Mélany is our first Super Optimist to have completed her sporting challenge. She is a participant in the new Hope Team East program that supports sick children and teens in their quest for challenges. Today she tells us about her crazy adventure!
Mélany, can you introduce yourself ?
My name is Melany or mel for friends I come from Grenade sur l’Adour I am currently 17 years old and I am a pretty OPTIMIST person 😉 I am funny, smiling, sportive, ambitious …
How did you hear about Hope Team East?
“I got sick in April 2020. I had treatments that forced me to be out of school for a while. During this period, my mother knew the association “Entre Parenthèses” thanks to an article that was read on the radio on France bleu Gascogne, the article told the principle of the association which is to welcome families with children suffering from chronic diseases or cancer and to be able to make them “forget” the disease for a while.
Thanks to the association ” Entre Parenthèses ” we discovered the association ” Hope Team East “. which is an association that initially accompanied adults undergoing treatment to achieve a sporting challenge, now it also accompanies young people at the end of treatment to meet their challenge.
Since I was at the end of my treatment and the associations were starting to exchange ideas for a future project together, Laëtitia, the director of the association Entre Parenthèses, introduced me to the Super Optimist project.
What was your challenge?
I wanted to try to cross the bay of Hendaye from point A to point B on a paddle board. Water being a source of apprehension for me, the stake of this challenge is double.
How was your Hope Team East season and the progress of your challenge?
My Hope Team East season went really well, I think it’s the first time in my life that I’ve done so much sport in one year.
So one word to describe this “memorable” day.
The challenge should have taken place on the beach of Hendaye and in the end it took place in the harbor, the explanations: the conditions to do it on the beach were too dangerous so we took the decision to do it in the harbor, which I think was the best choice, because in the end it was the top I shared this moment on the water with several people of which Stéphanie BARNEIX, we all shared this challenge together and to finish we ate together
I remember it as an extraordinary experience, of sharing, joy and pride, I remember that I will train to be able to go in the waves next year!
Why did you choose this challenge?
I chose to do a challenge in the water because I am not too comfortable so to give myself even more of a challenge.
Why with this paddle board?
Because I said to myself if you’re in the water, you might as well put yourself in the shoes of the girls who cross the ocean with it and I can tell you that they have courage.
How did you prepare for your sporting challenge?
In the Hope Team East course, it was my coach Jean-Mari who helped me to take up the challenge, and we have been organizing it for a long time with training sessions at the pool. Then we went to the training on the lake of Hossegor and to finish we made the challenge.
During my season I participated in the Swim and Run which took place at the lake of Hossegor it is a competition which combines running and swimming at the same time. I did the 7 km race in pairs with Alexandra LUX, one of the Waterwomen, and we managed to finish first in the companies. I had no basis in crawl and I did the Swim and Run with only 6 swimming practices. I also participated in the race of Moun, it is a race which takes place during the festivals of Mont de Marsan it can make a course of 4km or 10 km, I realized that of the 4km and I finished first of the cadets!
Any last words?
I wanted to thank the HopeTeamEast team and all the people who came to support me and especially I would like to thank my godmothers of locamod who made me the wonderful surprise of offering me the board with which I could realize my challenge, I am very grateful and I thank you for that
Sincerely
The Star”
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