The Polesud ice rink in Grenoble is transformed to carry BCTM basketball players

It’s an unusual coat that Polesud has put on this weekend. For the first time in its history, the usual ice rink will become a basketball courtto host the women’s Ligue 2 return final between Basket Club La Tronche-Meylan (BCTM) and Toulouse. “We needed a place suitable for the event. Our usual room (the Charlaix gymnasium) was not ready to welcome so many people, and the metropolis made us a great offer”, rejoices Clément Sanchez, the assistant coach of the BCTM. But it still had to go very quickly. “The Metro proposed to us, and we accepted the challenge, because all that was done twelve days ago. In twelve days, we had to see how to transform and fill the room. Everything is going well, there has relief but also excitement”he continues.

But concretely, how do you go from an ice rink to a basketball court? “We put a first layer of insulation, and then we bring and lay the parquet floor. We also need self-supporting baskets, we remove some windows to bring the spectators closer to the field, and it rolls! The idea is not to disfigure everything. We take advantage of the arena with all the services around it: bleachers, refreshments, dressing rooms… I therefore say to all those who love sport, come to Polesud, there is room! is also the interest of the project: Polesud is a huge gymnasium, in addition it will be cooler there than a gymnasium. It is up to the supporters to raise the temperature!”laughs Benjamin Agnel, the director of Polesud.

Everyone pitched in to meet the deadlines: volunteers, managers, but also the players, from the club, but also from a Ukrainian teamcurrently hosted by the Iséroises. “It’s part of the values ​​of the club, always sharing. We live this moment together, and that’s it, we realize”smiles the pivot Romane Revel, who “hope” a small invasion of the field following a victory. Nearly 3,000 spectators are expectedand with them, in this room, a great advertisement for women’s basketball. “Win or lose, the girls deserved to play in such an environment”, assures Benjamin Agnel. Clarisse Sahun, the BCTM leader, hopes it won’t just be a soufflé. “It’s rewarding! Finally! We had to reach the final to have visibility and see that we exist! But we’re not going to complain, we deserve it, and we’re going to enjoy it”she shouts.

The party is therefore already successful, now remains to turn the tide. In the first leg, the basketball players from Isère lost 64 to 51 on the floor of Toulouse. But in addition to the public, the players can count on their neighbors from Voiron, since, it was the neighboring club Pays Voironnais Basket Club which provided the parquet.