Judo has been a part of Marisol Laroche’s life for almost 50 years now, and as she tells it, she has no intention of stepping away from her beloved sport anytime soon. In fact, she plans to continue sharing her passion for judo for as long as she can!
Laroche was only five years old when she first stepped onto the tatamis, and she has not left them since. Originally an athlete, she pursued a career that allowed her to compete in several Canadian Championships, where she collected numerous silver medals.
However, the “second-place champion,” as she jokingly refers to herself, has never been too preoccupied with results, to the point that her path took a major turn when, at the age of fifteen, she decided to combine her career as an athlete with that of a coach at the Saint-Hubert Judo Club.
“Judo is a sport in which anyone can progress. You don’t need any specific physical attributes to do well. There are different techniques for each body type, and I love teaching people that,” said Laroche, who has been a loyal member of her favourite judo club all her life, including as technical director since 1994.
“Judo has always been a part of my life. It even had an influence on my choice of career,” said the teacher by profession. “My daughter and husband are also very involved, and I think that’s why it works so well! We always manage to make time for our sport.”
“There’s a place for everyone!”
In all her roles—athlete, coach, official, or other—Marisol Laroche has always advocated inclusion above all else. As she sees it, the important thing is to be involved in a sport, regardless of the objective.
“For us, it’s no big deal if someone doesn’t want to compete. There are other ways to find your passion. There’s a place for everyone! Whether you’re in it for physical exercise, for self-defence, for a social activity, or for any other reason, there’s a place here for you. We want to show people that there are many benefits to be gained from judo.”
This conviction is what led Laroche to create a new judo class last September, exclusively for women and girls over the age of twelve. The goal of the class is to enable the participants to continue practising judo in an inclusive environment that is conducive to the development of each individual.
“For those aged sixteen and up, the classes were mostly all co-ed, and they included athletes of all ages and levels. For this reason, our female clients tended to drop out, either because of shyness or because of a lack of confidence. So we took action to allow them to continue,” explained Laroche.
Now, a few months later, Laroche is proud to see that the class is clearly meeting a need, as twenty-two participants have signed up to train together.
“All our girls signed up for the women’s class, and some of them are in the mixed class, too. It’s been a great success, and we’re proud of what we’re building with them. The goal is to let them progress at their own pace, and we can see that’s it’s working. There’s a great atmosphere, and everyone is benefitting from it,” said Laroche, who hopes to eventually have 25 to 30 participants in the class.
“That would be wonderful. Step by step, we want to help them gain confidence, and maybe even get more of them into the adult judo classes.”
In the meantime, the technical director will continue to share her passion for judo in all her classes, because for her, judo will always be much more than just a sport.
“Judo has given me a lot. Much more than simply sport and competition. When young people sign up, we find a place for each of them. And as long as my body allows me to continue, that’s what I’ll do!”
Media contact:
Patrick Esparbès
Chief Operating Officer
p.esparbes@judocanada.org
(514) 668-6279