Pétanque in Laos

Pétanque is one of the most popular sports in Laos. The game is very easy to play, and is one of the most cherished pastimes of the Laotian people. Click here to take a closer look at Soulasith Khamvongsa, the nation's petanque hero.

Pétanque is a sport played by all ages and both sexes the only sport in which Laos has made any sort of impact on the international stage.

Soulasith Khamvongsa has won medals at the South-East Asian Games, the Asian Pétanque Championships and is considered to be amongst the top 40 players in the world. He is arguably Laos' most successful sportsman. At the age of 17, he was chosen to represent Laos at the 2001 South-East Asian Games in Malaysia. It was the first time that Pétanque had been included in the Games and Soulasith led his nation to gold in the Doubles event.

Soulasith Khamvongsa, Pétanque player said "Pétanque has been popular in Laos for a long time, ever since the French brought the game over. But Pétanque's popularity really took off after we won that gold medal. When we got back I travelled around the country and played lots of exhibition matches in various villages. That was great fun."

Soulasith's success has been phenomenal. It was only the second time in 42 years that Laos had won a gold medal at the Games. Still at the age of just 24, he believes that he has yet to reach his peak in the sport. There are still lots of potential medals to win, starting in front of his home crowd at next year's South-East Asian Games.

In order to locate more talented players, the Laos Pétanque Federation is using local competitions to spot people that could make it onto the national team. The hope more Laotian petanque heroes will make their way onto the international stage.

Women's World Champions

VOMPC'S Chavez, McTaggart help USA take impressive Women's World 3rd Sonoma's Antonia Chavez (r), and Erin McTaggart (l), are members of the Valley of the Moon Pétanque Club who, playing for the United States women's team, recently competed against 35 international teams at the 2008 Women's World Pétanque Championships in Samsun, Turkey.
Click here to read the full article.

Happy Holidays 2008

Christmas and it's traditions don't always bring visions of joy and happiness to everyone, so keep in mind that when you are out looking for that perfect gift...that love is the easiest gift to give. It's simple...it's elegant...and it lasts a long time. It's always brand new...and if it's returned, it brings more joy. At this time of the year, let us reach out and forget all of our bitterness toward our fellow man, extending to him or her our true hand of love and friendship...because love brings hope, and hope removes doubt, and without doubt, there is no uncertainty.

La Pétanque Marinière would like to wish all of you, wherever you may be, and however you may choose to celebrate it, the most joyous holiday season filled with family, friends, laughter and good health.

Remembering old times...

Here's a great foto, taken a few years ago, of some LPM members enjoying a nice game of pétanque on what appears to be a sunny winter's day, sent in by our own Monique Bricca.


If you have any old fotos or print nostalgia you would like to share, please contact us at: petanque.marin@gmail.com

Fresno Pétanque

Hello Boulistes,

Fresno, California Petanque Club's monthly newsletter is now online. To view our NOVEMBER edition click here.

Come to Fresno and play petanque with us soon. See you on the piste!

Happy Holidays

Tim Channell, President
Fresno Petanque Club
559/352-4142

Greetings Marin Members

On Saturday, at the last Board Meeting of 2008, we welcomed our new 2009 Board Members - David Render, Emily Etcheverry and Roger Mattei. The meeting was a little over an hour and a half long - good ideas were presented and several decisions were made.

I am happy to announce that we now have a Director of Sport - Roger Mattei and an Assistant Director of Sport - David Render. Thank You! - to both gentlemen for accepting these positions.

One of the issues that the Board has been discussing is how to better represent the interests of the general membership. Two changes will be made in our 2009 format.

1) The Board Meetings that take place during good weather are held at our courts. These meetings will be open to the general membership. I will send, by email, an announcement of the date and time before each month's meeting. All members are welcome to observe these meetings and there will be a time for 'member comment' near the end of the agenda. Because of time constraints, the comments made during the 'member comment' section of the meeting will not necessarily be discussed that day. If not discussed at that meeting, they will be noted for discussion at future meetings. If you have an issue that you would like to see on the agenda simply reply to my date-and-time-announcement email, telling me what it is you would like to have the Board address. We will do what we can to fit it into that meeting's agenda.

2) It has been decided to make the minutes from each Board Meeting available - by email - to any member wishing to have a copy. Alain Efron has sent a notice regarding this decision. If you wish to receive a copy, simply reply to Alain's announcement stating that you would like to be on that email list. If you would like a copy and do not have email, please ask a member, who does, to print a copy for you.

If you have any questions, I can be reached by email: petanque.marin@gmail.com or phone: 415-302-5069.

Regards,
Christine Cragg
President, LPM

Ancient arena in central Paris

By Matt Luna/IHT Paris

While walking down rue Monge in the 5th arrondissement, an old stone entrance caught my attention. Of course, Paris is a historical city, but this structure seemed out of place among the storefronts and apartment building doors. Passing through the entrance I found myself in an old Gallo-Roman arena that quickly removes one from the 21st century. MAP
Les Arènes de Lutèce was built around the end of the first century A.D., and was the site of gladiator contests, comedies and drama presentations. The old stone structures, which once could accommodate about 17,000 people, were partially destroyed by barbaric invaders in the 3rd century, then rediscovered in the mid-19th century during the building of rue Monge.
Click here to read the full article.

44th world champions

Champions du Monde 2008: FRANCE B
Thierry Grandet-Bruno Leboursicaud-Henri Lacroix-Philippe Suchaud Foto: Claude Stirmel

click here to see more on the final games of the 44th World Pétanque Championship

click here to see more of the final games of the Nations Cup where Spain came away the winner beating Sweden 13-10

LPM 2009 Board

La Pétanque Marinière would like to announce and welcome, three new members to the board for 2009. They are (l-r) David Render, Emily Etcheverry and Roger Mattei. Sadly we say goodbye to our Sport Director, Gilles Karpowicz and Assistant Sport Director Jimmy Flour. We thank them for their invaluable contributions to the club and extend them our best wishes for all of their future endeavors.

44th world pétanque championships

The games are underway in Dakar, Senegal. For more information and to follow the action, click here to enter the official event website

vietnam pétanque

Viet Nam clinch silver medal for Asian Pétanque in Kaohsiung

Huynh Cong Tam and Tran Van Be took home the men’s doubles silver medal at the Asian Pétanque (iron ball) Tournament in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Vietnamese players also grabbed seven bronze medals in the championship.
Thailand dominated the championship with a total of six gold medals.
It is expected that pétanque will be added to the event line-ups at the Asian Indoor Games in Viet Nam and the Southeast Asian Games in Laos next year.

Lamorinda red beans & rice

Today in Lafayette, pétanque players were "transported" to the south of France and the southern state of Louisiana, at the same time, for Lamorinda Pétanque Club's annual red beans and rice festivities. There was a triplette panaché with the prizes being awarded by raffle tickets, two awarded to the winners of each game, and one to the losers of each game. As is evident in the slide show, Lamorinda's courts are not laid out in the standard 15 x 5 meter rectangles but rather a provençal style terrain casually wrapping around trees, stones, benches and picnic tables. La Pétanque Marinière would like to thank all of the Lamorinda members for all of their hard work in putting on such a nice event.

Click here to watch the slideshow

november 2008 tournament

The last tournament of 2008 took place Saturday. There were 12 players who took part in the doublettes panaché. The weather looked upon the precedings with favor, as only a slight drizzle was apparent for a short time. The talent was fairly closely matched as several teams battled throughout extended games. All in all, it was a quite a convivial way to end the 2008 competetive season. Click here to watch the slideshow.

st. mark's school

Sally and the children from St. Mark's School came by for their annual visit on Friday. About thirty children showed up to play pétanque, to learn about the history of the game and receive pointers from our resident experts, Louis Toulon and René Di Maio, among others from La Pétanque Marinière. LPM hopes that everyone had a good time and looks forward to seeing them soon at the courts. Who knows, perhaps there are some future pétanque champions in the making. Click here to watch the slideshow.

LPM Tournament

Join us for the last tournament of the year.

La Pétanque Marinière will hold a doublette panaché tournament on

Saturday November 8, 2008

Registration closes at 10:00 am sharp. Games begin at 10:30

Tournament entry fee: $7.00 per person

Bring your own lunch

soft pétanque

A perfect reason to have your own set of

La Moule indoor pétanque boules

A revolution in pétanque
from PetanqueMolle

LAMORINDA PÉTANQUE

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez

Lamorinda Annual Red Beans and Rice Tournament

Mixed Triples
Sunday, November 9th
Registration at 10:00 Games Begin at 11:00
Lunch 12:00 – 1:00
Tournament Fee $5.00
Lunch $8.00
New Orleans Style Red Beans & Rice, Corn Bread, Cole
Slaw, and Southern Pie
Bring Your Own Beverage
Lunch By Reservation. Please Call:
Mary @ 925-283-2682
Brian @ 925-689-0293
Mimma @ 925-370-9358
Y’all come and let a good time be had by all !!!
Coffee before and an aperitif after the games
Prizes By Drawings

A Letter from our President

Greetings Members and Friends of La Pétanque Marinière ,

As 2008 draws to an end I can not help but reflect on the months that have so quickly flown by.

We sadly bid farewell to our dear friends and valued club members,
Armand Squitieri and Bob Winkley. They remain with us, in our memories of the gentlemen that they were and in their family members who continue to play with us.

The future of our terrain is still unknown. The County is committed to moving forward with the building and there is nothing definite on a site for relocation of our courts. The petition for protective rezoning of the parcel failed after too many signatures were disqualified for a variety of reasons. A committee of Board members remains in ongoing communications with county officials and we will give updates as agreements are made.

I would like to thank the LPM Board for the many hours of hard work they have so generously given to the club. Also, many thanks to those members who are not on the Board but willingly help with cleaning of the courts before tournaments or with preparation of the food during the tournaments. Your contributions are greatly appreciated.

The annual Business Meeting will be held Nov 15th, 6 PM, at Villa Marin in San Rafael. The event is free to members and $5.00 for non-members. Reservations must be made by Nov. 13. Contact Alain Efron 415-479-5820 or aefron3@comcast.net.

LPM 2009 dues are as follow: $30.00 adult / $10.00 junior (under 18) / $20.00 associate member. Dues must be received by Jan. 15th or a $5.00 late fee will apply. Make your check payable to LPM and send to Alain Efron, 23 Windstone DR., San Rafael, CA 94903. Or you could save the cost of a stamp and avoid the possible late fee by paying your dues at the Business Meeting. I hope to see you there.

Regards,


Christine Cragg
LPM President

Interclub Tournament '08

The 2008 Interclub Tournament was hosted by our Sacramento friends yesterday at their home courts at Mather Field. Teams from Willits, Sonoma, San Rafael, San Francisco as well as Sacramento showed up to compete. In all, approximately 4o players competed for the honor of holding the cup for the year to come. In the morning, players from one's own team competed against those of the other four to determine those who would qualify for the afternoon's final games. After the dust had settled, Sonoma came away with the Interclub Trophy.
Watch the slideshow here

World Championships

By Los Angeles Pétanque Club Reporter, Diana Jacobs

The excitement is building as the National Women’s Pétanque team warms up for a weekend in Samsun, Turkey. Sandra Bonneville (LAPC), Antonia Chavez (VOMPC), Diana Jacobs (LAPC) and Erin McTaggart (VOMPC) will be representing the United States in the World Championship. Our own Sandra will be competing in the shooting competition as well. Mary Albright is the Chief of the Delegation. Click here to see streaming video and updates on the event. We hope to get a glimpse of our ladies doing their all out best in the beautiful port city of Samsun on the Black Sea.
The Men’s National Pétanque team; Christian Triay (LAPC), Thuan Nguyen (LAPC), Pascal Corchia (LBDD) and Mai Nguyen will be representing the United States in Dakar, Senegal in November. Robert Pierre (LAPC) is the Chief of the Delegation accompanying them to the World Championship.
Click here to read more about the 44th World Championship in Dakar, Senegal.

For the complete edition of the latest L.A. Pétanque Reporter, click here.

The Kent Pétanque Championships

Kent County Showground plays host to 78 teams of European boules players all battling for top honours on the pétanque pistes above Detling.

suddenly, balls in every court

The following is not the most recent news story about pétanque, yet still a very good one and worthy of being repeated.

By ELIZABETH MAKER
June 1, 2003

DURING the week, the life of Morley Safer is a whir of interviews, writing, filming, editing and rushing around New York or traveling the globe preparing reports for the television program ''60 Minutes.''
But come Saturdays, at least in the summertime, Mr. Safer is usually at his Chester home doing the one thing he credits most for keeping him calm: playing petanque.
Jacques Pepin, a chef and author, spends his weekdays working on his public television cooking programs and jetting around the world to whip up recipes or speak for various causes.
But as soon as the snow has melted in springtime, Mr. Pepin can be found almost every weekend, from early afternoon often late through the night, indulging in his passion for petanque on the court he had built at his home in Madison.

Read the entire article here.

mcinnis park master plan

Jennifer Upshaw
Oct 03, 2008

Planners are dusting off long-term blueprints for north San Rafael's John F. McInnis County Park, envisioning a future that includes a new dog park, all-weather playing fields, pétanque courts, a huge picnic area and a children's playground. Built in the 1970s at the end of Smith Ranch Road, the 358-acre park, of which 75 acres are developed, boasts a 25,000-square-foot skatepark, two softball fields, two soccer fields, a canoe launch, four tennis courts, a group picnic area and nature trails. It is the largest county park, although 283 acres are protected wetlands.
The park is home to the McInnis Park Golf Center, a nine-hole executive golf course with a driving range, miniature golf, batting cages, clubhouse, pro shop and restaurant.
"This is something we had kind of in the workings for awhile," said Steve Petterle, principal park planner, who said the project mostly amounts to "tweaking" a handful of specifics in the park's long-term planning document, last updated in 2001.
"I think it's always a bit of looking at where we are and where we're going," said Sharon McNamee, director of parks and open space. Possible changes to McInnis include relocating a planned dog park away from the creek, moving a future children's playground to a larger area away from the batting cages and planning for new petanque courts and the dog park, assuming a proposed public safety building at the Civic Center displaces existing facilities. A large group picnic area is planned as well.
Also examined will be the installation of environmentally friendly synthetic turf to allow year-round soccer and softball, sports that pack the park in the summer.
"We're looking at how people use the park and how we can improve interaction between different groups by providing facilities that meet everyone's needs from as basic as shade to as sophisticated as artificial turf," said Cordelia Hill, principal of the Mill Valley landscape architecture firm Royston Hanamoto Alley & Abey, the group hired to help the county plan the project.
Sustainable features such as permeable pavements, bio-swales to clean storm runoff and protect water quality, alternative energy sources and building materials that reduce the park's "carbon footprint" all will be considered, Hill said. Designs will reflect social needs too, she said.
"Part of sustainability is creating spaces people want to be in and support their needs so that it works for the community," Hill said. Beyond broad concepts, details such as where the new additions would be located are open for discussion, planners said. After spending the summer meeting with community groups, homeowners, dog owners and sports leagues, county officials held a workshop last week to gain direction. A second meeting to exchange ideas is set for November. Final plans will go to the Parks and Open Space Commission in December. The Board of Supervisors is expected to review the changes in January.
No funding exists yet for the improvements, although the county hopes to build the dog park and pétanque courts in 2010.
Thursday's meeting, the first public workshop on the proposed ideas, drew dog lovers and sports enthusiasts, among others. Soccer field access for adults was on Alberto Godoy's mind.
"We've been playing here at McInnis for a number of years," said Godoy, assistant to the president of the soccer league Liga Latina. "Year round we're very limited in soccer fields in Marin," he said. "It's hard for adults - kids get priority."
Plans to build an enclosed dog park drew Santa Venetia resident Roger Kolodny to the workshop. He said he liked the idea, as long as the rest of the park stayed open to dogs as well.
"We need to make sure the regulations stay the same," he said. "There's a real need."
Bart Zachofsky, a signmaker and engraver from Mill Valley, and Verena Rytter of Novato, who is retired from a career in accounting, are avid petanque players. The two said the courts across from the Marin Civic Center are threatened by plans for a new public safety building, and should be saved. They said they didn't know if replacement facilities at McInnis would suffice.
"Will it be adequate? Will it be equal to what we have?" Zachofsky said. "We don't know yet - we have to negotiate."

A word from Joe Martin

Greetings,

The WCQT in Bryant Park, NYC, this past weekend produced a winning team to represent the FPUSA in the next World Championship, whenever it will be held. The winning team is the LBNY team of Jean-Pierre Subrenat, Xavier Thibaud, and Eric Bertin. It was a very well run event and we very much appreciate the efforts of LBNY that hosted it.
Read about the weekend's events here.

See you on the courts,

Joe Martin, President FPUSA

VOMPC Oktoberfest

The Valley of the Moon Pétanque Club is putting on an Oktoberfest beer and pétanque event. Sunday October 19 from 11 am - 4 pm. Click the following links for more and information and reservations.
Limited to the first 200, so reserve your spot today!

Interclub Tournament

Sunday October 12 - at Sacramento

Marin hosted the first-annual Interclub Tournament in 2007 with the goal being that the hosting duties would rotate to a different club every year. The following year’s host was to be chosen from the participating clubs by random method, at the end of the tournament day. Sacramento won the toss to host the 2008 tournament.

Bring your own Lunch / Aperitif will be served at the Awards Ceremony
Pre-registration through your club President is required.
Participants must play only with members from their ‘primary’ club.
On-site PRE-REGISTERED PLAYER CHECK IN ends: 9:30 / Games start: 10:00
Registration fee $3.00 per player

Details for Interclub Tournament Format and Club Eligibility

1) In order to be eligible to participate, a club has to present a MINIMUM of eight (8) players and has to present an EVEN number of players. This has to be coordinated by each club and the Host Club is to receive the list of enrolled players from the President or Director of Sports of each club by the Wednesday that precedes the tournament date. (All team members must play with their “primary” club. Associate members are not eligible.)

2) On-site PRE-REGISTERED PLAYER CHECK IN ends at 9:30 and games start at 10:00.

3) 3 qualification games played in doublettes with random pairing of the members of the same club .

4) Within each club, each of their players will be ranked according to number of wins and number of points.

5) The ranking of the clubs is determined by adding the number of wins and points of their 8 best ranked players.

6) Clubs ranking # 1 and 2 play a Finale championship round by opposing their 3 best ranking players in a triplette 15 point finale.

7) In case there are 2 clubs ranking equal for the second place (which allows this club to play in the finale), the club having the larger number of players enrolled in the tournament wins the second place and plays the finale.

8) In case there are 2 players of a given club which rank equal for third place (which allow them to be part of the finale game triplette), the sport director (of the host club) will choose randomly between these 2 players (by coin toss).

9) The hosting club offers aperitif at awards ceremony.

10) No Cash Prizes will be given. A minimal entry fee will be charged to offset the cost of trophy engraving and aperitif served.

11) The perpetual trophy was sponsored by Bank of the West (with their logo and the title of the tournament on the trophy) After each tournament, the year, name of wining club and winning triplette will be engraved at the cost of the hosting club.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS:
Going East on I-50 towards South Lake Tahoe, after the Watt Ave exit, continue on and exit right on Mather Field Road. Stay right on Mather Field Road, past Rockingham, at the next light turn right unto Peter Mc Cuen Blvd. The courts are across the street from the water tower.

NW Regional Slideshow

La Pétanque Marinière hosted the northwest regional competition today. It was a fairly small, cozy competition with ten teams comprised of members from Sacramento, Lamorinda, San Francisco, Menlo Park, Sonoma and San Rafael. Click on the Obut icon to watch the slideshow.

23, September 2008

Hi All,

La Petanque Mariniere did a nice job of hosting the first NW Regional Mixed Triples on Sunday, September 21.

Ten teams registered. 3 qualifying games were played. 6 teams went to the concours, 4 to the consolante. Both brackets were seeded, with the top two qualifying teams getting a BYE in the quarterfinal round.

Gold:Raymond and Pim Nielsen (La Boule d'Or), and Alain Gusella (Club Francais de Sacramento)

Silver:Alain and Evelyn Marchand, and Jacques Gautier (all La Petanque Mariniere)

Bronze:Jacques Serafian and Claudie Chourré (La Petanque Mariniere), and Jacques Avedissian (La Boule Joyeuse)Of the silver and bronze medalists, all are senior citizens (and one is over 80 years old!).

So for those who say: "It's always the same people who win," not so. Those teams played well. It was great to see these folks take their prizes -- even if it was at my team's expense!

Cheers,
Ed Porto
FPUSA National Sport Director

lapc open select triples

The Los Angeles Pétanque Club is pleased to host the 2008 Los Angeles Open Select Triplette competition on Sunday, October 12, 2008 at their facilities in the Cheviot Hills Park and Recreation Center (Rancho Park). This tournament is open to all players, whether or not affiliated with FPUSA clubs. Cash prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place teams in the Concours and to the winner of the Consolante. The size of the awards will depend upon the number of participants, with a minimum of $300 to the winners of the Concours. Registration for the tournament will be from 8:15-9:00 AM and play will begin at 9:30 AM. The entry fee will be $75 per team. Morning croissants and coffee, luncheon sandwiches and beverages will be provided at no additional cost.

The links below will let you download the entry form for the tournament and a list of recommended hotels for out-of-town participants, as well as directions to their courts.
Registration Form

Directions

Hotels

fpusa southwest regional

Please note that the date for the FPUSA Southwest Regional Mixed Triples, to be held in Oakhurst, CA, has been changed to the 18th of October. Start thinking about putting your team together and support our friends of the Oakhurst Pétanque Club. Click here for entry form , and for directions to Oakhurst.

fresno pétanque

By Lewis Griswold 09/14/08


Crack of bat, clack of skateboard, woosh of in-line skates. Now there's a new sound emerging from Cary Park in Fresno: the clunk of boules.
A boule is a steel ball used in the outdoor bowling sport of pétanque, originally a French game that is now played by millions in Europe and is gaining adherents in the United States, especially Fresno.... more

FPUSA NW REGIONAL

2008 FPUSA NORTHWEST REGIONAL MIXED TRIPLES CHAMPIONSHIP

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st, 2008. START TIME 9.00 AM
PIERRE JOSKE COURTS, SAN RAFAEL, CA click here for directions

ENTRY FEE PER TEAM: $60.00
Your check or money order and entry form must be received NO LATER than THURSDAY, SEPT.18TH. CASH ONLY will be accepted the day of the tournament, however, Christine MUST be notified of your team members by the FRIDAY the 19.
Please make check payable to La Pétanque Marinière and mail to:
Christine Cragg, 78 Madrone Ave., San Anselmo, CA 94960 Phone 415.302.5069

EVENT INFORMATION
Check in 8.00-8.30 a.m. Competition begins at 9.00 a.m.
- Coffee served in the morning. - Bring your own lunch
- Aperitif and snacks served at the awards ceremony
For more information –
Web site: cochonnetmarin.com
Blog site: petanque-marin.blogspot.com

Per FPUSA rules this event is open only to RENEWING members of the FPUSA whose dues for 2008 have been received by June 23, 2008. HOWEVER, New Members may join when submitting this entry form.
Players are reminded that they must have their FPUSA Membership Card on their person.
The International Rules of Petanque and the FPUSA Code of Conduct will be in force at this event. For your safety, closed-toes shoes are required.



HIGHLIGHT, PRINT AND SUBMIT THE LOWER PORTION WITH YOUR ENTRY

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FPUSA N.W. REGIONAL MIXED TRIPLES CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM

CAPTAIN:___________________________________________________

PLAYER # 2:_________________________________________________

PLAYER # 3:_________________________________________________

PHONE #: (______)____________-___________________

E-MAIL:_____________________________________________________

CLUB:______________________________________________________

AMOUNT ENCLOSED: $_____________________

lamb picnic

La Pétanque Marinière's annual Leg of Lamb picnic was held yesterday under sunny skies and the shade of our beautiful plane trees. There was a large turnout enjoying grilled leg of lamb, done to perfection by our own Louis Toulon and Antoine Lofaro. Accompanying the succlulent lamb were white beans, a delicious salad vinaigrette, brie, and bread baked by another of our wonderful members, Jean-Claude Bunnand. It's pleasantly ironic that LOL both mean leg of lamb and laughing out loud, as there were a lot of people laughing and enjoying the meal, the weather and each others' company along with a few games of friendly pétanque. Click here to watch the slideshow.

Furlan Tournament 2008

The 2008 Emile Furlan Tournament took place this past weekend on the picturesque Furlan Ranch near Knight's Landing, Ca. There were twenty-six triplette teams competing convivially under sunny skies and the shade of thirty-five year old walnut trees. In addition to a nice selection of hotels in nearby Woodland, there was ample room for those who wanted to camp under the trees either in tents or in their trailers or motor homes. After the first days' competition, everyone went to the Knight's Landing Community Center for a nice dinner, prepared by a very talented crew, under the direction of the lovely Simone Furlan, along with members of the Club Français de Sacramento. It was quite evident that everyone in attendance had a wonderful time.
La Pétanque Marinière would like to extend a most gracious thank you to the Furlans, extended familes, members of the Club Français de Sacramento and everyone who gave of their time and energy to provide such a scenic venue and a very enjoyable event.
click here to watch the slideshow.

LPM annual lamb picnic

Annual Lamb Picnic and Panaché tournament Open to ALL.
Sunday September 14

Registration ends at 11:00 a.m. !! Casual games before lunch.
Games will start after lunch at 1:00 p.m.
Lunch Menu: BBQ Lamb, white beans, salad, cheese & bread.
Free for Members in Good Standing, $13.00 for non-members.
Friends, family and guests are welcome.
Tournament entry fee $5.00 per person. No Cash Prizes
Wine awarded by raffle drawing.
Raffle for a $200.- Gift Certificate to Petanque America!!
1 ticket for $3.-, 3 tickets for $8.-, 5 tickets for $12.-
Reservations are required by the evening of Thursday, Sept. 11.
Contact Christine Cragg at 415.302.5069 or petanque.marin@gmail.com
Please… if you are on the road and running a little late give a Christine 415.302. 5069 or Ken 415.987.5861 a courtesy call . We will do what we can to include you in the tournament.

Pétanque in Texas

It's not too often that one hears about pétanque down in Texas. For that reason and since, Christine Cragg, the President of La Pétanque Marinière is from Texas, it seemed only appropriate to mention it here. Only a short forty minute drive from Austin and two hours from Kerrville, Lakeway City Park appears to be another wonderful venue for pétanque.Sam Chapman
August 26, 2008

The Lakeway City Park is a 64 acre park in the city of Lakeway, Texas. Free for Lakeway residents and open for a small fee for non-residents, the park has something for just about everyone...more

new designs in boules

Have you ever experienced the confusion of trying to keep track of your boules when playing with those who had boules of similar designs? Some people have even gone to the extent of coloring in the lines to make them more unique in comparison. Well, worry no more because La boule Obut has just released two new lines of pétanque boules, "Sunfolies" and "Tatou" and they are in stock now, at Pétanque America...more

sonoma wine classic

SONOMA WINE COUNTRY CLASSIC
August 23 & 24, 2008
$$ BIG PAYOUTS $$
Saturday August 23rd Singles
Sunday August 24th Select Doubles
Join us At the Henry Maysonnave Memorial Courts
In Depot Park, Sonoma, Home of the VOMPC, for
one or two days of exciting Petanque.
The annual Sonoma Wine Country Classic is being enhanced this year to add a Singles Tournament on Saturday, in addition to the traditional Doublet on Sunday. The Entry Fee is being raised to $20 in order to enrich the payout. The format will be 3 games before lunch and a 16 Team single elimination Concours in the afternoon. The remaining teams will play in the Consulante. There will be three prize winners in each category with payouts determined by the number of teams/players.
Sample payout…IF 30 Teams = 1st Place = $400, 2nd $200, 3rd $100
…Consulante = 1st Place = $200, 2nd $100, 3rd $50
Tournament Registration ends at 9:30 a.m. Each Day
Play begins at 10:00 a.m.
You may play one or both days
Saturday...BYOL or Sandwich orders taken at sign-in $6.00
Sunday…Catered lunch $10.00

los angeles pétanque

NEW ZEALAND AND THE OVER-60 CHALLENGE
By Tiaré Ferrari

“The Kiwis are coming! The Kiwis are coming!” had been Carol
Marcus’s solitary mantra for months it seemed, and now they
were finally here. The New Zealand pétanque teams had arrived
from “down under” to challenge and beat the west coast
pétanque teams in Sonoma, Oakhurst, and Los Angeles...more

pétanque blogs

If your club has a blog, please let us know. We will list it in the pétanque blog section in the side bar so that people can check out the activities of clubs all over the world.

pétanque superheroes

Hilarious!

The game ‘petanque’, or boules, now has it’s own comic heroes. They were designed by Doodle.nl and can now be purchased on products as shirts, sweaters and baguette bags. You can see them all at here in this webstore. Larger versions of the characters are here.

winkley memorial open

It was a picture perfect day for as equally a beautiful event yesterday, as we celebrated the life and one of the favorite pastimes of Bob Winkley. Bob was a member for the last three years, but in that time, accomplished a great deal for the club. He was a board member and resident handyman. His wife Marilyn commented that he appeared to be on his way out at the time he joined, and that playing pétanque and doing all the things he did for the club, was enough to afford him a little more time. We are all fortunate to have been the recipients of such an extension and know that La Pétanque Marinière is a richer organisation because of his presence.

Click here to watch the slideshow from yesterdays' panaché tournament.

As an added attraction, our very own Swiss Miss, Verena Rytter, serenaded us as we enjoyed the roast chicken picnic.

pétanque "in wine country"

The NBC program "In Wine Country" recently visited the Clos du Val winery in the Napa Valley. If you like a little wine with your boules, this looks like a wonderful place to enjoy them both.

pétanque-on-hudson

Playing petanque at Croton Point Park

by Alex Myers
The Journal News • July 13, 2008

CROTON-ON-HUDSON - More than four decades later, Jean-Luc Portal still can recall fondly the weekly competitions in his hometown village of Alzonne, located in the south of France. At the age of 9, the now 52-year-old Somers resident often had to be picked up by his father at 1 a.m. after a long day and night of bringing older men to their knees...more

winkley memorial open

On Sunday, August 10, 2008

In Memory of Bob Winkley
Our dear friend and club member

La Pétanque Marinière will Host a Luncheon
(Roast Chicken, Salad, Vegetable, Cheese & Bread)
Bring your own plate and utensils
Followed by Panaché tournament

Tournament fee $5.00

Proceeds from tournament entry fees will go to

MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES or
Doctors without Borders

Bottles of wine will be awarded as tournament prizes

Tournament registration closes @ 11 am sharp
Tournament begins after lunch

Casual games played in the morning

Lunch will be served at 11:30

Reservations are required for Club Hosted Lunch!!
NO LATER than Wednesday, Aug 6

For reservations contact: Claudie Chourre 415.456.1778
Or Alain Efron 415.479.5820 / aefron3@comcast.net

cosby on pétanque

kiwi updates

USA Tour 2008: NZ Seniors

The Seniors won their second competition in the USA. Playing the against the Oakhurst Petanque Club. they won 81 - 34. Morning session results: Mixed Triples 27 - 18; Mixed Doubles 18 - 6. Afternoon session results: Mixed Triples 30 - 0; Men's Doubles 2 - 6; Womens Double's 4 - 4.

The NZ Seniors have been defeated in their final competition against LA. They played 5 rounds and were trailing by 13 points (21 - 34) early in the third round. They battled on to reduce the deficit to 6 points going into the final round. Unfortunately they lost the last three games in round 5 resulting in a 48 - 57 victory to LA. Trevor said that despite the result the team thoroughly enjoyed the occasion.

Report from Diane Findlay

ballot petition fails

Ballot petition fails to block county public safety complex

Rob Rogers

08/01/2008

A proposal to let voters choose the site of a $109 million public safety complex at the Marin Civic Center has failed because organizers did not collect enough qualified signatures to place the measure on the November ballot...more

pétanque in beijing?

Looking at this foto, it could appear that we may see Pétanque in some future Olympic games... perhaps they are in the bush league...

Thanks to Bart Zachofsky for sending in this foto.

supervisors approve complex

Richard Halstead
07/30/2008

Marin supervisors this week approved a plan to construct a $109 million public safety complex, but ultimately it may be up to voters to determine where the structures will be built.
The plan approved Tuesday calls for the phased construction of two public safety buildings totaling 83,000 square feet and a 7,453-square-foot ancillary building on the east side of the Marin Civic Center, where a dog park and petanque court are situated. The new building would protect sheriff's dispatchers, emergency radio operations and the county's computer servers in a major disaster. more

nalle winery

yet another wine/pétanque venue...

Dry Creek Valley: The Mother Lode of Zinfandel

“I think people recognize that we have enough Syrah in Dry Creek Valley now. As for the future, there’s just no way Zinfandel will ever be eclipsed here.”
~ Doug Nalle

by Thom Elkjer August 11, 2006

Doug Nalle has been making wine in Dry Creek Valley for more than 20 years. After starting in the wine business as a cellar rat in 1973, he earned a Masters in enology from UC Davis in 1979 and dedicated himself to winemaking. He launched his own label in the mid-1980s, then became founding winemaker at Quivira estate winery on West Dry Creek Road. Today Nalle concentrates on Nalle Winery, a family operation that he shares with his wife, Lee, and their son (and assistant winemaker), Andrew. Lee’s family also grows grapes in Dry Creek Valley that go into Nalle wines.
Appellation America is proud to feature Nalle Winery’s outstanding Dry Creek Zin and other varietals in our online wine store."Wine Makes You Smart" You can easily identify Nalle wines in stores (or on the next table at a restaurant) because of the “family crest” with the Latin motto vinum sapientiam tibi dat – “Wine Makes You Smart.” On the back label? Wry wine cartoons, also in an archaic wood-cut style. For all his humor, Nalle is a serious observer of the wine scene and often one of the first to note when the pendulum has swung too far in any direction. He calls himself a “contrarian” but it might be more accurate to call him a bellwether.

Thom Elkjer: Nalle Winery has both a horseshoe pitch and a pétanque court. One’s “All-American” and one’s “Très Francais”. This looks like your Zin/Pinot paradox all over again, but with projectiles.

Doug Nalle: My wife and I like Europe and spend some time in France, and we think pétanque is a cool game! I like horseshoes too, and if you think about it, most of a horseshoe area is just empty space you throw the horseshoes over, so we put the pétanque court right there and got a kind of two-for-one deal.
click here to read the complete interview.

portland pétanque

Here is a nice recap and photos from last weekend's NW Regional Doubles in Portland . Thanks to Joe Martin, Albyn Jones, Philippe Agnesse and all at the Portland Petanque Club who helped put on another nice event.
Congratulations to gold medalists Joe and Pierre Brun, along with the other top finishers as noted down below.

cheers,

Ed Porto
FPUSA National Sport Director

P.S. Don't forget about our last NW Regional of the season: the very first NW Regional Mixed Triplette to be held on Sunday, September 21st and hosted by La Petanque Mariniere in San Rafael California . 'Hope to see you there!



We have two tournaments to summarize, Saturday's doubles melêe and Sunday's NW Region Doubles. The complimentary pastries from La Petite Provence and the "bottomless coffee cup' brought sixteen players out early Saturday morning to be matched up for a day of doubles. It was as close to perfect weather as one could imagine, sunny, and not too hot.

Because we had a perfect number for 8 teams, we went with a round robin format, and each team that was formed by having players draw numbered tiles, played every other team, 7 games in 8 hours including a break for lunch. Can't be much doubt then about which is the best team on that day.By the end of the day, the first place winners were Charles (from San Diego ) and Antrenick (sp?) Zadayan, father and son, who happened to be paired by the drawing as a team, won 6 of their 7 games. They were followed by Albyn Jones and Gary Bigham in 2nd, Matt Sharp and Thai Nguyen in 3rd, and Duong Nguyen and yours truly in 4th place. Each of the winning players received a bottle of the best wine $5 can buy, and the first three teams also were handed what amounted to coffee and donut money as a cash prize that came from entry fees.

The Northwest Regional Doubles took place on Sunday July 27th on a genuine Portland summer day: a bit cloudy, a few drops of rain, but with a very nice finish. After a delicious course of pastries provided by La Petite Provence, (sibling of "La Provence , the big") the competition began. 13 teams from Oregon and Washington , plus one from Salt Lake City Utah , played three rounds of a Swiss system in the morning to qualify teams to the concours and consolante. For lunch we had sandwiches provided by La Provence Bakery and Bistro. After lunch, Joe Martin and Pierre Brun went on a rampage, defeating Philippe and Pierre Agnesse 13-12, then Dick Viskov and John Hunt 13-0, and finally Bob and Joe Cortright in the final by 15-3. The Viskov/Hunt team took third place by defeating John Chantavisay and Duong Nguyen.Albyn Jones and David Johnstone defeated Greg Conyers and Lee Harris in a closely contested match to take the honors in the consolante final.We finished off the day with a wonderful banquet (Thanks to Didier Blanc Gonnet and Pascal Tisseur of La Provence !), awards, and then another round or two of friendly boules for those who didn't want to see the end of a great weekend of petanque! Many and profound thanks to the volunteers who helped make it happen.

The concours winners were:
1st: Joe Martin and Pierre Brun
2nd: Joe Cortright and Bob Cortright
3rd: Dick Viskov and John Hunt
4th: John Chantivisay and Duong Nguyen

The consolante winners were:
1st: Albyn Jones and David Johnstone
2nd: Creg Conyers and Lee Harris

Longest Trip Prize:
Michael Kronenberg and Jean-Jacque Grossi who came all the way from Utah to participate! Albyn awarded each a special bottle of vintage "Vin de Petanque" from his cellar.

Thanks go to the FPUSA for adding $100 to the cash prize purse that was shared by all the winners on Sunday.

From your tournament directors this past weekend,

Albyn and Joe.

pétanque pullover

Start spring training early and outfit yourself in these smart, 100% cotton long-sleeve tees

Athletic, not synthetic, and guaranteed to boost esprit de corps. Waffle-knit sleeves are heathered gray, and the blocked color panels are rich and deep. With rib cuffs, an open bottom, and green contrast stitching all over. 100% cotton. Machine washable. Imported in Ochre; Rust; Stone...more

pétanque commercial

umm....carreau de chien sur place??

better than sex...

...or things to do in New York City during 100 days without sex.

Day 17: Playing pétanque at Bryant Park is BTS

Civilization, Freud would have you believe, would not exist without the sublimation of our erotic impulses into more productive realms. Had our forebears simply decided to bang like rabbits 24/7, we would still be cave-dwelling barbarians stuck in hunting-and-gathering mode. Although they celebrated sex and sexuality in a frank, voracious way, the ancient Greeks did manage to skip an orgy or two to pen The Odyssey, mount the world’s first Olympic games and erect architectural marvels like The Parthenon. Reportedly a virgin his whole life, Antoni Gaudi – whose art nouveau masterpieces are sprinkled all over Barcelona – would not have been able to conceive a Sagrada Familia half as extraordinary if he did so in the missionary position...more

balls...without chains

Now it’s petanque and golf in our prisons
Monday, 14 April 2008,
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

Now it’s pétanque and golf in our prisons
The Corrections Department remains sadly out of touch with what the public expects to be happening in our prisons, says National’s Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power.
He is releasing an answer to a written parliamentary question in which Corrections Minister Phil Goff admits pétanque is played in some prisons and that Auckland and Wanganui Prisons have grass areas ‘that can be used for [golf] putting’...more

the dark side of the boule

From The Times
June 11, 2007
Charles Bremner in Paris

Gentle image of pétanque wrecked by ‘bouliganes’

Insults and punches are flying in the world of pétanque, the French pastime that conjures up images of elderly men, pastis and afternoons under the plane trees of Provence.
As the sport celebrates its centenary this month, the authorities in south and central France are clamping down on physical and verbal abuse among players that is said to be caused by prize money, alcohol and the decline of civil behaviour in France... more

pétanque pétanque

NEW SIDEBAR FEATURE



Check out the sidebar for a new feature. The pétanque pétanque directory aims to list all pétanque and bowl game websites all over the world, in order to give to petanque players a unique resource for interesting links. Websites of clubs, commitees, federations, manufacturers and distributors, blogs and personal websites are welcome !

kiwi post updated

The "Kiwis Triumph in Sonoma" slideshow, has been updated with some fine group fotos sent in by our very own Verena Rytter. Please take a minute to revisit the post

pétanque des écoles

French American International School

Pétanque is a French recreational game and sport which can be played almost anywhere and by anyone and is spreading very fast worldwide. In our school, pétanque is played regularly all year round at school events, as part of the French culture. Parents and kids can learn how to play the game or practice at the annual Lower School Parent Association picnic. Kids can play it at the lunch break during the annual Olympiades. The Middle School is now offering an initiation class in the PE program.
To raise some money for the school, purchase pétanque boules through Petanque America . 10% of all sales will be donated back to the school. All proceeds benefit the French American and International French tuition assistance.
The annual tournament Pétanque des Ecoles takes place every spring in Marin, in collaboration with Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley and Lycée Lapérouse. For more information contact Christine Lemor-Drake Christine@appletopomme.com