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On the occasion of the Ligue de judo's general meeting held in Les Abymes (Guadeloupe) last week, Patrick Perron d'Arc, president of the Saint-Barthélemy judo club, gave the Journal de Saint Barth an update on the discipline and the highlights of the coming season for the club.Patrick Perron d'Arc, president of the Saint-Barthélemy judo club, spoke to Le Journal de Saint Barth about the discipline and the highlights of the coming season for the island's judo club.
How is Judo Club Saint Barth doing?
Patrick Perron d'Arc: The club has been in existence for 32 years and is doing well. At the end of the Covid pandemic, we were down to around sixty members on the "caillou", a far cry from our heyday when we had over 150 members.... but in recent years, the number of registrations has started to rise again, and that's a good thing. Our sport has moral and human values, and people are sensitive to that, for their children and for themselves. They know that judo is a sport that holds up and helps to make good citizens and good people.
What events will mark Judo Club Saint Barth's 2025 - 2026 season?
We've drawn up 3 competitions for the benjamins and minimes that will punctuate our season. We also have a large number of brown belts passing through to become black belts, which we need to distill into the calendar. It's worth noting the return of former judokas to our island, as this will push the level upwards and enable us to take part in more competitions. And I'm talking about the return of young people, but also of those in their thirties and over...
In your opinion President, is this return of some "old hands" to the tatamis of Saint Barthélémy due to a post-Olympic effect in Paris 2024?
It's bound to play a bit in favor of licenses... when you take a closer look, all Olympic sports saw their membership numbers increase significantly after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. But it's not just that, in Judo, we're always learning, all the time, techniques, knowledge... you know, even when you're a black belt, you're still learning! Some people say that "it's when you reach the black belt that you discover judo", which just goes to show you the social and human richness of our martial art!
What do you think makes the sport so popular?
Obviously, in overseas territories, and even more so here in Saint Barth, where we're ultra-insular... we always manage to reach a certain segment of the population. As we can see when we take part in sports activities in schools, there's a real enthusiasm for judo among children. In spite of the generational gap we have to face, with young people leaving the island to pursue their studies and academic careers, we still have a public that is keen on the discipline, that's undeniable.
What did you learn from the 2025 General Meeting of the Guadeloupe Judo League, which you've just attended?
This AGM showed us that the new team in place at the League, under the aegis of Jimmy Guillou, remains highly motivated. A General Meeting should enable us to look ahead to the development of the discipline and keep the "machine" running as smoothly as possible. With 34 clubs and 40 sensei in the league, that's a lot of work! In fact, I'm very pleased with some of the new federal directives, such as the team judo license, which will enable, for example, a judoka from St. Barths to take part in a team judo competition. a judoka from Saint Barth to take out an additional license with another club, if he or she wishes to join a team intending to compete in team judo.
What about Para-Judo and Handi-Judo at Judo Club Saint Barth?
I have followed national training courses for Handi and Para Judo and have obtained 2 diplomas recognized by the French Judo Federation for this practice within our dojo, since 2015. Parents need to dare to step through the door of our club, as we are authorized and trained to welcome all audiences! Handi Judo and Para Judo in our dojo are open to all categories.
Finally, what's the club's recipe for longevity?
Passion! I'm a passionate person, as evidenced by the fact that I'm almost 70 and yet I'm preparing to pass my 5th dan! We try to pass on, in the most entertaining way possible, the pleasure of fighting, of confronting each other on a tatami, and that must be the recipe for our longevity [laughs].
