The A.S.C.P.A. (Sports and Cultural Association of Pessac -Alouettes) is a sports club created in 1970 which offers 27 different sports. Today, the association offers martial arts, ice skating, cultural activities, ball sports, water sports, research and collection activities, collective and individual sports, relaxation and spare time sports and role games. Our teams of synchronized ice-skating are thus under the aegis of the A.S.C.P.A..

The present heading proposes you discover the teams of the Alouettes by not only meeting the skaters but also through their history, as well as the through the vision of the local and national press.

Thus follow the different links to your liking and learn to know us !


  History of the Alouettes


The ice-skating section entered the A.S.C.P.A. in 1984 with figure skating as the only discipline, with trainers Aude and Marie FLOT. The A.S.C.P.A. ice-skaters very quickly became interested in ice-ballet, under the direction of Aude FLOT, assisted voluntarily by Dany LARCHE.

At the same time they in train in figure skating, the skaters of the club also prepare each season a 6-minute ballet that they present in national and international competitions (French Cup, Pomme d’Or in Rouen…). It is within this troop of 30 skaters that starts to be born a true team spirit.

In 1991, Françoise GROBON, already President of the club, hears about the arrival in France of a new discipline: synchronized ice-skating. Persuaded that this sport has a more certain future than ice-ballet, she encourages our trainer, Aude FLOT to try the experiment in extension with the ice-ballet.
As the team already exists, why not try ?

Enthusiastic with the idea of flying towards new adventures, the team organizes itself quickly around Jennifer GROBON, who thanks to her logical spirit, seizes all subtleties of this discipline. She thus assists Aude in the choreography and the assembly of the programs and becomes captain of the team.

On april 3, 1992, the ice-ballet troop goes to compete the French Cup in Argenteuil where they finish in 3rd place. The following day In Colombes, a competition of synchronized ice-skating takes place. It is the opportunity for this new team to confront itself for the first time with the true world of synchronized ice-skating. . Yes, but here in the synchronized ice-skating world, each team bears a name. Despite, reflection, discussion and brief disputes, at the time of the official drive, the team still does not have a name. "Les fous-fous de la glisse” (Crazy Ones of Slips), "Les ballerinas de la Glace” (The Ice Ballerinas)), "Les Baladins du Patin” (The Skating Buffoons), nothing suits the girls. Finally, Françoise GROBON and Aude FLOT decide to give the organizers a name related to the city and to the association to which the club belongs. In any case, it doesn’t matter, this name, which does not enthuse many, will change as of the next competition...

  The team of the Alouettes (Larks) is born !!!


The following year, the Pessac skating rink closes which prompts the departure of our trainers Aude and Marie FLOT. But the club decides to continue the adventure whatever the cost; thanks to the Municipality of Pessac which agrees to finance our hours of ice-training and to the skating-rink “Le SKATING” of Villenave d' Ornon who takes us in spite of our will to remain attached to the club of Pessac. From now on everything changes: skating-rink, trainers, training conditions... except one thing, "Les Alouettes", the name which enables us to be recognized nationally and internationally.

During the next 4 years, 4 trainers succeed one another: Gilles CHAUVET, Sylvie VAQUERO, Isabelle GINCOURT, Francis LABROUSSE. They are all volunteers and are all determined but none of them truly know the discipline and its technique. Thus, it is Jennifer who will assist them by taking charge of the choreography and the assembly of the programs. Each year, we make a little progress but our objectives are more ambitious and we wish by all the means to reach the highest level. For that, the search for an experienced trainer seems essential......

Then destiny takes over.

  A new beginning…


In the International competition in Finland, by coincidence we meet Tony BOTTE, a Frenchman, married to a Finn who is a trainer of the Rockettes from Helsinki... Living in France, she also is in search of a French team.
Pia LINNONMAA-BOTTE, ambitious and strong on character, decides to deal with our team in order to help us go up higher.
We know that this progression is possible only by making many efforts. This is why, now that it involves us, we take part each season in two international competitions..

Thus, at the time of season 97/98, we leave in January to Gothenburg in Sweden where we finish 7th out of 14. A little later, in the French Cup of Rouen, a beautiful performance on our two programs enables us to finish 5th out of 17. Pralognan la Vanoise is the theatre this year for the Championships of France. Our exhibition is not of the caliber of that which we carried out in the international competition and we thus finish 2nd. For her first season with us, Pia nevertheless managed to hoist us from 5th place to 2nd national place..

Comes the 98/99 season and our two participations in international competition hardly prove conclusive. In spite of that, on February 28, 1999 we take down, for the first time, the title of Champion of France and win on the same occasion our place for the World cup of Gothenburg.We finish 12th out of 20 hoisting France to the rank of 8th nation out of 15 committed countries..

During season 99/2000, we finish 7th out of 15 in the Finlandia Cup of Helsinki, and 7th out of 16 in the Spring Cup of Milan.
On February 27, 2000, we win for the second consecutive time the title of Champion of France allowing us to fly away towards Minneapolis in the USA to take part in the first world championships in the history of synchronized ice-skating. We finish 13th out of 21 teams present.

  Relieving makes its entry on the national scene...


In this year 2000, the changing which starts with the Novices team created in 1996 wins its first title of Champion de France.

During season 2000/2001, the Seniors team and Novices team are both on the second place of the podium of the Championship of France. In addition, the Seniors take part in the French Cup in Rouen and in the Spring Cup in Milan and finish respectively 4th and 6th.

Xavier Debernis, Ice-Dance trainer and Olympic preselected, join the Alouettes, come to perfect the individual techniques and slips of our athletes and to initiate the beginners. Pascale Bideau, voluntary Initiator assist Xavier Debernis on the group of Initiations.

A brilliant season 2001/2002 allows the Novices and Seniors to get back their title of Champions de France while presenting for the first time a team including boys. Thanks to this new National title the Seniors finish 7th in the Skate Canada in Waterloo and 11th in the World Championships in Rouen.

  New teams in the Alouettes


Season 2002/2003 sees being born the Junior team and Preparatory of less than 15 years team. The Seniors, 6th in the French Cup and, for the second consecutive year, obtain the National title and obtain a visa for the 12th place in the World Championships in Ottawa, Canada.
For their first season the Juniors take the shine out by their results: 1st in the Cup of France, 2nd in the Championships of France and 6th in international competition ISU in Rouen.
Our new Preparatory team finish 8th on their program "Pinocchio" built up by Karine Paulignier and Sandrine Cailheton which came in support for the team from the trainers.

Since there, Karine Paulignier, implied like voluntary initiator, is affirmed by assisting the trainers on the whole teams. Marie-Christine Castéra join the Staff to initiate our very young skaters of the Club.

On the topics "Yin-Yang" for the Seniors, "Grease" for the Juniors and "Triplettes of Belleville" for the Preparatory ones, our teams start season 2003/2004
The Preparatory team continue its rise by being classified 4th in the Cup of France in Brest.
The Juniors ensure one 3rd place in the Championship of France and the Seniors, after the French Cup, the Prague Cup and the Championship of France, fly away for their 4th World Championship in Zagreb, Croatia.

  Since the Season 2004/2005 :


The Alouettes of Pessac Continue their dynamics with the birth of 3 new teams: Youthful, Young Adults and Adults,
The Alouettes of Pessac Innovate with the creation of the First French International Adult Competition of Synchronized Ice-skating: "The Synchro Aquitaine Cup",
The Alouettes of Pessac Organize, once again, the 2005 Cup of France of Synchronized Ice-skating.
The Alouettes of Pessac Organize, the 2008 French Adult Cup: Ice Dance, Figure Skating and Synchronized Skating

Of course, it is always possible to do better and the adventure continues, our first objectives are always the same :

To go even higher all together and with the same passion.