1980’s The Foyer Club Sports et Loisirs, Grenoble, France – The Girls of Grenoble: Article 3

[Approx. dates 1980s] The Foyer Club Sports et Loisirs de Grenoble has been featured several times already in this magazine.  Although the Boxing Challenge issued in the early summer on behalf of several young teenage girls has not, sadly, yet been taken up by any British girls, your Editor and a companion by invitation paid a visit to Grenoble towards the end of November 1979.

Earlier in the year the Director of the Club, Monsieur Emile Chabut, had filmed his two most promising protégés, Florence and Isabelle, boxing a short exhibition bout and in training, shadow boxing and working out with the heavy bag.  From this we knew that the girls attending the Club were not merely unique in Europe in putting on the boxing gloves, but also in having received proper training.  The skill shown in the film by Isabelle and Florence surpassed any other amateur boxing by girls or women we have yet seen.

So it was with high hopes that we arrived in Grenoble.  This important city is situated in the foothills of the Alps, in south-eastern France.  We made the journey by car, crossing from Southampton to Le Havre, avoiding expensive (and boring) motorways and taking quiet country roads.  We allowed two days of eight hours driving each day, breaking the journey at Nevers in central France.

Establishing ourselves in an inexpensive hotel just out of the centre of the busy city, we telephoned M. Chabut at his youth club, where he was superintending regular boys’ boxing training session.  A meeting for dinner later that evening was quickly arranged.

1. Chabut himself, as the photograph shows, is middle-aged, and indeed he has been running the Foyer Club for over twenty years, although the “Section Feminine” was only established five years ago. He is best described by the French expression, “trés sympathique”, and he immediately made us feel very welcome.  Indeed throughout our stay our main problem was to let the hospitality be two-way, and not allow him to settle every bill.  M. Chabut does not speak English, but your Editor’s companion is an excellent linguist, and the conversation was able to flow freely, with pauses for translation.

The new season that had started six weeks earlier had not, in M. Chabut’s view, been as promising as some, and few girls were attending regularly.  The reason, he felt, was the total lack of competition outside their own club.

Understandably, the girls get bored with meeting their own friends only, and having no-one from outside to test their skill against.  He was pessimistic about the turn-out for the Wednesday afternoon session we were to attend the following day.

We met again at the Club building before lunch, and admired the excellently equipped gym.  Dominating this was the 14′ ring, raised about a foot from the floor, and two heavy punch bags hanging ready for use.  He proudly showed us the brief red and black satin boxing shorts and singlets worn by boys and girls in competition matches.  Well-used gloves were in evidence hanging at the ring corners.

After adjourning for lunch we returned expectantly for the afternoon session.  Despite M. Chabut’s pessimism, and perhaps prompted by the knowledge that two people had come all the way from England to see the Club in action, well before the appointed hour the door burst open and a group of cheerfully chattering girls erupted into the gym.

After handshakes all round they disappeared into the changing room and emerged clad in red leotards and wrestling or boxing boots.  More were arriving and in all approaching a dozen girls in the end attended the session.  In ages they ranged from eleven to sixteen, and in size from 3′ 6″ to 5′ 6″, with varying weights to match.

Whilst waiting for the official start, girls were pairing off and practising throwing each other, none too gently, to the ring floor.  The training proper started with a series of five short wrestling bouts, between appropriately matched girls.  These were entirely friendly “sparring” matches, with no question of pins or submissions.  None lasted more than a couple of minutes or so.

The first, between Marie-Laure, 14, and vivacious, long-haired Martine, 11, set the tone for all that was to come.  Despite the difference in age they were well-matched physically, and they came out from their corners and got to grips with evident zest and enjoyment.  Throws, scissors, and other well-learnt wrestling holds followed one on another.  A felicitous moment, captured on the movie film being taken, came when Martine, scissored around the waist by Marie-Laure, struggled to her feet and, unable to free herself of the encircling legs, cart vheeled out of the hold.

They were followed by Selima and Nora, both 13.  Then came Roccio, a Club veteran, a member of two years’ standing through still only 12, against, the smallest and youngest girl, a cheerful imp of 11 called Aicha.  Michele, 13, met Marie-Laure in her second “bout” (Marie-Laure likes wrestling only, and doesn’t box), and finally the Club seniors, 16-year-old Isabelle Andujar (elder sister of Martine) and her bosom friend Marcelle, 15, worked out together.

With these work-outs finished, M. Chabut demonstrated a few moves with different girls, but time was passing so it was over to the cupboard and the smart exhibition shorts and singlets were produced (at our special request).  To our delight nine of the girls went off momentarily and reappeared thus prettily attired.  Confidently one after another approached with pairs of gloves, demanding we untie the intractably knotted laces and glove them up.

When all were ready they climbed into the ring, all nine of them, with M. Chabut, to pose for our cameras.  Then M. Chabut was once again pairing them off, and the first two, the 13-year-olds Michelle and Selima entered the ring.  Co-operatively each again posed in respective corners, and with M. Chabut, who was of course refereeing, before starting their round of sparring.

This, like the four subsequent matches, was of one minute’s duration only, and, like the wrestling, was merely a training work-out.  The girls were just sparring, but were all clearly keen to box properly there was no fooling around, and though they smiled at each other happily enough, there was no embarrassed giggling.  They had joined the Foyer Club to learn to wrestle and box, and accepted these as natural and worthwhile activities for young girls.

The keenest of the boxers is the eldest club member, Isabelle Andujar.  Although she only joined the Club this autumn, she is a natural leader and is already acknowledged as Captain of the “team”.  Unfortunately there is no other girl of her size who is at all keen on boxing, although her friend Marcelle is prepared to act as sparring partner.

All the girls we saw had joined the Club that autumn, except for Roccio.  Her preference is for wrestling, but in the last year she has had two competitive boxing bouts, both of which she won easily on points.  Indeed, M. Chabut assured us, anything but points verdicts in competitive bouts are rare, as he is very careful not to over-match girls.  If one does seem to be out-matched, the bout is quickly stopped.

In the second “bout” young Martine met Nora, two years older, but of similar size.  Roccio boxed Aicha.  Then it was Selima again, against Fatima, 14.  Both these girls prefer boxing to wrestling, and gave good evidence of their enjoyment of the sport.

The final pairing was between the big girls, Isabelle and Marcelle.  Then M. Chabut took each girl for a minute or so, getting them to hit his gloves and widen their variety of punches and defence.  The session broke up with individual girls working out with the heavy bags and skipping ropes.  Then they were returning to us, one by one, for their gloves to be unlaced.

We concluded with a brief film show of a bout that took place last summer in Japan, between the American “Squeaky” Bayardo and the Japanese Miyako Shima.  This was the first time the girls had had the opportunity of seeing genuine professional women boxers in action, and the skilled performance put up by these two experienced boxers was much appreciated.

Then it was back into the changing room, and moments later the little boxers were replaced by bejeaned “jeunes filles”.  “Au’voir, M’sieur”, hand shakes, and even the tentative “Goodbye”, or, despite the hour, “Good morning”.  “A Samedi, A Samedi” – we heartily agreed and looked forward keenly to our second meeting.

Our abiding thoughts, as we watched the subsequent boys’ session, were how natural the whole thing had been, and why on earth were boxing and wrestling for girls of this age unique in Europe to Grenoble.

Came Saturday and we foregathered at the Foyer Club Sports et Loisirs once again.

Most of the same girls who had been there the previous occasion turned up again, with the important addition of Florence Tormos.  She and Isabelle Petit are the two best girl boxers in the Club, and it had been a disappointment that neither could attend on the Wednesday. Isabelle is no longer living close to the Club, as although it had been hoped she would come today, she was unable to do so as she and her parents were away.  So we were not to see these two well-matched girls in action together.

But Florence herself sparred with a number of those present, and gave good evidence of her considerable skill and power.  Still aged only 13, she is a stocky well-built girl with a tough, determined but merry face.  In the warm-up session her work-out with the heavy bag was a delight to watch, and it was clearly good for the others to have her example.

The session this afternoon was entirely devoted to boxing, partly in deference to our own interests, but also because M. Chabut had just got some special bandages to go beneath the gloves.  These took time to put on, and the girls were all eager to try them out.

Deprived as we were of Isabelle Petit’s presence, we were unable to see anything approaching a proper, skilled and well matched contest, which was a pity, but once again the session was one of non-stop ebullient activity.  This time there were several spectators, including at least one former club member, Sophie. (see photos of her, a year or so ago, on the back cover of AW5).  We were very sorry to learn that this attractive blonde teenager has for the moment “hung up her gloves”.  However, later M. Chabut told us he has hopes she will become an active club member again, in which case we hope to see film of her in the future.  But another girl of around 14 or 15, on her first visit, and who spoke quite a bit of English, was impressed by what she saw and assured us she intended to try boxing too the next time.

As before, the session consisted of one-minute rounds of sparring, one pair of girls followed by another.  The elder Isabelie (Andujar) boxed a couple of rounds with Marcelle.  Fatima worked out with Michelle and Nora with Selima.  The keenest was the irrepressible ll-year-old Martine, Isabelle’s younger sister, who boxed Nora and twice with the “baby” of the club, little Aicha, another who was bubbling over with enthusiasm.

But it was Florence who dominated the proceedings.  Each of the three times she entered the ring we were aware that here we really had a dangerous and powerful boxer.  Her sturdy figure exuded confidence and competence, and it was easy to understand how she had beaten a boy last season.  Selima and Nora, in their practice rounds with her, treated her with the greatest respect, and the sparring was mainly at long range, with blows rarely hitting more than gloves and air.  All the time Florence’s stance and footwork were immaculate, as she manoeuvred her opponent around the ring. But the highlight of the afternoon was the clash between Florence and Martine.

Although Martine had only been boxing for two months at most, her copy-book defence and left lead were good evidence of M. Chabut’s teaching.  Not for this cheeky youngster the caution of her elders.  Showing no awe for her experienced opponent, Martine stood up well to Florence’s attacks and slipped her punches with creditable defensive skill.  Going into the attack herself, she forced Florence onto the defensive several times.  In return, Florence came back with some brisk counters.  The climax came with a right, left, right, left, all of which landed and the last sent the youngster’s head right back, long hair flying.  Creditably Martine returned fiercely to the attack, though her “cool” had deserted her and she was reverting to wild flailing slaps as M. Chabut brought the round to its close.  All was quickly smiles again as a satisfied-looking Florence and a slightly battered Martine posed for our cameras.

The afternoon sped by, and all too soon we were helping to unglove the girls.  Clearly the session had passed quickly for them too, and we felt sure that M. Chabut would be receiving a regular and gratifying attendance by the group in the future.  As the weeks pass he should be building as good a team of girl boxers and wrestlers as in past years.  Maybe even yet competition will be found for them from the U.K. (and there is also a possibility of some from Holland).  By the spring of 1980 their training and experience will have built up, and perhaps some proper exhibition if not competitive bouts can be staged.  If so, your Editor and others from the U.K. certainly hope to be there to cheer them on – or even, who knows, extend an invitation to the Club to send a group to England.  These enthusiasts and M. Chabut himself deserve all the encouragement we can provide.