treasurer.
The association’s licensees range in age from 3 to 25 years old. “There are a lot of requests for little ones, so we opened a section in 2012. These are real family stories, with some who arrived in the club as children and whom we see evolve until they go to competition,” smiles Catherine Montois as she watches the progress of her little protégés.
“We have a club that functions well and is healthy, with a good reputation”
“Working with children is super fun and rewarding, we really see them evolve over time, sometimes reaching championships. At La Vigilante, we have 60 competitors, aged 6 to 23. Last year, they brought home two French championship titles, one on floor, one on vault. This year, a girl became French champion in the cadet category,” explains Letitia Chamouleau with pride.
A local anchor
The Saint-Esprit district is the birthplace of the club. La Vigilante graduates have trained over the years in different gyms in the neighborhood, but have never left the neighborhood. “Today, to be able to respond to the influx of demand, the City of Bayonne has made available to us the gymnasium between the Sainte-Croix swimming pool and the Jean-Fontan sports hall, which allows us to train in good conditions. conditions,” explains Catherine Montois.
The latter also underlines the good health of the association: “We have a club that functions well and is healthy, with a good reputation. We lack volunteers to train the girls, it’s difficult to find, but the coaching team is very close and motivated. »
At 74, Catherine Montois is preparing to pass the torch: “I want to find the right person to replace me, someone who will enjoy this role as much as I do. I stay because I enjoy working with young people, they have an energy that keeps me young and dynamic. »
