On Thursday, December 19, the Centre sportif Soulanges in Saint-Polycarpe was the scene of a wonderful initiative combining sport and culture. At 10 a.m., the Pionniers de Soulanges jumped on the ice to take on the field hockey team from the Jaanimmarik school in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik. Interview with Charles Villemaire, the instigator of this great initiative, who is also a history teacher. 

 “It all started with Ben Côté, the team's coach, who told me that his players would be visiting the region in the next few days. He wanted to know if we'd be interested in a friendly exhibition match. I said yes straight away. I saw it as a great opportunity for our young people, both in sporting and human terms. It's a great way for us to get out of our history books and exchange ideas face-to-face,” he said from the outset, as the players took to the ice for the first time.  

Much more than an exhibition match 

For the Pionniers, the players who took to the ice for this friendly confrontation were aged between 12 and 15, and were enrolled in Secondary 1, 2 and 3. “We formed a special team for this match with players from the M14 and M15 D4 who were coached by Marc Lauzon and Jimmy Godin-Davignon, the regular coaches of both sports formations. A total of 24 players, including two goalkeepers, took to the ice for this game,” he continued. 

The opposing team's Nunavik-based players ranged in age from 13 to 15, and were studying in Secondary 1, 2, 3 and 4. 

“The visiting team is also a high school-affiliated sports team like our Pioneers. However, over there, they don't play due to a lack of players, they just practice. This is the first time an intercultural match of this kind has been held here at the Soulanges Sports Centre. The history teacher in me is delighted with the outcome of this project. I immediately said yes to this visit, as I teach a lot about First Nations history. This experience gets young people out of their books, because they can interact with real people from Aboriginal communities. After the game, all the players and coaches will gather for a traditional holiday dinner here in the arena. We'll have a chance to chat with them,” he added.

How did the Pionniers players react to this long-awaited visit? “The youngsters were thrilled when I told them about it. They were happy and excited about this adventure. Today, they couldn't wait for the other team to arrive. They couldn't wait and they gave the players a great welcome when they arrived at the arena. They were so excited about this friendly game, they asked me when we were going to play there (laughs). I told them it wouldn't be this year, unfortunately, because it's so far away and you have to organize things well in advance. But I haven't closed the door completely,” he confides. 

A popular field hockey program 

Eight years ago, field hockey enthusiast Charles Villemaire decided to set up the Pionniers field hockey program, in collaboration with nearby Soulanges high school.

“At present, 18% of the school's youngsters are enrolled in this program, in which they spend many hours a week on the ice. There are D3 and D4 categories and three teams: U14, U15 and U18. I'm quite proud of the program's expansion since its inception. In the beginning, we only had one team.“ 

What's a typical week like for the boys and girls enrolled in this field of interest? “We have at least one game a week after the holidays. The players also have one off-ice practice a week and one 90-minute on-ice practice a week. They have practices as early as 7:30 a.m., and their physical education classes take place on the ice too. What's interesting is that the program brings together young people enrolled in special education, semi-skilled trades training or who have repeated levels. The players have to be autonomous and make their own arrangements with the teachers if they miss an exam or assessment. So it gives them a lot of responsibility to play with us.” 

Former Pioneer players are still involved in the program to this day. For example, some act as referees during games, such as the one held earlier today on the ice at the Soulanges Sports Centre. Charles Villemaire admits that the atmosphere on the ice was very pleasant. 

” It's different from an official game,” he says, ”and you could feel it from the start. The players were more in the mood to party and less in the mood to perform. They're just enjoying the game,” he concluded.