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Louis-Philip Boucher
To live the Défi sportif on both sides
In 2002, Louis-Philip Boucher’s life changed completely when he decided to dive from a quay in Valleyfield, into a shallow stream. His head hit a rock and he broke his sixth cervical vertebrae.
After a few moments underwater, his friends came to his rescue, but the damage was done, water had flooded his lungs. He was transported the local hospital where a coma was induced, a coma that lasted three months. When he emerged, he was quadriplegic.
People thought I had done that motorcycling, since I was rather reckless when I rode. But no, it was a very unremarkable dive; I thought there was enough water. As a matter of fact, it was a fairly long time before someone came to my rescue, because everyone thought it was a safe place.
For Louis-Philip Boucher, there is a lot of prevention do be done as regards diving in pools as well as in waterways. When I give talks, I stress that point, but there needs to be more prevention. You can jump at certain places, but not headfirst. Diving should only be done in designated areas. An awareness campaign is underway by the Paraplegic Association, but it must be emphasized.
Before the incident, the Saint-Jérôme fencer worked in the building industry and practised a number of sports, from acrobatic skiing to motorcycling. So, aside from his rehabilitation that lasted almost three years, he had to find a new field of work.
Today, he is a worker with youngsters living with an intellectual disability at the Cap-Jeunesse high school in Saint-Jérôme
It is in that capacity that he made his debut at the Défi sportif. For the youngsters, the Défi sportif is really big. It is the event they are all waiting for. At the beginning, I was organizing everything, but now that I have discovered fencing, someone else looks after it and I come only as a worker.
For four years, the Défi sportif represents the opportunity for the Saint-Jérôme resident to fence at an important event in front of his own people. Plus, on Friday, the teenagers from his school take a few minutes to go and cheer him on.
It’s fun to know that the young ones that I mix with at work have the opportunity to come and see me competing. For me, the Défi sportif is in two phases. During the week, it is the pleasure of seeing my young people give their all, and over the weekend, I have to focus and be ready to wage war.
But why fencing? I tried many sports, but fencing did it for me when Pierre Mainville introduced me to this sport. I like fighting and it calls for much adaptation, to the opponent as well as to the weapon.
Louis-Philip is in the C category and, for the time being, there are few fencers in his category in America, to the extent that at the Défi sportif, he has to fight in class B.
For me it’s a hobby; I don’t train full time, but if my category was to be present at the Paralympics, I would consider training more intensively.
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