the essential
At the age of 12, Emma Marc, a graduate of Castres ice sports, finished 13th in the French figure skating championship, a remarkable feat given the closure of the Castres Archipelago ice rink for two years.
Emma Marc has been passionate about skating since the age of six. Licensed at Castres ice sport, she was able to overcome obstacles to qualify for the French championship this year. Skating in national division 1, the 12-year-old athlete finished 13th out of 24 skaters qualified for the competition. An admirable performance for this competitor who is among the youngest in her category.
A journey strewn with pitfalls
The closure of the Castres ice rink in October 2022, for reasons of upgrading, did not discourage Emma and her teammates. Due to a lack of ice, they continued their training on concrete, in sneakers, under the direction of their coach, Audrey Truong, a former skater for the French team from Brest. “With the closure of the ice rink, we closed the door to 150 licensees, so we had to reinvent ourselves” explains Audrey.
The Castres sports department reacted immediately. “The schedules on ice, we had them on the ground. We worked all the programs on the ground,” explains Audrey. Emma and the other skaters benefited from local facilities to perfect their artistic jumps. At lunchtime, they could train in a gym on rue Emile Zola in the center of Castres. Without hard feelings, the coach specifies: “We remained positive, work is needed on the ice rinks, they are 30-year-old complexes, they need to be renovated after two years of work, the ice rink should reopen in.” next October to the greatest pleasure of the club.
Emma had to go to Toulouse twice a week to skate, a logistics made possible thanks to the unwavering support of her parents: “They support me a lot, they are always there” she declares.
DR
Every Sunday morning, she had to get up at 4 a.m. to train from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in Blagnac. In addition to Sunday training, Emma went to Toulouse every Wednesday afternoon to skate with the Toulouse Ice Dance Club (TSG). Despite the difficult conditions, Emma persevered, thus proving unfailing determination, values that her coach wanted to pass on to her: “The objective: to teach children not to give up”.
In addition to weekly travel, she was able to balance her training with her school obligations despite the absence of a sports study program for her. “Every Wednesday, I missed an hour of class to go skating,” she explains, adding that her college had accepted this compromise because of her good academic results.
A close relationship with his coach
Emma shares a special relationship with her coach, Audrey, who was able to keep the young skaters motivated despite the absence of ice. “I get along very well with her, she’s the best,” says Emma.
Audrey had to get creative to maintain optimal training levels. “We worked on momentum, propulsion and sliding in Toulouse and positions, muscle strengthening and rhythm in Castres. We wanted to be operational as soon as we arrived on the ice,” she explains. The sacrifices and strategies put in place made it possible to maintain a good level of regional competition. “We had some cuts this weekend at a competition in Narbonne,” she adds.
Thanks to her performances, Emma was able to make her club shine.
