Latest news with #Vaillant
Local France
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Local France
At Roland Garros, the 'other' clay specialists have their work cut out
With the aid of shovels, brooms and wheelbarrows -- and a dose of elbow grease -- the 180 or so specialised staff, most of whom are temporary workers, toil from dawn till dusk to whip the 18 courts into pristine condition for the year's second Grand Slam. "It's a real craftsman's job," Philippe Vaillant, head of the groundskeeping department, insists of maintaining a surface that has been used at Roland Garros since 1928. The clay, the product of 40 tonnes of red bricks from northern France which are then crushed in Belgium, is fickle in nature. "It reacts very quickly to weather conditions, so you really have to pay close attention. It's almost like gardening," says Vaillant, who arrived at Roland Garros in 1995. A blast of heat or wind and all bets are off: the clay dries and bakes, the surface becomes too fast and too slippery. A few drops of rain and the court can become too slow and greasy. To make matters worse, small white granules from the thick layer of limestone beneath the clay - just a few millimetres thick - regularly rise to the surface. Advertisement Relying on instinct Morning and evening, and sometimes between sets in the afternoon, the courts are watered heavily to counter the effects of the sun. "We use around a cubic metre of water per day and per court, half as much as the toilet facilities and 10 times less than the kitchens," asserts Vaillant, aware of the environmental concerns and the need for reduced consumption. Calcium chloride, which captures and retains water, is also added. But there are no humidity sensors or other bits of technology to help. "It's all down to the naked eye and the feel of the shoe," smiles Aurelien, who joined the crew in 2008. The demands of the players must be factored in as well, which often increase as they scale the rankings. Last year, Novak Djokovic attributed his injury during his last-16 victory over Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo to the lack of clay on Court Philippe Chatrier, which had become too slippery for his liking. "There are players with whom it's a little more complicated. He's one of them. It's all good, all good or all bad," said a philosophical Vaillant. "It's a hose pipe, there's no meter on it. Human error is possible," he admits, while pointing to players who ask to "only water their part of the court, or behind the baseline". Advertisement Memories to savour For the temporary workers, the enemy is not so much the sun as the intermittent rain. "The days of rolling out the tarp and removing it can be a bit tough" physically, points out Laurence, but that hasn't stopped her coming back for an eighth Roland Garros. "It's very friendly, we come from all over France, that's what makes the adventure so charming." "Coming to Roland Garros is the ultimate thing, it's a mythical place. We're like kids, we keep the flame burning," laughs Vincent, in his fifties. For Aurelien, he cherishes the connection that will forever link him to record 14-time champion Rafael Nadal. "I've prepared courts for Nadal," he says, "It's still a privilege. Tennis fans would write a huge check to be in my shoes."
IOL News
24-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
The fickle beauty of Roland Garros' red clay
Staff members prepare the Court Philippe-Chatrier surface ahead of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros. Image: Julien de Rosa / AFP The almost cathedral-like silence of Court Philippe Chatrier is broken only by the thrumming of large squeegees scraping the clay: it's 6.30am and the groundstaff team quietly enters the arena to tend to the soon-to-be centuries-old ochre of Roland Garros. With the aid of shovels, brooms and wheelbarrows - and a dose of elbow grease - the 180 or so specialised staff, most of whom are temporary workers, toil from dawn till dusk to whip the 18 courts into pristine condition for the year's second Grand Slam. "It's a real craftsman's job," Philippe Vaillant, head of the groundskeeping department, insists of maintaining a surface that has been used at Roland Garros since 1928. The clay, the product of 40 tonnes of red bricks from northern France which are then crushed in Belgium, is fickle in nature. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ "It reacts very quickly to weather conditions, so you really have to pay close attention. It's almost like gardening," says Vaillant, who arrived at Roland Garros in 1995. A blast of heat or wind and all bets are off: the clay dries and bakes, the surface becomes too fast and too slippery. A few drops of rain and the court can become too slow and greasy. To make matters worse, small white granules from the thick layer of limestone beneath the clay - just a few millimetres thick - regularly rise to the surface. Relying on instinct Morning and evening, and sometimes between sets in the afternoon, the courts are watered heavily to counter the effects of the sun. "We use around a cubic metre of water per day and per court, half as much as the toilet facilities and 10 times less than the kitchens," asserts Vaillant, aware of the environmental concerns and the need for reduced consumption. Calcium chloride, which captures and retains water, is also added. But there are no humidity sensors or other bits of technology to help. "It's all down to the naked eye and the feel of the shoe," smiles Aurelien, who joined the crew in 2008.
France 24
24-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
At Roland Garros, the 'other' clay specialists have their work cut out
With the aid of shovels, brooms and wheelbarrows -- and a dose of elbow grease -- the 180 or so specialised staff, most of whom are temporary workers, toil from dawn till dusk to whip the 18 courts into pristine condition for the year's second Grand Slam. "It's a real craftsman's job," Philippe Vaillant, head of the groundskeeping department, insists of maintaining a surface that has been used at Roland Garros since 1928. The clay, the product of 40 tonnes of red bricks from northern France which are then crushed in Belgium, is fickle in nature. "It reacts very quickly to weather conditions, so you really have to pay close attention. It's almost like gardening," says Vaillant, who arrived at Roland Garros in 1995. A blast of heat or wind and all bets are off: the clay dries and bakes, the surface becomes too fast and too slippery. A few drops of rain and the court can become too slow and greasy. To make matters worse, small white granules from the thick layer of limestone beneath the clay - just a few millimetres thick - regularly rise to the surface. Relying on instinct Morning and evening, and sometimes between sets in the afternoon, the courts are watered heavily to counter the effects of the sun. "We use around a cubic metre of water per day and per court, half as much as the toilet facilities and 10 times less than the kitchens," asserts Vaillant, aware of the environmental concerns and the need for reduced consumption. Calcium chloride, which captures and retains water, is also added. But there are no humidity sensors or other bits of technology to help. "It's all down to the naked eye and the feel of the shoe," smiles Aurelien, who joined the crew in 2008. The demands of the players must be factored in as well, which often increase as they scale the rankings. Last year, Novak Djokovic attributed his injury during his last-16 victory over Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo to the lack of clay on Court Philippe Chatrier, which had become too slippery for his liking. "There are players with whom it's a little more complicated. He's one of them. It's all good, all good or all bad," said a philosophical Vaillant. "It's a hose pipe, there's no meter on it. Human error is possible," he admits, while pointing to players who ask to "only water their part of the court, or behind the baseline". Memories to savour For the temporary workers, the enemy is not so much the sun as the intermittent rain. "The days of rolling out the tarp and removing it can be a bit tough" physically, points out Laurence, but that hasn't stopped her coming back for an eighth Roland Garros. "It's very friendly, we come from all over France, that's what makes the adventure so charming." "Coming to Roland Garros is the ultimate thing, it's a mythical place. We're like kids, we keep the flame burning," laughs Vincent, in his fifties. For Aurelien, he cherishes the connection that will forever link him to record 14-time champion Rafael Nadal.
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
At Roland Garros, the 'other' clay specialists have their work cut out
The almost cathedral-like silence of Court Philippe Chatrier is broken only by the thrumming of large squeegees scraping the clay: it's 6.30am and the groundstaff team quietly enters the arena to tend to the soon-to-be centuries-old ochre of Roland Garros. With the aid of shovels, brooms and wheelbarrows and a dose of elbow grease the 180 or so specialised staff, most of whom are temporary workers, toil from dawn till dusk to whip the 18 courts into pristine condition for the year's second Grand Slam. "It's a real craftsman's job," Philippe Vaillant, head of the groundskeeping department, insists of maintaining a surface that has been used at Roland Garros since 1928. The clay, the product of 40 tonnes of red bricks from northern France which are then crushed in Belgium, is fickle in nature. "It reacts very quickly to weather conditions, so you really have to pay close attention. It's almost like gardening," says Vaillant, who arrived at Roland Garros in 1995. A blast of heat or wind and all bets are off: the clay dries and bakes, the surface becomes too fast and too slippery. A few drops of rain and the court can become too slow and greasy. To make matters worse, small white granules from the thick layer of limestone beneath the clay - just a few millimetres thick - regularly rise to the surface. Morning and evening, and sometimes between sets in the afternoon, the courts are watered heavily to counter the effects of the sun. "We use around a cubic metre of water per day and per court, half as much as the toilet facilities and 10 times less than the kitchens," asserts Vaillant, aware of the environmental concerns and the need for reduced consumption. Calcium chloride, which captures and retains water, is also added. But there are no humidity sensors or other bits of technology to help. "It's all down to the naked eye and the feel of the shoe," smiles Aurelien, who joined the crew in 2008. The demands of the players must be factored in as well, which often increase as they scale the rankings. Last year, Novak Djokovic attributed his injury during his last-16 victory over Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo to the lack of clay on Court Philippe Chatrier, which had become too slippery for his liking. "There are players with whom it's a little more complicated. He's one of them. It's all good, all good or all bad," said a philosophical Vaillant. "It's a hose pipe, there's no meter on it. Human error is possible," he admits, while pointing to players who ask to "only water their part of the court, or behind the baseline". For the temporary workers, the enemy is not so much the sun as the intermittent rain. "The days of rolling out the tarp and removing it can be a bit tough" physically, points out Laurence, but that hasn't stopped her coming back for an eighth Roland Garros. "It's very friendly, we come from all over France, that's what makes the adventure so charming." "Coming to Roland Garros is the ultimate thing, it's a mythical place. We're like kids, we keep the flame burning," laughs Vincent, in his fifties. For Aurelien, he cherishes the connection that will forever link him to record 14-time champion Rafael Nadal. "I've prepared courts for Nadal," he says, "It's still a privilege. Tennis fans would write a huge check to be in my shoes." alh/dga/dar/mw/jc
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Welcome to fire weather: there's more on the way
Opinion Last year I attended a talk given by author John Vaillant whose award-winning book Fire Weather documented the intense climate-driven wildfires that decimated the Alberta town of Fort McMurray. During his lecture, Vaillant made the ominous prediction that what happened there could easily happen again, in almost any given city in on the planet. Vancouver narrowly dodged the fire bullet just last year when buildings in two city neighbourhoods caught fire. According to Vaillant, the flames were so intense and spread so quickly that had the wind been just 10 knots higher, a significant portion of the city would have burned. Photo courtesy Manitoba Government A wildland fire burns in the RM of Lac du Bonnet on May 14. Then there were the January 2025 Los Angeles fires, which decimated more than 18,000 homes and burned through more than 23,000 hectares, leaving an estimated US$250 billion in damages. So, the question is — could the same thing happen in Winnipeg? Based on the recent Transcona grass fire which threatened both homes and businesses, it could indeed happen here. Thirty fire crews battled in the heat and high winds for hours before finally containing it. Had a nearby chemical plant gone up in smoke, who knows what might have happened? And Transcona isn't alone. As of May 14, a number of Manitoba towns like Libau were perched precariously on the edge of wildfires, evacuation orders had already been issued for Broken Head Ojibway Nation, and two people trapped by the wildfires at Lac du Bonnet had lost their lives. In addition to that, Nopiming provincial park was closed due to out of control wildfires, as was the Whiteshell. At Ingolf's Long Pine Lake, which borders the Whiteshell, water bombers, helicopter 'air tankers' and firefighters were still struggling after three days to contain a wildfire that exploded then raced across 23,000 hectares, 43 kilometres to the north, prompting evacuation warnings across the region. It was with the announcement of the Ingolf fire on May 12 that the ominous but still somehow abstract idea of 'climate-driven wildfires' suddenly hit home for me. Long Pine is where my grandfather, a railway machinist, started building his log cabin in 1919, and where my parents built ours in the early fifties. At the moment I have no idea whether either cottage is still standing. The circumstances that caused the Ingolf fire to explode with such intensity were not unlike those in Fort McMurray — temperatures in the mid 30 C. range, extremely dry conditions and a relative humidity below 18 per cent. This when the May average is usually 19 C with a relative humidity of 48 per cent. This month's unusually hot, dry conditions are what create the perfect storm for bigger more intense wildfires that rapidly increase in size. Climate-warmed blazes that are a nightmare for firefighters, who are hard pressed to get boots on the ground, because the combined heat makes the conditions almost impossible to withstand. And if the carbon emissions driving climate change and global warming remain largely unchecked, those conditions are predicted to become the norm in Manitoba. Which means that our fire season will start earlier, the wildfires will be bigger and more intense, and the loss of life and property will likely escalate. To make matters worse, as vast tracts of forest burn, global CO2 levels will rise even higher. So what can we do to mitigate this? Well, the first thing our government should definitely not do is sell off so-called 'surplus' water bomber planes, as did the previous provincial conservative government. Then we need to ensure that the province adopts a multitiered approach to firefighting, which begins with a clear and achievable plan to reduce the emissions that are driving bigger more intense forest fires. Next up, the province and city need to look at ways to increase our resiliency by discouraging residential expansion near fire-prone forests and grasslands as well as setting higher standards for building codes that feature better fire resistant designs and materials. Even more obvious the province needs to beef up its firefighting and fire prevention capacity on all levels which may have finally begun with the recent repurchase of three new water bombers. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Other good ideas — assign someone to keep the province's fire tracking and alert websites up to date and create a climate resiliency portal where Manitobans can learn about and plan for the climate risks in their areas. Finally, developing recovery plans before fires hit and implementing those plans quickly is also key. In the meantime, all of us need to remember that the fires we're seeing now could happen anywhere given the right conditions. So let's ensure that our governments are protecting us by being as well prepared as possible. Erna Buffie is a writer and environmental activist. Read more @
