Maxime: I don’t know, for what?

Manon: I prepared you a second interview. I need to say, the revenge of the revenge. But the subject of this interview is more fun than our studies.

Maxime: About how to rob a bank?

Manon: No, not rob a bank.

Maxime  I read the big poster. I don’t know, Manfred, I think?”

Manon  You like my story?

Maxime Yes, very funny.

Manon I prepared you an interview about gymnastics. It’s fun. The first question is, how many years have you been practicing gymnastics, and why did you choose this sport?

Maxime Firstly, I’ve been practicing this sport for 15 years now. I began this sport because of my cousin. My cousin did this sport when she was young. So, I discovered this sport by my cousin, and I just say how I love this backflip and I wanted to do the same.

Manon My second question is, are you specializing in a specific discipline or not?

Maxime No, I’m not specializing in a discipline. Every person does the same discipline. The best people in France or in the world can be specialized in a discipline.

Manon Do you have a favourite discipline or not?

Maxime Yes, that depends on my progression in the discipline, but I think I prefer the high bar and the floor.

Manon What is the floor?

Maxime The floor is just a square for 12 meters by 12 meters.

Manon I understand the terms the floor, but why are you on the floor?

Maxime On this floor of 12 square meters, you come from a corner to another one by doing some backflip and with a lot of turns.

Manon In gymnastics, you have a lot of different disciplines, but some disciplines are more difficult than others. In your opinion, what is the most difficult discipline?

Maxime I can have two answers because we have the most difficult in physically, which is the… I don’t have the name in English.

Manon The ring.

Maxime Yes, the ring. The ring is physically the most difficult, but technically, I think it’s the pommel horse. It’s like a horse with two bars on it. Yes, two little bars, and you have to turn around this pommel.

Manon I already showed a video about this one. You had a competition this weekend.”

Maxime Yes.

Manon How was it? What’s your final ranking? I don’t know if you have a ranking, but if you have it, what’s your final ranking?

Maxime This competition was not my best because I’m a little tired from the last months of training. But I’m very happy about the high bar because it was a very difficult discipline, but I successfully taught this discipline. So, I’m very happy for this one, but for the rest, it’s more difficult, so I’m not technically at my best. So, I can do better, but it’s very good training for me. I don’t have a ranking because I’m not in my department, so I train myself in Laval.

Manon You don’t have a teacher or coach in Laval?

Maxime I have a coach, but it’s not mine because I train myself in Laval, but I always licensed to my own lessons in my old club. My last competition was a departmental competition, but I’m not in my local department, so it’s just training for me.

Manon What’s your final ranking?

Maxime I’m first.

Manon Can you tell us about a typical day in the competition?

Maxime Firstly, we don’t eat a lot before the competition, and we have a first mental preparation. A competition day is very special because you have the stress at the beginning of the day, and you are on the competition when you wake up. So, that’s very special. When it’s the time for the competition, you come to the specialized cell, and you have 30 minutes.

Manon 30 or 40?

Maxime 30.

Frank Warming up.

Maxime Yes, warming up. You enter the competition, and you have 5 minutes of warm-up specialized in the discipline. You have a general warm-up in 30 minutes, you enter the competition, and you have 5 minutes specialized in the discipline. After, you have your real passage, you do the 6 disciplines, and after, it’s just the result, and you have finished the day.”

Manon Perfect.

Maxime At the end of the day, which is very important, you have to go to the McDonald’s.

Manon That’s very important.

Manon I don’t know if you remember it, but what’s your favourite moment since you started gymnastics? You practiced gymnastics for 15 years. I think you have a lot of memories. What’s your favourite?”

Maxime My favorite one is 2 years ago, when I was the vice-champion of France. That’s my best moment.”

Manon Can you tell me more about this competition?”

Maxime I have a post, especially for that.”

Manon I asked you the question, and I need an answer.”

Maxime This competition was in the north of France. I prepared myself a long time for this competition. It was my dream when I was young. I didn’t have the first place, but the first one was too high for me. The second place was my best place and my best level I had. It was my favourite moment.”

Manon It’s not the subject, but did you already fail a competition?

Maxime Yes!

Manon How did you totally fail?

Maxime On the 6th discipline? No. I failed a lot of competitions on 2 or 3 disciplines, and the ranking was a total fail. I think about my first French competition. I was in the top 5 for the 4 first disciplines. On the 5th discipline, which was the pommel horse, which was the most difficult, I totally failed and I finished 33rd.

Manon How did you react during this moment?

Maxime It was a very complicated moment.

Manon Because personally, when I felt something, I was too disappointed, and I can’t rebound about the situation. You rebounded about the situation or not?

Maxime No. At the moment, I cried a lot because it was my first competition, my first French competition. I was in the top 5 during the first part of the competition. It was very difficult for me to accept to fail on this discipline, but I know that I’m not the best in this discipline. It was very difficult for me, but now I train hard for this, and it’s not a problem.

Manon You know, a fail is the rule of the game. This is my last question. Are you superstitious or no?”

Maxime What do you think about superstitious?

Manon Do you have rituals or habits before a competition? If you don’t practice these rituals, you fail your competition.

Maxime Maybe yes. Before a competition, I have to review all my movements in my head. That’s to put me in a good mood for the competitions.

Manon And you don’t have an object?”

Maxime No, I don’t have an object or anything like that.

Manon I don’t know the French words for Tord Bunner.”

Frank It’s a talisman. I think it’s a talisman in English.”

Manon Talisman?

Frank It’s a little symbol that you carry with you that you believe gives you luck.

Maxime I don’t have one.  For a competition, when you wake up, you are in stress for the competition. It’s a very special mood. You are in the competition at the beginning of the day.”

Manon You’re not superstitious?”

Maxime No.

Manon I finished my interview. Thank you for your answers.

Maxime Thank you for this