from Ed Porto

Greetings FPUSA Club Presidents et al,

I hope that 2009 is off to a good start for you and your clubs.

2008 was another great year for FPUSA and our membership - more clubs, more members and more events! Appreciation goes to all the host clubs and volunteers who made it all possible. We expanded our Regional program to include Melees and Mixed Triples. Our National program took on a new look as well. With Men's Doubles/Women's Doubles/Mixed Doubles and Men's Singles/Women's Singles/Mixed Triples combinations, our members enjoyed a variety of single-day tournaments on two national tourney "weekends."

There was great competition at the Qualifier in New York last September, with the winners decided in a 13-12 come-from-behind victory in the final. Congratulations to Jean-Pierre Subrenat, Eric Bertin and Xavier Thiebuad of La Boule New Yorkaise for their excellent play and teamwork. They will be good representatives for us in 2010. Lastly for 2008, in California, FPUSA hosted a "60 and over" group from the New Zealand Federation. What a blast it was! And many of our senior members in the Bay Area, Oakhurst and Southern California got a chance to play in a true international competition and make new friends.

Internationally, our US Women's team of Diana Jacobs and Sandra Bonneville from LA and Erin McTaggart and Antonia Chavez from Sonoma faired well in Samsun, Turkey last October, taking 3rd place in the Coup des Nations. Thanks go to Mary and Bill Albright for accompanying the team and especially to Mary for being our delegate and helping the team in so many ways. In November, our Team of Thuan Nguyen (LA), Christian Triay (LA), Pascal Corschis (Palm Desert) and Mai Ngyuen (LA), along with Coach Ly Ngyuen (LA), competed in Dakar, Senegal in the Senior World Championship. Robert Pierre, making the trip from his "post" in France, was our official delegate. Special thanks go to Robert, our International Events Coordinator, for his service as delegate and for his work in providing our members the information and contacts they need to compete in various international events.

As for the upcoming season (which has just begun in Florida over this past weekend), we have further expanded our Regionals to include Singles and, based on the popularity of the New Zealand competitions, a "60 and over" Mixed Doubles (or Mixed Triples). With the Regional melees, and "over 60's" events, the idea is to expand the pool of potential medal-winners beyond the top competitors and to give new players a chance to compete for a medal with the better players .

Our National program will be focused in Boca Raton, with the Singles/Mixed Triples weekend (Feb) and the Women's Qualifier (April) and in Lafayette, CA who will be hosting the Doubles weekend on their new courts in July. Unfortunately, there will be no Senior's Qualifier as the 2009 WC was postpones to 2010, therefore there is no need to qualify a team.

I look forward to seeing many of you this year - at your place or mine!

Best Wishes and Enjoy Petanque!

Ed Porto
FPUSA Nationa Sport Director