“I would recommend a sports course like this to anyone”, says Andrea, father of 11-year-old Lorenzo, who was born with oral-verbal dyspraxia and motor coordination difficulties, yet has a great talent for sport. “As a child, Lorenzo couldn’t ride a bike, had difficulty speaking and was therefore penalised in all group contexts with other children, who base interaction on movement and communication through voice. There was a lot of work by the whole family, from a very young age, with the neuropsychiatrist, the speech therapist, the psychomotor therapist… but it was the path in sport that brought out some of Lorenzo’s best sides, and the possibility for him to feel at home even in activities based on the concept of the team”.

Lorenzo practices both fencing and rugby thanks to the opportunity introduced with the Sport for All programme by the Fondazione Milan together with CSV Emilia.

What has he learned over the years?  “That rules are important to stay together, that autonomy can give great satisfaction, from the changing rooms to the competition fields. That the desire to win is a stimulus to overcome one’s limits and that competition can be experienced in a healthy and passionate way. That the clash is also a meeting with one’s equal. That he has breath, stamina, astuteness in the game, responsiveness to stimuli and speed in making progress: so many qualities that have also helped him to be accepted by his teammates and have helped his self-esteem, even outside of sport.”

The tutor was only necessary for the first year, then Lorenzo took great strides on his own with his teammates and coaches, with whom he learned to explain himself and make himself appreciated, indeed, to be loved. Tristano, the supertutor who has followed him since the beginning, and the coaches of the Koala Fencing Club and Valorugby Emilia remain as points of reference.

Regarding the photo: “The Valorugby coaches gave it to Lorenzo: for him it remains one of the best memories, a very important gift.

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