PHOTO PROVIDED BY ROBERT BONNEAU
Basketball on the Champs-Élysées
“We were a basketball version of the Boys, arriving in Paris on a Friday in 2005 for a three-part tour. [Paris, Sablé-sur-Sarthe et Bordeaux]. First game on Saturday evening. Walking in Paris during the day, there is a commotion on the Champs. The next day, to respond to critics who say that Parisians do not really support their city’s candidacy for the 2012 Olympics, a major promotional event: all Olympic disciplines will have a demonstration platform installed on the Champs. Think about it, there will be basketball on the famous avenue. We want to play it. I call the secretary general of the French basketball federation [FFBB] and we agree [la journée débutant officiellement à 10 h] that we will be left to play at 9 a.m. Paris won’t have the Games, London will get them, maybe because of us. But at 10 am, it is well noon somewhere, the merry band did not shy away from its improbable moment of glory by sandblasting champagne on the Champs. On our return, we will receive a kind message from the FFBB: “It was the first time that a basketball court was set up on the Champs and you are the first team to have played there.” All with a nice souvenir photo. “
Robert Bonneau
“My wife gave me an exceptional gift for my 60th birthday. Play Pebble Beach! In fact, we were there three days. We played Spyglass and Spanish Bay before playing the wonderful Pebble Beach on the last day. […] The first start is very intimidating, because there are a lot of people around, near the large “Pro Shop”. Normal 4 cubits to the right, the knees tremble and we are afraid to split the air. […] The return 9 can be quite brutal, but the views are exceptional with the ocean at our feet and those mythical holes that we see on TV, not to mention these wonderful mansions (or should I say “castles”) which border the grounds, including the house where Bing Crosby lived and where memorable evenings were said to be held. For me, the highlight was finding myself on the spectacular 18e walking with my shopping cart by my side. I literally had tears in my eyes. An unforgettable experience, lasting memories. Of course, it all comes at a price since the game at Pebble Beach only was US $ 500, not including hotel and meals. But every year, when I watch the tournament on TV, I relive those precious moments, as if I was still there. “
Patrick henry
“In 1984, I was in Olympia, Greece. While visiting the site of the first Olympic Games, I could not help but cover the 400 m of the stadium track. And I raised my arms to the sky as I crossed [le premier] the finish line. No Instagram photo, but a memory that I still remember after almost 40 years. “
Francois Grimard
“I know that the old stadiums or amphitheatres are gone. I am also aware that those who stay are rarely popular, except in baseball. However, playing hockey in one of these “temple museums” would have been a dream for me. So I would go for a first leg at Maple Leaf Gardens and a return to the Colisée de Québec. I would be Ron Tugnutt. It smelled of hockey and smelled of happiness at the Colosseum. “
Simon ginchereau
“I’m a nostalgic by nature… My biggest dream would be to reunite my 1985 baseball team, which had had a memorable season winning several tournaments, and go have fun at Fenway Park. “
Jacques Moore
“For my part, one of my dreams would be to play a ball game at the legendary Wrigley Field in Chicago. I see myself playing left field and catching a batted ball after a long run through the vines covering the brick wall. What a magical stadium located not far from the city center. “
Pierre Lucier
“Unlike Simon Drouin, I am a climber. I have always liked to climb hills on a bike, suffer martyrdom to get to the top and then see the sign of the percentage and the number of kilometers of descent. The ultimate reward, what. I had climbed the Ventoux by car a few times, envying the dozens of cyclists I passed. Then, the vagaries of life and a major surgery leaving me with a slight pulmonary handicap made me give up the cherished sport, which I took up again in 2015 with fervor. In 2019, I had the opportunity to exchange my Montreal residence with a house located at the foot of the Giant of Provence for our summer vacation. I took a week ahead of my wife to go ride in this beautiful region with a friend (thank you, Eric) and, above all, to harness this dream that has become almost inaccessible since my surgery. Two slopes in the same day (it was too hot to do all three) and the third a few days later and presto, this dream was now returned to the bottom of the bag of my life. “
Stephane Richer
PHOTO PROVIDED BY BERNARD JANELLE
Bernard Janelle at a “press conference” at Wimbledon
“I have attended several Rogers Cup games on the National Bank field in row AA over the past 10 years. One summer day, I show up at the stadium to play a friendly match, as I do regularly at the time, and surprise, there is no more ground available. Grrrr. But the land clerk offers us to play on the National Bank land. Wow! What a nice surprise. We played with a smile on our face for an hour. A few years later, I gave a press conference at the legendary Wimbledon pitch (hahaha) and if one day I could play a single with my friend Sylvain Nadeau on this pitch, I would bring out my Babolat. “
Bernard janelle
“Spring 1989, Montreal Forum. A few days ago, the Canadian just lost to the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup final. I then worked as a film technician on the set of a beer ad that required a few scenes from the mythical ice hockey of Maurice Richard, Jean Béliveau, Guy Lafleur and others. Just putting my skates on it gives me chills. Obviously, we’re not here to play hockey, but the five or six most die-hard among us, Sunday players, have thought about bringing sticks and gloves, just in case. When our “lunch hour” arrives, we do not have to be asked to run and make some throws. We see an assistant coach of the Canadiens crossing the ice on foot. Meanwhile, Forum employees are busy dismantling the bay windows for the off-season. More and more unleashed, I unleash a resounding slap shot which … brushes the ears of an attendant holding a bay window. I had the right to the scariest dirty look of my life. Let’s say that calmed me down quite a bit. Unforgettable day. “
Charles Bernier
“As a runner, I have the chance to play a sport where Sunday athletes can use the same playing field as the best in the world. So, I had the chance to do the Boston Marathon and experience the famous “scream tunnel” of the students of Wellesley College, the Heatbreak Hill and the arrival in the city center. I would have done without the terrorist attack, but hey … But nothing will beat the welcome I received on leaving Central Park at the end of the New York Marathon. It is a real sound wall that welcomes the runners as they run the last hectometers of the event. The cries of the spectators will remain forever etched in my memory. “
Frédéric giguere
“After a very nice stay in Milan, on this beautiful November morning, we decide, my brother and I, to go and visit the Monza piste. When we got to the Autodromo, there was a machine that cleans the streets like at home, that’s all. The central gate to directly access the track was open and we see a person who, by pure coincidence, was one of the directors of the race track. We spoke with him telling him that we came from Quebec and that it was a dream to be here. He told us about Jacques and especially Gilles Villeneuve, and we were very proud. After several minutes of discussion with him, my brother asked him if we could do a lap with our rented car (an A5) and against all expectations he said “Go, one lap only” and asked us to be careful. because there were people cleaning the track. Our women were skeptical of the idea, but they got on board anyway. Wow, what a moment. We pass the refueling stands on the straight line in front of the stands. It was a dream. We thought of Gilles, Jacques, Michael Schumacher and all the greats of F1. At turn no 2, we stop in front of the imposing gravel trap and get out of the car to take pictures. Our wives call us children, but it was a childhood and adult dream too! Then follows the famous curve that made the circuit world famous, the Curva Parabolica, just before the entrance to the pits and the finish line. “
Marc Chabot
“I lived in Uruguay and I had the chance to walk the lawn of the Estadio Centenario, where the final of the first world soccer championship took place. I got chills. However, my most memorable “stadium” experience was during a trip to La Paz, Bolivia, where I visited the Hernando Siles stadium. Many non-Bolivian teams that have to go there complain about the effects of the altitude [3600 m au-dessus du niveau de la mer]. One thing always struck me when watching games played in this stadium: I felt like the ball was traveling much further and faster than usual. So I took a soccer ball, put it on the ground in the penalty area, and kicked it with all my might … two jumps later, it was behind the opposing goal. My impression seemed to be the right one. “
Sebastien nadeau