2023-10-19 11:44:10
The anecdote says a lot. Twice, the TMC show “Quotidien” commissioned journalists to carry out a humorous report on the motoball meetings in Troyes (Aube). Nothing was ever broadcast. “That means that we are perhaps not that cool,” quips Sébastien Varoumas, the SUMA coach. If we look in depth, we must realize that it is an atypical sport, confidential, but oh so spectacular, and especially with all the people around. »
To the outside world, motoball is a UFO in the world of sport. Édith Chapin, a director from Bordeaux, was given the idea for the subject by one of her friends, originally from Troyes. Contacts were quickly established with the members of the Aube club, often considered the PSG of motoball for its track record. “At the beginning, I wondered how I was going to last 52 minutes with this sport, and then quickly, I realized that there was something else, including the players and all the characters around like the volunteers,” confides the director.
Up to 5,000 spectators during major events
Édith Chapin must first convince the members of SUMA, but also the producers, of her intentions and the deep story to be told behind it: “The countryside is awake, it is not in withdrawal, and the people are extremely proud of their culture,” she emphasizes. Proof of this is the popularity of this club which now rivals football in Troyes by sometimes attracting up to 5,000 spectators “The attraction was Roman Destina, the Russian playmaker, who attracted quite a few people. And then the results, the show, the atmosphere, it all snowballs, explains Michel Dufau, co-president of SUMA. People come for the good atmosphere, they eat fries, they drink beer, they chat. And then there is spectacle, dust. Our greatest satisfaction is when people tell us that they had a great evening. »
Director Edith Chapin, surrounded by the coach, the goalkeeper and the two presidents of SUMA, as well as Didier Leprince on the right, vice-president of Troyes Champagne Métropole and departmental advisor, during the presentation of the documentary on October 13 at the Troyes convention center.
Started in 2019 then stopped with the pandemic, the project resumed in 2022, the year in which SUMA achieved the cup-championship-champions trophy triple. From the field to the players, families and friends who open the doors of their privacy, Édith Chapin has chosen to construct her documentary with two common threads. First the sporting aspect with the semi-final and the final of the Coupe de France, enhanced with comments from David Mutel, a regular follower for the Aube television channel Canal 32 for 20 years. A privileged witness to the fervor surrounding the Trojan motoball team. “There is a real freshness, a real enthusiasm, a real simplicity with the management and the players who open their door and their mechanics. To work, it’s a real joy! rejoices the Trojan journalist. It allows us to build friendships and professional ties, which despite the results and a few shouting matches sometimes, do not relax, because we are there for one thing: to make motoball known above all. »
The other common thread is this volunteer, this SUMA figure that every spectator at the Gaston Arbouin stadium in Troyes meets every match night: Jean-Louis Terryn, the king of fries, the best in the department according to fans . “It was he who imposed himself on me a little with his personality,” explains Édith Chapin. “I found him very nice. And then we came to talk about his family history, the story of his son (former SUMA goalkeeper, Emmanuel Terryn killed himself at the end of 2021 following a romantic breakup, Editor’s note). I found it super touching! It alone shows that motoball is not just a sport, it is also a place where we share the best moments as well as the saddest. I have the impression that it is also with the motoball family that it continues to rebuild itself. And that he is a very happy person today with his wife. »
Joys, sorrows, shouting matches, that’s what we ultimately find in this moving documentary. “Everything that happens at home,” confirms coach Sébastien Varoumas. After being a player for 20 years, I stopped for 10 years before returning as a coach. Today, when we see old friends again, we only remember the good times! »
The documentary “Motoball” will be broadcast this Thursday, October 19 in the second part of the evening on France 3 Grand Est. It is already available on the France Télévision VOD platform: www.france.tv/documentaires/sport/5312148-motoball.html
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