“But they are giants!” “. Impressed, the 22 students in the 3rd option LCE (foreign languages and cultures) class at the Jean-Marie Le Bris college in Douarnenez, need to raise their heads to look into the eyes of the two professional players from the Béliers de Kemper who have come to give them a class, Monday December 16. The Serbian Milan Milovanovic measures 2.05 m and the American Jamar Abrams, 2.01 m. All smiles, visibly delighted to be there, the two men quickly managed to break the ice. First with a series of warm-ups, then with ball in hand around the basketball hoop in the beautiful Plaine des sports hall. “They have great energy and I want to return the favor. We have a great time, we have a lot of fun,” emphasizes Jamar Abrams, who joined the Quimper team in August and who defines himself as “a very simple guy” who “does not need to live in a big city. Same story for Milan Milovanovic: “It’s always beautiful moments of sharing in a good mood.” He also joined the Rams this season. “It’s really a beautiful region but it’s still raining a little too much for me,” laments the Serb who admits, however, that it’s currently snowing in his country of origin.
Foreign languages and cultures option
As the sports session progresses, the students relax and begin to chat or even joke in English with the two athletes. “They are physically impressive but in reality they are super nice. It’s still a chance to be able to play basketball with them,” rejoices Clément, 14 years old. Léo, also 14 years old, doesn’t really say anything else: “They have incredible sporting potential and in fact they are very simple with us. As if it were normal even though for us it is still exceptional to meet them. They are stars! »
Benoît Mignon Le Vaillant, PE teacher, initiated the meeting. “At the Jean-Marie Le Bris college, we offer an LCE (Foreign Languages and Cultures) option for 3rd grade students,” he explains. This consists of 2 hours of additional English per week: 1 hour of reinforced English, 1 hour of PE in English during the 1st semester then 1 hour of musical education in English during the 2nd semester. “To close the first semester of PE in English, we decided to organize this meeting. Initially, it is a basketball session led by the players in English then a discussion between the students and the players takes place,” he explains. “This is an opportunity to combine words with actions. It’s a real point of support for motivation,” explains English teacher Erica Gloaguen.
BK Citizen
Étienne Le Pape, events manager at Béliers de Kemper, accompanies the two athletes. “Beyond sport, we want to have a role on the field. We want to show that we know how to do something other than showmanship. It’s also a way to make ourselves known because we will soon be playing in a much larger venue and we need to broaden our audience,” he says, recalling the mission of BK Citoyen, an endowment fund which allows the club to be involved in local life. Around 80 actions are organized each year: meetings with children in schools, ecological actions or even health basketball.
