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BEGINNING
& FAMILY |
 THE
START
How old were you when you started playing squash ?
I was 8 years old when my father took me on court for the first time.
As a kid, did you want to become world number 1?
 No.
When I started playing, I had absolutely no ambition. Well, I mean, I
wanted to be good in France, because la Réunion is a very small country, a
very small island, we didn’t have any reference, any mark really. For us,
being good in France was already quite enough.
When I was young, I
remember that at some point, I used to say “I want to be in the top 30,”
but it was just like that, it didn’t mean anything, I didn’t know what I
was referring to. Then, as I was progressing in my career, I started to
fix myself some goals that were more achievable, each time a bit higher.
And I always had to reach a level before establishing another goal.
 When
did you start training with a coach?
I was 14. Since then, I have two coaches, Franck Carlino and Paul
Sciberras. Before that, I did have two coaches, as I was French Junior
Champion. But when I met Franck and Paul, we decided we could establish a
common goal, a new goal, called “Sport & Studies”. The principle was very
simple: “You have to succeed in your academics, and in your squash”.
Were your parents supportive?
Yes, totally. They embraced the concept, it reassured them. It was not a
simple “school and squash”, that could have led to failure, as it did so
many times in France at the time.
 How
did you organise your squash with two coaches?
Well, to start with, I did a lot of racquet work with Franck, centred
around technique, and Paul was more on the physical preparation, cognitive
and mental preparation, and also the planning of the training sessions.
Paul has done a lot of academic studies, in particular in Biomechanics and
Neuroscience. He is very keen on the cognitive aspect, in the way of
analysing the information, and I think that in squash, it is quite
important. I think that it’s maybe on that level that we might have made a
difference too.
You are very faithful, aren’t you?
Yes, I am. Paul, Franck and I have been working together for 15 years now.
But to tell you the truth, it’s only when I was 18, when I became European
number one and third in the World Junior rankings that we thought I might
have a future in squash. Before that, my title of a French Champion didn’t
mean much really. But that third place World Juniors made us think that
maybe, I could have a career in squash…
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THE FAMILY
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Good
morning, Framboise,
 This
morning, the rain is falling hard under the tropics… In two hours, the sun
will be shining again. This stupid lawn is going to enjoy it sooo much…
and I will be up for another run of lawnmower… the cutter, etc…
Anyway, not here to complain, as I really do not have any reason to do so!
(just hope the blipping lawnmower will start…)
THE EARLY DAYS –
PASCAL & THIERRY
 Compared
to the other kids of the same age, we soon realised that Thierry was
rather on the ball. One of his games, with his brother, was to jump from
higher and higher obstacles, with, in their hand, a little tree branch
with leaves, supposed to have a parachute effect.
Thierry always wanted to be first in everything, and arrived before his
brother, who is three years older than him.
But Pascal was no dummy, and
Thierry had to outdo himself all the time. I guess that’s where his love
of competition comes from… Anyway, as soon as he was able to move, he
showed qualities over the norm.
 At
home, those two were surrounded by sports, as I was mad about them (rugby,
cycling, judo), and their mum doesn’t like losing at anything. So, they
practiced all those sports plus swimming, bio-cross, and long walks.
Squash came later on… by chance… (50 metres from the house, with Thierry’s
godfather’s help, Alain Ducos, I had transformed a corn silo into the
first squash court on the island, 10 cm too narrow, but who cared???)…
And as is often the case, the youngest wanted to outclass the oldest, and
in my view, Pascal has played a determinant role in Thierry’s success
later in life.
At a moment in his life, Pascal got frustrated, as he was not too far off
his brother, but circumstances decided otherwise.
Therefore, Pascal became a PA and Squash teacher and does a very good job
in La Réunion today. There is a very strong relationship between the two
brothers, and that’s maybe the most comforting.
SUCCESS
 Very
often, we are told “you
must be so 'proud' of Thierry’s success”… Of course…
But it’s more than that, so much more. For example, when the compere calls
Thierry on, with grand and grandiloquent words, I get goose pimples; and
also when I see a group of kids running towards him when he arrives at a
club, then I say to myself: “do you realise that all that is for your
boy…”
But then again, compared to the family satisfactions, you know, success
and a very relative notoriety are only the cherry on the cake…
FEARS…
 In
a sports career, what I fear the most is doping. But on that level, I know
I have nothing to fear with Thierry…
And his entourage is on the same level, so I’m totally confident and
reassured… Now, there is always the fear of injury, but Thierry has his
academics that would allow him to bounce back…
Also, the “big head” is a phenomena that could become a problem, but trust
me, it’s not the style of the House…
What is slightly worrying really is the end of the career and the
reconversion, but we’ve got to trust his abilities…
END OF THE YEAR 2004
 Yesterday,
we celebrated the World Championship Title at the club, and it’s when I
hung the banner that says “Thierry,
Champion du Monde” that I realised a bit more…
He took his “affection bath” among his old mates and his family.
He made his friends play squash, then, as one does, we all got together
around drinks and food organised by his mother. After that, Thierry will go back to
face what is waiting for him…
HAVING KIDS…
When you have kids, you only want the best for them, without altering who
they really are, just realising their true potential. I was always aware
that one can try to realise one's own dreams on one’s kids, and that
cannot be good.
So, maybe the best way to help them is to go with the flow, supporting
them all the way (even if the path they choose is influenced by
circumstances or unconscious desires).
There you go, Framboise, what I can tell you. I force myself to stop, as I
could go on for a very long time…
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Thierry
in 3 words:
Renan Lavigne |
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 Céline
Hello Framboise
He was barely four, and Thierry was already concentrating before his
Nippon matches…!
From kindergarten,
he learned to organise his activity plan (communitarian and personalised
method). In our henhouse, he dared to tease the fighting males, and got a
few scratches.
I had Thierry in my class, at the Catholic School of St Gabriel, but I
could only keep him for a trimester. I was too severe with my son and
pupil. I had to pass him on to a colleague… too hard to be teacher and
mother…
He was a year early at school. And despite his repeated absences, he still got his scientific baccalaureate, with distinction.
For me, Thierry is really the “messenger of love, peace and joy”, the
ambassador of our squash!
Hooray for the “Treasure Island”, la Réunion…
A happy lady, delighted to have met her husband in Castelnaudary… A happy
family…
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Pascal
Titi
and I are a bit like twin brothers, although there are three years between
us, and not exactly the same level in squash!!!!
Apart from that, we share the same passions, the same desires, a peaceful
philosophy on life, simple and healthy pleasures.
As a kid, Titi always wanted to do as well as I did, even do better than
his big brother, as we always used to play together when we were young.
Maybe I contributed to his success that way???
When he overtook me, my feeling of frustration didn’t last more than an
instant, and was replaced by a great feeling of admiration. To this day, I
believe I am one of his greatest fans,
I always believed in him, and when I talk to the young players I train, I
always use him as a model.
In passing...
When he was 11, during a discus session, his gym teacher had told the
class “throw the discus as if you wanted it to go past the gate of the
stadium”.
Yop! The PE Teacher had to jump the gate to go and find Titi’s discus lost
in the woods…
All the best
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Thierry in 3 words :
Franck Carlino |
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