Gizie Revisits the South of France?
Coaches Clinic organized by Hilmar Wehner

The clinic ran for six days from Sunday to Friday (8 to 14 August). I flew into Marseille where Hilmar patiently waited for me after driving his campervan from Germany. The one hour drive to Albaron turned into two, due to heavy holiday traffic. It was 30+ degrees Celsius and everyone seemed to be travelling somewhere for the summer holidays. As we arrived at the farmhouse Francoise came out to greet us. We were closely followed by the Braun family, who had read about the clinic in a magazine and decided it would be something different for the family this summer. We spent the afternoon settling in and planning for the week ahead.

Jacques, Francoise’s husband and owner of the farm, had just finished growing a successful crop of pears, recording 350 tonnes. He was looking forward to a slower working week while hosting the clinic and started by taking Hilmar and I to the market to stock up on groceries. As the only female representative it was decided if anything was forgotten from the shopping list it would be my fault. Well – so be it, I can’t read the labels anyway, it’s all in French.

We returned in plenty of time to enjoy the sunset with other holiday makers staying on the farm. With the sun slowly making its way down the mosquitoes appeared and yes it wasn’t long before I knew what I had forgotten at the market. I thought the mosquitoes were going to carry me away. Dinner on the first night would be spent in town at Saint Marie de la Mer. It’s bull season so there were signs up warning visitors of local activities and the possibility you might just meet up with a bull in the streets – but more about the bulls later.
 

A 7am start on glass calm water, the jump set up right in front of the dock and the boat fuelled up ready to go. Lukas and I started each day with a jump set. Lukas Heiss skis for Germany and was a tremendous help through the week driving, coaching and translating. At 9am the Braun family arrived, a little disappointed themselves in the lack of numbers on the first day and they were apprehensive as the girls had not participated in water sports before let only barefoot. After the first day all the apprehension had disappeared. The two girls Tosca and Ella (12 and 15 years old) took to the water and had decided to stay the week and conquer this sport they call barefoot water skiing – how hard could it be?
 

Our first day set the scene for the days to follow. The skiing continued throughout each day and due to the extended daylight with sunset after 9pm we could afford to take a couple of hours for lunch. The opportunity to escape the heat and rest up before the afternoon session proved invaluable.

We did have some boat problems the first two days. Water in the fuel tank on day one then a flat battery but that didn’t slow us down at all. Lunch was always delicious but on one particular day we had the pleasure of eating locally caught fish. Check out the size of that fish! It was every bit as delicious as it was huge. Tenderly cooked on the BBQ it was one of the best meals of the trip.

 

Plenty of helpers on hand meant not time was wasted with boat trouble.

What a catch!

Let’s get back to the business of barefooting. Well Tosca had never participated in water sports before and she is proof that you don’t have to be able to water ski to learn to barefoot. We had her in the swing to start with, then on the boom and had shoe skis on hand to correct her stance and install some confidence. Then to a short handle and finally a forward deep start on the five foot line. Ella had also learned to barefoot on the boom. It was only after the girls had learned to barefoot that we brought out the skis. Mum, Eva and Dad, Rainer also joined in and the family now have a boat on this years Christmas shopping list. Others also skied and barefooted. Lukas’s Dad stole the show one afternoon as did Hilmar when they both stepped out onto the boom.

So how did we match all the fun we were having through the day on the water once the sun went down – well funny you should ask. Each night we ventured out and explored the surrounding towns. The first of our adventures was a visit to Sailes, a small neighboring town to Albaron. The streets were lined with protective fencing in preparation for the bull tackling event which ran twice that day. The objective was for each team to pull the bull out from between the three horses leading it through the streets – this was done by pulling on its tail. If the bull was successfully separated from the horses and held to the ground then the team has won. Now the trick was not so much to achieve this in the first round but to do it all again after spending the afternoon at the bar. Round two was held late into the evening. Then you could lay claim to being the champion team. Its crazy stuff if you ask me.

 

Just in case a bull is side tracked you can slip through these barriers.	A team trying to pull the bull back.
And down he comes but not without a fight.	This one got away.

The next night we visit Aigres Mortes a town founded by Saint Louis in the 13th century and overran by pirates. Surrounded by lagoons and marshland the town is protected by a huge stone wall all the way around, creating a historic atmosphere. We enjoyed a lovely meal and the girls managed to do a little shopping. No bull games this night but the following night we all went to the Arena. This time I decided not to participate myself and left it to the local experts. Lukas was tempted but with the European Championships only a week away he played it safe and stayed within the barriers. A number of different games are played and the clowns keep a close check on everyone’s safety. Audience participation is the unexpected and entertaining element of the night. For example one game was to get the bull to run between the columns into the pool. Marie, Jacques’ daughter, once again won the ladies challenge, whereby the last one left standing by the pool wins.

Group photo outside the walls of Aigres-Mortes	The boys enjoying a beer after dinner..
Some familiar faces in the crowd.	A standoff with a young bull in the Arena with the church in the background.
Bull chasing is the name of the game.	Marie in the foreground won the Ladies Challenge.

On the Wednesday night we visited Paul Rickard’s park, a tourist attraction which showcases the traditional farm life of the district. Complete with a huge outdoor arena where often real bullfighting can be seen together with horse handling and bull branding demonstrations. It was fun to watch the audience get in amongst it – as did Lukas, Arthur and Elliot when it came to hold down the young bull getting branded. This was to be the only night we all were together as a group and so Hilmar had arranged for us all to have dinner together at a nearby restaurant. Hilmar and I shared a seafood platter and it was my first taste of sea snails. It was also an opportunity to thank our hosts Jacques and Francoise. It was a great night!

On the last day everyone was all skied out and packed up to start their journey home by lunch time. After everyone had left Hilmar, Lukas and I decided to take the boat for a trip along the Rhone to Saint Marie de la Mer. We came across wild horses and bulls by the riverbank, passed lots of weekenders and met with a couple of tourist charter boats. The view of the town from the ocean was beautiful. On the way back I attempted a marathon run but fell just short of a ten minute mark. Lukas clowned around on two skis with a life jacket three times his size. We arrived back in time to yet again enjoy the sunset over drinks.

 

Bulls meandering on the riverbank.	Horses by the riverbank..
A local attraction is a cruise up the Rhone river.	A chance to thank Franciose and Jacques for their hospitality.

It was a week of brilliant weather, fantastic skiing, experiencing the local activities, enjoying French cuisine, sightseeing and wonderful company. I had made a lot of new friends. I would like to thank Hilmar for the opportunity to coach and ski in France and also thank Jacques and Francoise for their hospitality. I look forward to seeing them all again soon – perhaps in Berlin 2010.

Gizie and John are sponsored by Wing Wetsuits and www.BarefootCentral.com.au.  We appreciate their support and efforts to bring us these interesting articles.

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