If there is one place in the US where petanque has become very popular, very fast, it's in naturist resorts. And there are many more than one would think: AANR alone has 50,000 members, and 270 affiliated clubs and resorts. And we have been supplying boules to many of them over the past years.We co-sponsored a tournament on Feb 4 & 5 at Gulf Coast Resort in Hudson, FL - around 45 miles N of Tampa. The event was named (in hindsight very appropriately) "Chilly Boules".
Everything had been meticulously prepared by Gulf Coast's management and our friends Kevin and Sue from W. Palm Beach. The food was delicious.
Alas, that very weekend most of Florida got flooded. In between the rain showers, we did manage to play some rounds on Saturday; then a condensed competition on Sunday followed by some "open field" games under the trees. We were a small group, but had a wonderful time all the same. Lots of laughter and some excellent players. For obvious reasons, no pictures this time. The above photo shows the 8 well laid out courts.
One reason for this popularity is that many American naturists have visited Europe' s naturist mecca, Cap d'Agde, which happens to be on the Mediterranean, close to Montpellier, where... petanque is big! Naturists travel often, have spread the word, and now many - if not most - naturist resorts throughout the US have petanque courts. One of the members at Gulf Coast actually made a report about their Cap d'Agde trips.
Everything had been meticulously prepared by Gulf Coast's management and our friends Kevin and Sue from W. Palm Beach. The food was delicious.
Alas, that very weekend most of Florida got flooded. In between the rain showers, we did manage to play some rounds on Saturday; then a condensed competition on Sunday followed by some "open field" games under the trees. We were a small group, but had a wonderful time all the same. Lots of laughter and some excellent players. For obvious reasons, no pictures this time. The above photo shows the 8 well laid out courts.
One reason for this popularity is that many American naturists have visited Europe' s naturist mecca, Cap d'Agde, which happens to be on the Mediterranean, close to Montpellier, where... petanque is big! Naturists travel often, have spread the word, and now many - if not most - naturist resorts throughout the US have petanque courts. One of the members at Gulf Coast actually made a report about their Cap d'Agde trips.Gulf Coast organizes tournaments on a regular basis, the next one on April 8.
Some other naturist resorts where petanque is played daily: Hidden River Resort (St George, GA) and Cypress Cove Resort & Spa (Kissimmee, FL).
1 comment:
You can also enjoy Patanque facilities in our hotel in Crete
Greece. Among other sports Petang is also one of our favourite.
Nice post!
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