The Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough is home to many water sports enthusiasts. Learn to swim, competitive swimming, artistic swimming, water polo, fitness (aquagym, aquafitness, etc.) and lifesaving are all on offer. The Centre aquatique de l'Est de Montréal (CAEM) offers all these activities to help you discover the pleasure of water. From babies to seniors, this club is open to all!
Learning and safe swimming come first.
CAEM natation is on hand at the Pierre Lorange, Annie-Pelletier and Édouard Montpetit pools to teach you or your children to swim.
"Our club's first mandate is to teach people to swim. We have a civic responsibility to do so. Given the lack of education on the subject in schools, that's why we exist," says head coach Johnatan Portes. He continues: "We're in Quebec and there are a lot of water sources. Many people have access to them in winter and summer alike. It's just unacceptable to have a child who can't swim. Swimming is a must.
CAEM is a club with a mandate to teach people to swim. It's also one of the only clubs to offer a complete aquatic school curriculum. This allows you to increase your level and ease in the water over the years.
Johnatan Portes and all the members of the CAEM team take great care of your children and know just what to say to motivate them and remove any apprehension they may have about contact with the water.
"We try to motivate the children and, above all, make parents aware that a life jacket is not a permanent solution. Swimming is done with the arms, so swimming with a jacket is like running with your feet tied to a rubber band."
Once the apprenticeship is over, a new passion may begin.
Competition for the most passionate.
For those with a passion for water and competition, the CAEM can accompany athletes and help them develop their potential.
"In both the artistic and swimming sections, in competition, we try to have committed people. The key words are perseverance, diligence and respect for the rules", explains the head coach.
Through a more competitive program, the CAEM is there to support the more seasoned swimmers, even if fun remains one of the priorities. "We try to teach them why they're here, why they train every day. They don't just come to take a bath. I never give them my objective, but I try to help them discover theirs through different methods. We help them walk the path, but we don't create it for them," says Johnatan Portes.
The Centre aquatique de l'Est de Montréal also offers two sport-study programs. The first in artistic swimming and the second in sports swimming with the Édouard Montpetit school. They also have an agreement with Collège du Mont-Royal.
Swim and take care of yourself as an adult.
CAEM Natation is also an aquatic club offering a wide range of fitness activities.
"We have a mandate to maintain the well-being of adults. People need to move around, because we're not made to stay cooped up in a chair. Even if free baths are great, even if water access points are great, having someone to motivate us and teach us how to do things we don't know how to do is appreciated. We need to learn by doing ourselves good," says Portes.
Aquafitness is the ideal way to keep fit with a low-impact activity. There are also classes for people over 50.
For people with more fragile joints, or those recovering from injury, aquajogging can be a solution. You'll be weightless in the water!
The CAEM also thinks of pregnant women by offering a gentle activity via prenatal aqua classes, but also of those who have just given birth via stroller aqua classes. Parents can get back into shape while sharing an activity with their baby.
CAEM also offers aqua spinning, aquatraining and aqua bootcamp. The CAEM continues to expand its range of activities, enabling young people to discover a wide variety of aquatic activities.
"We've launched an in-house program that tries, over the six levels of the aquatic school, to offer a range of motor skills that touch a little on all our different disciplines. The aim is for children to discover a wide range of aquatic activities, so that by the end of the swimming school, they'll have chosen a discipline that suits them best during their apprenticeship", explains the enthusiastic coach.
Everything is in place at the CAEM to educate young and old alike.
