Between the closure of the Duckling swimming pool, the abandonment of the Nordic basin projects and the diving pit, Castres nautical sports has not been spared from the hard knocks. But the volunteers remain mobilized and motivated.
In recent months, when you are a volunteer at the CSN, it is better to know the meaning of the word resilience. After the closure of the Caneton swimming pool (read below), the abandonment of the Nordic pool project in December 2022 and at the start of the year the suspension of that of the diving pit in Lautrec, Castres water sports has caught three waves in the figure.
What to accuse the blow, like the president Jean-Marie Célaries: “Duckling, it is more than 60% of our water lines, disappeared overnight. Two years later, it is 40% fewer in our workforce (626 in 2021-2022 compared to 936 in 2019-2020). For the diving pit, we have no remorse, we worked twelve years on this project, spent a lot of energy, but we couldn’t do more than what we did. The highest level swimming coach joined us because there was the 50 meter pool project. Virtually all official competitions are in the 50m. »
Swimming races in natural environment planned
But at the CSN, we are not the type to stay with our heads under water. “We remain motivated, the CSN is like a second family”, continues the president on the sidelines of the general assembly, at the end of January. No major project is planned at the club, vaccinated by disappointments, but a novelty to densify the army of swimmers (led by the queens of the pool, Camille Tissandié and Axelle Schneider): “Three swimming races in a natural environment , in June and September, in Saint-Férréol and Laouzas. We are looking for the third stage, ”announces the director of the CSN, Jérôme Py.
Symbol of the mobilization of volunteers to keep the club above water: Perrine Fauré. The 16-year-old girl was rewarded by the club for her “exemplary” commitment to the CSN.
And Jean-Marie Célaries concludes: “Nothing undermines our determination to build on the legacy left to us by all those who preceded us in this club. We will always be concerned to pass on to our successors a solid and viable building that can serve future generations.
Ongoing reflection on the reopening of the Caneton swimming pool, closed since 2020
Permanent closure or rehabilitation? Questioned by André Martinez, elected from the left opposition, during the last city council on the future of the Caneton swimming pool in the Lameilhé district, closed since it was the victim of an arson attack in March 2020, Pascal Bugis the mayor of Castres and president of the community of agglomeration of Castres-Mazamet which manages the aquatic equipment, indicated that a reflection was in progress.
But the elected official recalls that an audit, recently commissioned by the Agglo, “shows that with the existing facilities of the Archipelago in Castres and the aquatic center of Mazamet satisfy, in terms of surface area, the needs of the territory subject to not to welcome people from outside the agglomeration and not to provide for the commercial activities of the associations”. And the mayor to slip a tackle at Castres water sports “which has a particular conception of partnership with the city by turning its back on it to go to Lautrec”.
“We thought that a number of the club’s commercial activities were going to take place in Lautrec. Obviously, that won’t happen, but we can’t do anything about it”, jokes Pascal Bugis, recalling that he had not been invited to the laying of the first stone of the Aquaval diving pit. “A first tombstone”, ironically an elected official of the majority with his neighbor. Br.M
Fr
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
