6 December 2024 at 10:30

Meet the volunteers at Jumping International de Bordeaux - Épisode 1

Every year, Jumping International de Bordeaux welcomes 150 volunteers. Stable management, spectator seating in the stands, setting up and dismantling the track, support for riders - each volunteer plays a major role in the smooth running of the event, which will be visited by 75,000 people in 2024.

Cross-portraits of a mother and daughter, both volunteers at Jumping International de Bordeaux

Laure Antoune Bâtis, aged 66, and her daughter Aurore, aged 36, both believe in the importance of volunteering, and are very active in a number of associations in the Gironde region.

For several years now, they have taken part together in Jumping International de Bordeaux.

What is your history with Jumping International de Bordeaux?

Aurore: A fan of Jumping International de Bordeaux and an avid spectator, along with my mom who used to work for the event, I've been a volunteer on the international track since 2016.

Laure: We've been coming to Jumping International de Bordeaux since 1998; it's our family event. Although I thought I was “too old” to volunteer at the Jumping, it was my daughter Aurore who encouraged me to apply and even accompanied me to the first pre-Jumping meeting. That was in 2020.

What motivates you to come back every year?

Aurore: Apart from the event itself, which is just superb and a not-to-be-missed annual rendezvous in Bordeaux, my motivation is, of course, to contribute, take part and make my own contribution to the event, but also to meet up with this team of big brothers, which has now become a family, including Vivi, Patou, Aurel, Toof, Elise and Mathilde, along with Marion, who has placed her trust in us for all these years, and without whom the adventure wouldn't be the same. There's the sport, the public, the atmosphere, the fatigue too (laughs), but above all this family. And you have to live there to appreciate it.

Laure: There are many reasons to join: the atmosphere is always participative and communicative, the involvement, the sharing, the friendly exchanges, the passing on of a passion for horses. I'm so proud to wear the official Jumping uniform and to be stopped in the aisles for information. It's a real source of personal enrichment for me.

What is your role as a volunteer?

Aurore: My role on the international arena is to act as referent for a team made up of a chef, a driver and 8 to 10 students from the Blanquefort high school's equestrian section, whom we supervise. Our mission is to set up and dismantle the show jumping courses, which take place on this track during the entire event, but also to help prepare the show, the Indoor Derby and the FEI Driving World Cup Final.

Laure: Over the years, I've taken on a number of missions, from welcoming visitors at the Information Point to placing spectators. These missions require a real commitment to the event and all its participants, whether professionals, amateurs or volunteers.

Can you share a strong memory with us?

Aurore: A strong memory? Unfortunately, there are too many (laughs). It's impossible to choose. Between the bursts of speed, the laughs and the hazards of live action, it's a complex task.

Laure: There are so many. My greatest emotion and pride is to share this intense and magical moment of love with my daughter Aurore, who also gives her all in energy and passion to ensure that Jumping International de Bordeaux remains a unique, unmissable and unconditional event!