the essentials Olivia Lavy, 23 years old, is a gendarme in the Casteljaloux brigade and rugby players in Fédérale 2 in Marmande. Recently, the young woman, originally from Gironde, was selected for the France Gendarmerie team. She hopes to soon honor her first selection in Blue.
In her office at the Casteljaloux gendarmerie, Olivia Lavy’s passion for rugby is displayed almost everywhere. Flags of the XV of France, SU Agen, Aviron Bayonnais and Union Bordeaux Bègles (UBB) hang on the wall. Behind his workstation, there is also a large standard of the Basque Country and another, a little smaller, of Corsica. A memory of the previous assignments of the young 23-year-old soldier, who was a reservist in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and a volunteer assistant gendarme on the Isle of Beauty before arriving in Lot-et-Garonne in 2023.
Since she discovered the oval ball in middle school, Olivia Lavy, originally from Bordeaux, has never been able to give up this sport. “For the record, I wanted to stop rugby this year to concentrate on my judicial police officer (OPJ) exam, which I have to take in eight months. But I couldn’t. I love this sport so much. And I did well. If I had stopped, I would not have been able to be taken into the France Gendarmerie team. Because we have to play in a club to be eligible for selection,” she smiles.
“I was supposed to stop playing rugby this year but I couldn’t. I love this sport so much. »
The young woman, who played as a cadet with the Lionesses of Stade Bordelais, is now a good level rugby player. And for good reason, she joined the group of the XV of France of the gendarmerie.
“I left for an internship in Lunel, in Hérault, about two weeks ago and we were supposed to play against Montpellier Hérault Rugby (MHR), confides Olivia Lavy, proudly showing her French Gendarmerie team jersey . We couldn’t play because of the bad weather. The grounds were flooded. I was unable to honor my first selection. It’s a shame. On the other hand, this internship was a great experience. Some of my teammates play elite. It was very enriching. »
This season, the soldier, also a first aid trainer and wine referent for the Lot-et-Garonne gendarmerie group, took a license from the Louves of the Union du Bassin Marmandais, which plays in Fédérale 2. The gendarme, great UBB supporter, has two training sessions per week and one match on the weekend. When she arrived in the Landes de Gascogne, she signed with the Mushunets of US Nérac.
She can play second and third line
“I left Nérac to join Marmande because it was more convenient for me with work,” says the latter. There is almost a 50-minute drive between Casteljaloux and Nérac. Marmande, it’s much closer for me. »
On a rugby field, the young woman plays in the second line or third line position. “It depends on the needs of the team. At the moment, for example, I am more often lined up in number 8,” says Olivia Lavy. She is not expected to reunite with her teammates from the French Gendarmerie team before 2025. The Girondine could honor its first cap in rugby 7 during the French Military Cup, in which the French Gendarmerie teams will participate. While waiting for a first selection at XV.
