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<\/a><\/p>\nJONATHAN RIJO-ESTEVEZ<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nLast Name<\/strong>\u00a0: Rijo-Estevez<\/p>\nFirst name<\/strong>\u00a0: Jonathan<\/p>\nNickname<\/strong>\u00a0: \u00a0Rijo<\/p>\nPosition(s)<\/strong>\u00a0:\u00a0OL\/DL<\/p>\nBirthdate<\/strong>\u00a0:\u00a0August 4th 1992 (25 years old)
\nHeight<\/strong>\u00a0: 6’2 (188 cm)
\nWeight<\/strong>\u00a0: 320 (145 kg)<\/p>\nBlack Panthers : Is it your first trip to Europe or to France? (C’est ton premier voyage en Europe ou en France ?)<\/strong><\/p>\nJR :\u00a0This is my second trip to Europe. Played my rookie season in the south of Spain in 2017 for the Murcia Cobras. This is my first time in France .\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nF: Ceci est mon deuxi\u00e8me s\u00e9jour en France. J\u2019ai jou\u00e9 ma saison recrue l\u2019an dernier en Espagne avec les Murcia Cobras. C\u2019est cependant mon premier\u00a0voyage en France.<\/em><\/p>\nBP: What is your feeling about this first experience in football in France? (Quels sont tes impressions \u00e0 ton arriv\u00e9e ici ?)<\/strong><\/p>\nJR : I am completely surprised. For some strange reason this countries elite division doesn’t get the respect and recognition it should. I am extremely glad I signed with the Black Panthers. Their football facilities are second to none in France , and most European teams. I wasn’t expecting this high level of professionalism and preparation in Europe. Very similar to University which is why I feel I fit in right away.<\/em><\/p>\nF: Je suis tr\u00e8s surpris. Pour une raison \u00e9trange la division \u00c9lite ne re\u00e7oit pas le respect ou la reconnaissance qu\u2019elle devrait. Je suis tr\u00e8s heureux d\u2019avoir sign\u00e9 avec les Blacks. Leurs infrastructures sont hors du commun pour la France et m\u00eame pour la majorit\u00e9 des \u00e9quipes en Europe. Je ne m\u2019attendais pas \u00e0 ce niveau de professionnalisme et de pr\u00e9paration en Europe. C\u2019est tr\u00e8s similaire \u00e0 l\u2019universit\u00e9 et c\u2019est pour cela que je me sens bien.<\/em><\/p>\nBP : What do you know about American Football in France\/Europe? (Qu’est ce que tu savais du football am\u00e9ricain en France\/Europe ?)<\/strong><\/p>\nJR :\u00a0<\/strong>I know it’s growing very fast. More and more teams are focusing on teaching proper techniques. This is key as it will improve the quality of the game in Europe. Many teams are also focusing on developing younger players. This is also important for the longevity of the sport in France as well as the rest of Europe.<\/em><\/p>\nF\u00a0: Je sais que \u00e7a grossit tr\u00e8s rapidement. De plus en plus d\u2019\u00e9quipes focalises leur enseignement sur les bonnes techniques. C\u2019est la cl\u00e9 de l\u2019am\u00e9lioration du niveau de jeu en Europe. Plusieurs \u00e9quipes ont aussi beaucoup am\u00e9lior\u00e9s le d\u00e9veloppement de leurs programmes jeunes. Ceci est tr\u00e8s important pour assurer la long\u00e9vit\u00e9 du sport en France ainsi que dans le reste de l\u2019Europe.<\/em><\/p>\nBP : What do you know about the city of Thonon and the Black Panthers Football team? (Que savais tu de Thonon les Bains et de son \u00e9quipe de Football US ?<\/strong><\/p>\nJR : The city is small , but in my own personal opinion, it’s a one of a kind place. Very calm and laid back. The\u00a0beautiful geography is also a plus. I’m a guy from a big city , with tall buildings, with not much nature beauty . Very relaxing, almost feels like a vacation.<\/em><\/p>\nFrom the first \u00a0day I walked into the football office I know I was in a championship environment. Everyone from the team president to the 30+ volunteers make you feel at home. The level of football knowledge is unbelievable. The local French \/ Swiss players are extremely talented and have a high football IQ. The head coach also knows his personnel very well , and knows what plays fits his offense best. Thats a plus , because that’s a big issue with most \u00a0coaches in Europe .<\/em><\/p>\nF:\u00a0 C\u2019est une petite ville, mais \u00e0 mes yeux, c\u2019est in endroit unique. Tr\u00e8s calme. Les paysages sont magnifiques. Je suis de la grande ville, il y a beaucoup de gratte-ciels chez moi et tr\u00e8s peu de nature. C\u2019est tr\u00e8s relaxant je me sens presque en vacances.<\/em><\/p>\nDepuis le premier jour que je suis entr\u00e9 dans le bureau je savais que j\u2019\u00e9tais dans une organisation qui aspire aux championnats. Tout le monde, du pr\u00e9sident jusqu\u2019au plus de 30 b\u00e9n\u00e9voles vous font sentir \u00e0 la maison. Le niveau de compr\u00e9hension du football est incroyable. Les joueurs locaux sont tr\u00e8s talentueux et ont un haut niveau de compr\u00e9hension du football. L\u2019entra\u00eeneur-chef (Coach Hippo) connait tr\u00e8s bien son personnel et adapte bien ces jeux pour utiliser les joueurs au maximum. C\u2019est in plus parce que plusieurs \u00e9quipes en Europe ont beaucoup de difficult\u00e9 \u00e0 s\u2019adapter.<\/em><\/p>\nBP :For how many years did you play at University?\u00a0 How many years have you been playing football all together?\u00a0 (Depuis combien de temps tu joues au niveau universitaire et au total combien d’ann\u00e9e de Football ?)<\/strong><\/p>\nRJ : I played four years of football in university. I have been playing football for twelve years all together<\/em><\/p>\nF: J\u2019ai jou\u00e9 quatre ans \u00e0 l\u2019universit\u00e9. Je joue depuis que j\u2019ai douze ans.<\/em><\/p>\nBP : You\u2019ve played other positions in addition to your position, can you tell us about that? (Tu as jou\u00e9s d’autres postes au Football ?)<\/strong><\/p>\nJR :\u00a0<\/strong>My\u00a0natural position is actually Defensive Line. It’s what most of my awards before university came from. I was voted my teams Defensive Most Valuable Player, and was an \u00a0All-Queens selection at Defensive Line my senior year of High school . I didn’t\u00a0start playing Offensive Line until right before University started.<\/em><\/p>\nF: Ma position naturel est joueur de ligne d\u00e9fensive. C\u2019est l\u00e0 que j\u2019ai gagn\u00e9 le plus de troph\u00e9e. J\u2019ai \u00e9t\u00e9 vote MVP d\u00e9fensif de mon \u00e9quipe et j\u2019ai fait l\u2019\u00e9quipe tout \u00e9toile de ma ligue \u00e0 ma derni\u00e8re ann\u00e9e au lyc\u00e9e. J\u2019ai seulement commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 jouer sur la Ligne Offensive \u00e0 l\u2019universit\u00e9.<\/em><\/p>\nBP\u00a0 : Have you played any other sports beside football?\u00a0 Which ones? (As tu pratiqu\u00e9 d’autres sports ?)<\/strong><\/p>\nJR :\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Growing up my parents always had me in athletics . It was a way for an inner city kid like me to avoid getting into trouble. Athletics also showed me discipline. Being that I am a first-generation American born Dominican , baseball was a very big part of my life until the age of sixteen. That’s when I decided to part ways with the sport and focus full-time on football.<\/em><\/p>\nF: En grandissant mes parents m\u2019ont toujours inscrit dans plusieurs sports. C\u2019\u00e9tait une mani\u00e8re pour moi de rest\u00e9 loin des probl\u00e8mes. Les sports m\u2019ont appris la discipline. D\u00fb au fait que je suis d\u2019origine Dominicaine et seulement de premi\u00e8re g\u00e9n\u00e9ration Am\u00e9ricaine, le baseball fut une grande partie de ma vie jusqu\u2019\u00e0 l\u2019\u00e2ge de 16 ans. Ensuite j\u2019ai d\u00e9cid\u00e9 de me consacrer au football.<\/em><\/p>\nBP : What was the best moment of your career? (Ton meilleur moment \u00e0 ce jour ?)<\/strong><\/p>\nJR :\u00a0Getting scouted and selected for the prestigious Dream Bowl V. Being that I was a under the radar player in college I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to play in front of NFL and CFL scouts. As well as play with and against the best small University players in the country. Winning the game was also a plus , and I now have a beautiful ring and trophy to keep with me for the rest of my life.<\/em><\/p>\nF\u00a0: \u00catre choisi pour le prestigieux Dream Bowl V. Vu que j\u00a0\u2018\u00e9tais \u00e0 une petite \u00e9cole \u00e0 l\u2019Universit\u00e9 j\u2019\u00e9tait tr\u00e8s reconnaissant d\u2019avoir l\u2019opportunit\u00e9 de performer devant des recruteur CFL et NFL. De pouvoir jouer avec et contre tous les meilleurs joueurs des petites Universit\u00e9 \u00e9tait aussi tr\u00e8s int\u00e9ressant. Le fait de gagner le match \u00e9tait un plus, j\u2019ai maintenant une superbe bague et un troph\u00e9e pour me rem\u00e9morer ce moment toute ma vie.<\/em><\/p>\nBP : \u2026\u00a0The worst? (… le pire ?)<\/strong><\/p>\nRJ :\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>My\u00a0season ending knee injury my Junior season of University . It was only the second game of the season , and was definitely the lowest point of my football career. I even slipped into a slight depression . At first I lost all confidence in myself as a person and as a player. I even considered dropping out of university. I felt I was pushed to the side by the coaching staff and some of my teammates, being that I was highly recruited to that football program. I felt like a bust, like I didn’t belong at the scholarship level. \u00a0I sat down with my parents, and that had to be the best conversation I ever had in my life. I did intense physical rehabilitation\u00a0for seven months. Came back for my senior season with a chip on my shoulder and I went out with a bang. Haven’t looked back since.<\/em><\/p>\nF: La blessure qui a mis fin \u00e0 mon ann\u00e9e Junior. C\u2019\u00e9tait seulement le deuxi\u00e8me match de la saison et certainement le plus bas point de ma carri\u00e8re. J\u2019ai m\u00eame eu une p\u00e9riode d\u00e9pressive \u00e0 ce moment. \u00a0Au d\u00e9but j\u2019ai perdu toute confiance en mes moyens en tant que joueur et m\u00eame en tant que personne. J\u2019ai m\u00eame pens\u00e9 quitter l\u2019universit\u00e9. Je me sentais mis de c\u00f4t\u00e9 par mes coachs et certains de mes co\u00e9quipiers. Vu que j\u2019avais \u00e9t\u00e9 tr\u00e8s recrut\u00e9 au programme je me sentais comme une d\u00e9ception comme si je n\u2019appartenais pas \u00e0 ce niveau. Je me suis assis avec mes parents et c\u2019\u00e9tait probablement la meilleure conversation de ma vie. J\u2019ai fait de la r\u00e9habilitation intense pour sept mois. Je suis revenue pour ma derni\u00e8re saison avec quelque chose \u00e0 prouver, depuis je n\u2019ai plus regard\u00e9 derri\u00e8re.<\/em><\/p>\nBP : What are your objectives for the upcoming season with the Black Panthers? (Quels sont tes objectifs pour la saison \u00e0 venir avec les Black Panthers ?)<\/strong><\/p>\nRJ :<\/em><\/p>\n\n- Win the French Elite Championship (Gagnez le championnat Fran\u00e7ais)<\/em><\/li>\n
- Defend the European Championship (D\u00e9fendre le championnat Europ\u00e9en)<\/em><\/li>\n
- Be the best that I can be, on and off the field (\u00catre le meilleur possible sur le terrain et en dehors)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
BP : Do you have a particular life philosophy? (Une philosophie\u00a0de vie particuli\u00e8re ?<\/b><\/p>\n
RJ :\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>Live life to the fullest , tomorrow is NEVER <\/strong>promised\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong>F: Vivre la vie au maximum, demain n\u2019est jamais promis.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.les-black-panthers.org\/FootUS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Rijo-270x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nous avons pos\u00e9s nos premi\u00e8res questions \u00e0 nos trois joueurs import d\u00e9barqu\u00e9s il y a quelques jours \u00e0 Thonon pour la saison 2018. Interviews en Anglais et Fran\u00e7ais; voici celui de Jonathan RIJO-ESTEVEZ. — JONATHAN RIJO-ESTEVEZ Last Name\u00a0: Rijo-Estevez First name\u00a0: Jonathan Nickname\u00a0: \u00a0Rijo Position(s)\u00a0:\u00a0OL\/DL Birthdate\u00a0:\u00a0August 4th 1992 (25 years old) Height\u00a0: 6’2 (188 cm) Weight\u00a0: 320 (145 kg) Black…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4472,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.les-black-panthers.org\/FootUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4838"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.les-black-panthers.org\/FootUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.les-black-panthers.org\/FootUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.les-black-panthers.org\/FootUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.les-black-panthers.org\/FootUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4838"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.les-black-panthers.org\/FootUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4852,"href":"https:\/\/www.les-black-panthers.org\/FootUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4838\/revisions\/4852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.les-black-panthers.org\/FootUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.les-black-panthers.org\/FootUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.les-black-panthers.org\/FootUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.les-black-panthers.org\/FootUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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