October 30, 2005

Meet the Umpire

The official tournament umpire will be Yngve Biltsed.
Many of you know him from La Boule NY, of which he has been the President almost continuously since 1992.

He is a native of Copenhagen, Denmark, and an architect by training. After discovering pétanque in Southern France in the seventies he started playing at home. Shortly after moving to New York in 1986 he joined La Boule NY as soon as he discovered there was a club.

Yngve has been umpire since 1994 and has officiated at numerous national tournaments.
Of course he is a skilled payer as well and we hope to see him play
at some time when he has a chance.

La Boule NY plays at different locations throughout NYC and has 97 members right now. The Bryant Park courts - in the heart of Manhattan - are beautiful. La Boule NY has an arrangement with the Park whereby on given days of the week one of their members is available to teach anyone passing by. There are lots of shade trees, chairs and tables all around, plus different food stalls.

No doubt this is the best way to promote pétanque. An attractive site, in the heart of town, where lots of people can watch and give it a try. Urban renovation is "in" and urban planners love to include pétanque courts. They are cheap to build and maintain, and provide quiet, friendly entertainment for all age groups. Up to the clubs to knock on the right doors at the right moment! Detroit Petanque Club is now at Campus Martius, and La Boule Rose plays at Jamison Square in the heart of Portland, OR.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Bryant Park hmmm..... looks like pretty good terrain, have to stop by an try it out..