What we learned about rural sports (Herri Kirolak) with Jokin was priceless. A professional builder, he lives with his family in one of the first houses built in Baliarrain to attract new inhabitants.
He is passionate about axes, trontzas (saws) and scythes, and he told us how difficult it is to get good equipment in the Basque Country, having to import trontzas from California and axes from Australia to be able to compete at a high level. Together with his neighbour Josu, they form a good tandem. We photographed them cutting a tree trunk of about 40cm in less than 20 seconds…
We talked a bit about the origin of rural sports or the loss of interest of young people in traditional sports such as Basque “pelota”.
Walking around in the afternoon and listening to them training was a call to observe with what balance, of precision and strength, they have to work to be the fastest.
We were eager to meet their mother who, at well over 80 years old, still goes up the nearby mountain every day with her scythe to cut the grass.