With 6 first-degree black belts and a second-degree black belt last season, the judokas/athletes of Nice Athleticus made a significant impact. It’s a true achievement for this club, which is experiencing a record season since its founding in 1986, and hopes to continue.
11 podiums (including 5 at the highest level) across all competitions and categories, 6 first-degree black belts, 1 second-degree black belt: one thing is certain, Nice Athleticus had an excellent 2014-2015 year, which will remain in the history of the Nice club.
As they reflect on the past year’s results, Rémi Gaechter, the president of Nice Athleticus, is naturally very complimentary: “it’s the best season since the club was established in 1986, both in terms of podium finishes and black belts achieved. You have to go back 5-6 years to find a somewhat decent record, with 2-3 black belts in a year”. Because beyond obtaining multiple black belts, Nice Athleticus, which is affiliated with the FSGT (Fédération Sportive et Gymnique du Travail), shone in all the competitions it participated in last year, whether in federation championships (departmental championship, zone championship, and FSGT French championship) or in the PACA zone championship.
An exceptional year that the president of the Nice club could expect: “There are cycles of 2-3 years in every club since, over time, they change categories. And with the elements we had, we anticipated very interesting results for 2014-2015”.
Nice Athleticus is poised to continue its success
The president was right. But what is his feeling about the new season? “It will be difficult to do as well. But we currently have a good generation of cadets and juniors who continue to achieve good results. They are motivated and performing well, which suggests a good season. Hopefully, I’m not wrong (laughs)”
The objective this season is therefore to continue this momentum, which will require good results in the upcoming French championships. First in Toulouse, during the Easter weekend, targeting cadets and juniors. Then in the North, in May for Pentecost, targeting cadets, juniors, and also seniors. Once again, Rémi Gaechter is confident about his protégés’ chances: “in Toulouse, I think we will have good results, both for boys and girls, even though the level will be quite high. As for the second championship, which will take place in the North, we also have some elements that give us hope for good results in every category”.
A second championship that will involve all cadets, juniors, and seniors… except for the black belts. While the first championship in Toulouse will be a classic national championship, the one held next May in the North will be a Kyu championship, referring to colored belts, which uniquely does not include black belts.
The future looks brighter than ever for Nice Athleticus, which has reason to hope for another consecutive season of high quality, as the club president explains: “what’s encouraging for the future is that we have a lot of cadets and juniors currently holding brown belts, and if they push themselves a bit, they could achieve black belts in 2016. I think we will have a pretty interesting number of black belts again this year. I have at least 3 or 4 who, I think, should obtain their black belts before the end of the season”. The message has been sent.
