Youth athletes get solid taste of competition at Les Jeux de Montreal

Competetive spirit, style and athleticism were on display at the annual Les Jeux de Montreal.

The 48th edition of Les Jeux de Montreal ended on Sunday.

It’s the largest sporting competition for children aged six to 12 in the region, and brings together around 10,000 young participants.

After months of preparation, the final day of action was held at the Claude Robillard Sports Complex in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough.

It’s the first competition for most of the elementary-school aged athletes.

Fifteen sports are featured, including breaking.

Eric “Zig” Martel is the director of Breaking Canada and says participants in the dance battles need some swagger.

“Dancing in front of someone and they answer back; it’s a beautiful thing to see,” he said. “That’s like their confidence. They get more and more into each battle.”

On the floor, Maverick and his team represented Southwest Montreal.

“It’s hard for some people, but the more you learn, the more it gets easier,” said the seven-year-old.

Representing Hochelaga-Maisonneuve-Mercier, nine-year-old Solomia Grosko is an ace archer.

“I tried first with active sports like gymnastics and ballet, [but] I really like archery because you have to use your mind a lot,” she said.

Like in the big leagues, les Jeux de Montréal has judges, referees, and fans.

“Archery is something that she enjoys and it’s very cognitive,” said Solomia’s father Paul Grosko. “It’s good for mental development. She likes it.”

Archery coach Alexis Laliberte said playing against peers is a healthy challenge.

“These young people are pulling 12-pound bows for two hours, so they need to have strong muscles in the back and then elbow and shoulders,” he said.

Representing Verdun on the pickleball court, Londovic Leang may deserve extra points for style for serving the ball under his knee.

“It’s not as hard as tennis, but it is kind of hard to get the feeling,” said Leang.

Pickleball Coach Simon Lemay of Camp Energie of Verdun says the kids learn a lot.

“They can challenge themselves not to be aggressive, but to be able to see what they can do and especially have good sportsmanship behind that. It’s all good fun,” he said. “We have a chance to talk to other coaches, kids from other areas, disciplines we don’t know and we get to talk to everybody.”