comment Médard wants to facilitate access to sport for students
At 35, the back of Stade Toulousain and the ex-international tricolor Maxime Médard is already in full retraining. Focused on health sport, he particularly wishes to facilitate access to sport for students. With one of his companies, he has just signed a partnership with the Nomad application, which supports young people in school education in order to make sessions available to them. Explanations.
It all started with a chance encounter. In the midst of the Covid period, on social networks, Maxime Médard stumbled upon a post that introduced him to the “Nomad” application, which supports more than a million young people of all ages in tutoring. Already launched in its reconversion, the back of the Stade Toulousain has for its part invested in a company, “Fiters”, which provides sport in the company. This subject of healthy sport is close to his heart. And the idea of reaching a younger population, even more so.
“There have been a lot of reports on the observation of the health of the students, he explains to RMC Sport. Especially during the Covid-19 and after Covid where there was a lack physical, mental and also social. So I said to myself that physical activity responds to all these areas. And this synergy makes sense.”
“We immediately got on very well”
Indeed, according to a recent report by ANSES (National Agency for Food, Environment and Work), in five years, obesity has doubled among young people and their physical capacity has decreased by 25% in fifty years. Neither one nor two, Maxime Médard directly contacted the founder and director of Nomad, Caroline Maitrot to explain his project to her. Originally from Brive, she has always been immersed in the world of rugby. The link with the ex-international with 63 selections is immediately facilitated.
“He told me that he was able to offer me a project and we immediately got on very well, admits the business manager. I myself am scandalized by the shortcomings concerning the health of young people. capacity losses in recent years and obesity. we were missing the sport.”
A connected initiative and video sessions
It has since been possible. How it works? On their application, students can reserve slots. An hour before, a notification reminds them of the meeting and at the desired time, they find themselves, in groups of ten, in video in front of a sports coach. After ten minutes of discussions on their health or any contraindication, it’s time for thirty minutes of sport (cardio, bodybuilding, but also relaxation, yoga), followed by ten minutes of calm afterwards.
“The goal is above all to educate young people to play sports because it is very important, insists Maxime Médard. And if we educate them, it’s like in a rugby club when we instill a game in the youngest. More later it will be easier.” Any resemblance to the philosophy of Stade Toulousain…
Médard: “I try to convey what sport has trained me to do”
Almost ten thousand students have already tasted the joys of exercise. “It’s a pleasure to see these young people playing sports”, is satisfied Caroline Maitrot. Who doesn’t want to stop there. The leader of Nomad wants to obtain the support of the Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports, with whom she obtained an appointment this week in Paris to discuss. Two years from the Olympic Games in France, one year from the Rugby World Cup, the physical activity of the youngest is a major challenge.
“And I find that we talk very little about healthy sport among candidates for the presidential election, even though it is essential regret Maxime Médard. Sport contributes to a healthy lifestyle. It reduces stress, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle. All of this makes you feel good, happy and you can achieve goals more easily.”
After a fantastic career spanning 18 seasons in the Stade Toulousain jersey, Maxime Médard still has things to give his team. In the meantime, he finds in this project a meaning for his post-career.
And Maxime Médard to conclude: “It makes sense because I am a sportsman and when you are a former member of a club, you are told about transmission. So I try to transmit what I have learned, what the sport brought me: it educated me, it gave me confidence, it brought me great encounters. I find it interesting to continue in this direction and to promote it more easily.”