On May 21, Serge Dinkota, Impact U13 head coach, took part in an evening with youth from the Centre de Loisirs Monseigneur Pigeon to coach a few soccer exercises, however, the most important part of the evening was the message of respect and perseverance.
Nadège Zanré and Narillo Cineus, the centre facilitators, contacted Serge Dinkota because they believed his experience could help the youth from this community.
“It’s motivating for the teenagers to have an Impact coach them,” said Nadège Zanré. “Many of them come here because they have nowhere else to go. We want them to discover the soccer world more in depth.”
Teenagers from Ville-Émard and Côte-Saint-Paul only have the recreation centre to express themselves. While they were a bit shy when the coach arrived, they quickly got climbed out of their shells once the activity started.
Dinkota pushed them until they got out of their comfort zone, and behind his training exercises was one basic idea: go beyond your limits.
“I was really impressed by their level, which gave me the chance to ask more of them,” said Dinkota. “They are not necessarily pushed everyday, so they liked it and adapted well.”
Serge Dinkota took a few minutes to talk to the kids after the activity. He congratulated them for not giving up and talked about the importance of perseverance in sport, but also in life.
“It was a good experience,” said Cyrille Sékou Condé, 14 years old. “He gave us tips that we don’t use normally. When he spoke on perseverance, it struck me.”
“I really like the game with the cones,” said Francis Arsenault, 17 years old. “It made me think about strategies. I’m not as good as the others, but I was happy to have an Impact coach guiding us.”
For the Bleu-blanc-noir youth coach, the activity and the evening was also an opportunity to give back.
“It’s important to get involved in the community,” explained Dinkota. “The Impact is supported by Quebec, people coming from all different backgrounds. We don’t always have the chance to have an impact on these people. The experience was rewarding. The kids were smart and wanted to learn.”
The teenagers from Centre de Loisirs Monseigneur Pigeon may have gained some game concepts that they will be able to apply in their clubs this summer, but beyond soccer, these kids will now have some skills to help them overcome difficult moment as they reflect on the words of their guest coach, Serge Dinkota.
