A woman surrounded by men.

The image is rare in French sport but it is nevertheless the daily life of Charlotte Cagigos.

At 20, the young woman is a substitute goalkeeper for the Drakkars, Caen's professional ice hockey team, which plays in D1, the second highest echelon.

"When I arrived in Caen, I would never have thought of joining the pro group one day. Then, I would never have thought of playing a match with them," recalls the goalkeeper, interviewed by France 24. "I did not want to set limits for myself. "

Charlotte Cagigos played her first minutes as a starter on January 6, in a friendly match against the Bisons de Neuilly-Sur-Marne.

"The game went pretty well. There was a bit of pressure because it was my first game but it wasn't what weighed on me the most. A lot of the media were interested in my story and I 'thought' Wow! In fact it's not common 'whereas for me this match was the logical continuation of my journey. I knew that the opportunity would present itself at some point since I had been in the squad for September, "says Charlotte Cagigos.

"I saw that I represented the woman who evolves with the men. And I said to myself that if I had a bad game, it would give a bad image and it would say that women have no place here. "

Report 🏒 from @telematin on Charlotte Cagigos, goalkeeper of the @Drakkarsdecaen team in men's D1 and called up with the Blue for the Dunkirk camp next week.



Thanks to @AndreaDecaudin for the report! Https: //t.co/UrBzOU87Tv

- Nicolas Jacquet (@Nico_Jt_) February 6, 2021

"It's weird to be in the light when I'm rather discreet. But I tell myself that it's good for our sport, for the goaltender position and for women's hockey," she explains.

"When I was little, I would have loved to see a girl evolve in the first team and take her as a model. I don't necessarily want to become a symbol but I would just like to show that it is possible for little girls. to play hockey. "

Hockey in the skin

Originally from Montpellier, Charlotte Cagigos rode for the first time at the age of 3 on skates, following her big brother.

Her parents then enrolled her in ice school, imagining her heading into figure skating.

But she only has eyes for hockey: "It quickly became a passion. When I returned home after ice training, I put on my roller blades to continue playing hockey," says the young woman. .

"If my big brother quit hockey, my little brother took it. At home, we always played together."

At the age of 14, Charlotte Cagigos joined the sports studies sector and left her hometown to join the French women's pole in Chambéry, in Savoie.

"It was there that I discovered the high level. I was with the best girls in France and we played against the boys", remembers the hockey player who, at the same time, does not give up her studies and passes the bac with one year in advance within the structure.

"It wasn't a subject whether I was a girl or a boy"

All team sports combined, Charlotte Cagigos is an exception in France.

She is the only one to evolve with men at the highest level.

A specificity of ice hockey, which allows women to occupy the position of goalkeeper in a men's team. 

"In hockey, the goalkeeper position is specific: it requires more technical skill than physicality. Mixed sport, why not, but it seems difficult to me to extend to all sports," she said.

In 2017, Charlotte Cagigos “needed a change

”

 after a knee injury.

"I was looking for a club that would allow me to play in the elite U17, the men's under-17 championship. I wanted a club that would give me playing time and allow me to learn even while being a girl. Not all clubs have this open-mindedness, "continues the 20-year-old goalkeeper.

During an interview in Caen, the head of the hope center, Virgile Mariette, immediately told me that it was not a subject for him whether I am a girl or a boy.

As long as I was working it wouldn't make any difference.

I liked it straight away. "

Another woman had already paved the way for the Drakkars.

Trained by the club, Nolwenn Rousselle served as the official goalkeeper understudy in the mid-2000s and was the first woman to appear on a Ligue Magnus scoresheet, France's highest level for men.

"It's true that the club has this particularity", recognizes Luc Chauvel, the Drakkars coach, joined by France 24. "Nolwenn and Charlotte used to evolve with the boys until U17 and he was therefore It is natural for them to then move on to the position of goalkeeper in the men's leagues. We also try to push for the development of women's hockey, but in recent years, it has been complicated to have a team, "he regrets.

Seamless integration

In Normandy, Charlotte Cagigos gradually climbed the ranks of the club.

After two years in the U17 Elite, she made a season alternating between the U20 and the reserve team which plays in Division 3. And then, in August 2020, thanks to the departure of the replacement goalkeeper from the pennant team, she took over. officially its place. 

"Without being officially integrated into the team, I was already training with her. From there, my integration was quite natural. The boys were super welcoming to me," she recalls. 

"Charlotte totally deserves this place. She is a hard worker, she never gives up. She is always fully involved and always wants to progress", underlines Luc Chauvel.

"Her integration is successful: the boys consider her as a player of the team like the others."

Charlotte Cagigos takes advantage of the absence of the titular goalkeeper of Caen, Ronan Quemener, who is preparing his conversion by following courses in the neighboring city of Rouen. 

If this monument of French hockey gave her the benefit of her experience, the young woman is aware that the step is still high before hoping to "steal" the starting place: "At the present time, I think I am still far from an incumbent position, ”she admits.

"She still has a lot to learn and experience to acquire to be a holder," confirms her coach.

"But I know if I need her during a game, she's ready to come in."

Head on her shoulders, the young woman wants to stay in Caen at least for the next two years, the time for her to validate her master's degree in Staps (Sciences and techniques of physical and sports activities) to "ensure her back".

Then, she does not wish to "close any door".

"I think I will try to find a club in D2 where it will probably be easier for me to have playing time. Or else I would try my luck abroad, with in this case a switch to the women's championships" , explains the adopted Caennaise.

4⃣ hockey players 🏒 selected in Team đŸ‡«đŸ‡·!

#CharlotteCAGIGOS, #AlexandreBAUVAIS, #TitouanLANES and #RaphaelCHAUVEL!

đŸ’Ș👏 @RegionNormandie @GRAND_INSEP @Sports_gouv @CROS_Normandie @CaenOfficiel @LaplaceLycee @Drakkarsdecaen @clairerousseauN pic.twitter.com/gCsFeChBfY

- Normandy Sports Center (@CSNHoulgateCaen) June 3, 2019

The dream of the Olympics

Beyond this nascent club career, Charlotte Cagigos especially hopes to find a place in the national team.

She has already had the opportunity to participate in several gatherings with the Blue: "To integrate definitively the group to be able to play the qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games of 2022 would be a dream", smiles Charlotte Cagigos.

"With the Covid-19, the competitions have been canceled, like the Worlds, but the group has one goal in mind: to compete in the Olympics."

"She dreams of the Games, we are trying to work so that she can reach the national team. The club aims to take her to the very high level, which would be great for her and for us", explains her coach .

Satisfied today by her career, she regrets only one thing: the atmosphere of the locker rooms so important in team sports.

"I'm all alone in mine. It's the only sacrifice to be made."

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