Louis de Funès - Petanque picnic

From the classic 1964 movie, Le Gendarme de St Tropez.
Gendarme Cruchot (de Funès) wants to impress his new boss, sergeant major Gerber (Michel Galabru) during a petanque party with his deputies. As usual, it backfires.
Besides being funny as hell, it depicts so well how petanque can - and should - be played anywhere. A Sunday afternoon picnic in the woods? Bring out the boules.

NYPC - New website

New York Petanque Club has a new website. With beautiful graphics!

And together with La Boule New Yorkaise, they started a new initiative:
Player Rankings for the season.

An excellent idea, taking into account the results of your matches, wherever they're played.

Petanque TV

Markus Viktorsson in Kristianstad, Sweden, has launched an internet TV channel, called Petanque Exclusive.

They travel to major tournaments in Europe, so you can see them live, but have also accumulated footage from old championships that are worth watching. An archive, so to speak.

Membership is 36€ / year (abt U$52).

You can see some trailers for free, at Petanque Exclusive.

We wish him luck with this new initiative!

UPDATE 2011-05-07: Please read the review in the comments below.

Shoppers from Canada

This is the time of year when thousands of snowbirds drive back home from their winter in Florida. We sent out flyers to RV resorts to alert them that Amelia Island is only minutes from I-95 and thus a convenient stop to shop for new boules, ànd discover a place they usually speed by.

These past weeks we've welcomed visitors from various northern states and Canada, in all sorts of vehicles. This one, driven by Gilles and his wife Sophie broke the record: a Freightliner truck with a 38 ft trailer!

Lovely people, and very happy with their new petanque gear. Cheaper than in Canada, by the way :)

Boules collection

Rainer and Meike in Lauenau (just west of Hannover, Germany) have, over the years, gathered what is probably the most complete collection of boules ever made or available today.

The list starts with the group "Antique Boules" followed by the 20 different brands. Impressive!

Bambini in St Tropez

Here's a beautiful little commercial for Krytik, an Italian clothing brand for kids. Filmed in St Tropez, at the same Place des Lices where Karl Lagerfeld was entertaining his fashion friends last summer. Great colors, crystal clear - especially in HD -, and cute music.
Only one little (round) thing is missing :)



Maybe the guys & gals from Conestoga HS chould go over there and give them some tips!

Petanque America Open - movie trailer

Our friends at UBK Studios in Chicago have prepared a trailer! The full version is expected early March.

Nice shots, and great sound. To enjoy it fully, watch it on YouTube, in HD, and full screen. Just click on the YouTube logo.

Petanque: good for your wallet

A central Florida newspaper ran an article today about how baby boomers are getting more frugal every day. Taking nothing for granted anymore, they watch every cent they spend. The article has some interesting statistics, worth a read.

Highlands Today - Jan 9, 2011 - Affording retirement

With a photo of petanque! No surprise here: petanque is by far the cheapest form of outdoor entertainment. A set of 3 boules is all you need, good for years and years of fun. The cost per game works out to a couple of cents. Nominal when compared to golf, or bowling, or tennis.

By the way, Tanglewood in Sebring has eight beautiful courts, that are used constantly. And every year there are new petanque converts. Here's my report from 2006.

The Open results

Another edition of the Open has come and gone...

Here's the list of the top teams in the 8 final brackets.

Thanks to all the players, the sponsors, the City of Fernandina Beach, and the numerous volunteers who all contributed to making this one even better than the previous one!
Competition and camaraderie went hand in hand.
More reports coming soon.

Open 2010 Team updates

Registration is now closed.
It is possible a few spots open up due to cancellations. If you want to go on the waiting list, please email.
Sep 26 - IL, AL & GA, for a total of 23 states.
Sep 6 - WV, NJ & MA- only a few spots left.
Sep 2 - 68 signed up, 23 announced. We're almost there!
Aug 29 - 55 teams formally registered. 25 teams announced by mail or phone. 6 single players looking for a teammate.

Aug 23 - Ohio and Louisiana

Aug 18 - 40 teams and counting.
Aug 10 - New York & New Mexico
Aug 5 - Texas
Aug 3 - One more state (Maine), plus the first confirmed teams from Quebec, Canada!
Aug 1 - We're now at 25 teams, from 11 states. If you haven't yet, register here. Airlines are coming up with "Fall fares".
July 24 - Things seem to go much faster than last year. As of today, 16 weeks before the tournament, we already have about 20 teams from 10 states signed up.

Wyoming Open 2010

Our friends in Jackson WY are preparing for another Open tournament.

The invitation is crystal clear: come and have fun!

We were hoping for one or two Wyoming teams to come to Amelia Island in November, but there's an unexpected clash in travel plans.
But we'll definitely see them on a next occasion!

Simple, short but fun tournaments

For the past 2 months, Amelia Island Boules Club meets every Wednesday night at Cafe Karibo, starting at 6pm.
Beautiful setting (nice & drinks galore), but ... there are only 2 courts, you never know how many people will show up, and at what time. The courts are lit, but most folks like to head home by 8:30pm.
So one needs to improvise. We use a deck of cards to mix players into teams, fast. Doubles or triples - or some of both if need be - , depending on the attendance.

The usual way to "compact" games is to play to e.g. 7 points instead of 13 or to limit the game to, say 30 minutes. Both systems have pros and cons.
Thanks to input from pragmatic members (hat tip to Colleen & John), we now shorten games to 4 rounds (or ends, or throws or "mènes" in French). It's simple, fair, and there's no room for misinterpretation. A game lasts 20 to 25 minutes.
For instance tonight, we had 16 players, and made 8 teams of two. A total of 12 games were played, plus a tiebreaker between the two teams that won their 3 games.
By 8:30 the winners were known, and got the weekly $30 gift certificate from Cafe Karibo.

Petanque in the world

The Associated Press article below was an incentive to update the post I wrote in 2007 about player statistics worldwide.

In 1979, the international petanque federation - FIPJP - represented 18 countries, with a total of 403,963 members, of which 375,603 in France.

In 2009, the number of countries had jumped to 88, with a total of 531,233 members, of which 313,985 in France.

This means that France's portion of worldwide licensed players shrunk from 93 to 59 % , and that the rest of the world jumped 775 %.

In all fairness, this has a lot to do with the fact that the French petanque federation started requiring medical certificates a few years ago. Anyone who has walked around on a 'boulodrome' in Provence knows that "une visite médicale" would not rank highly as a favorite pastime.

But it also means that, if it wasn't for the tremendous interest petanque has generated outside France, the overall numbers would be way down.

That's why all of us in ROW ("rest of the world") need to insist that FiPJP (with a small "i") becomes FIPJP with a big "I". Their new website was a good step. Trainer Victor Nataf coming to Fresno was another one.

Yet it is still very much a "We decide, you've got to live with it" affair.
Witness the fiasco of the Taiwan World Championships (moved to Turkey at the last minute, causing extra expenses for many teams) and the weird decision to have two teams (USA & Canada) vie for the two "American continent" slots. Why do folks have to spend money in airfare and hotels if you know in advance they'll be qualified?
Obviously some of these people have no knowledge of the outside world and different cultures. No experience in organizing, logistics and communications. Yet they seem to believe their involvement is irreplaceable.

I will get some flack for this criticism but it is time to call a spade a spade. With "Google Translate" that becomes "appeler un chat un chat". Good. That's what I meant. I hope the rest of the text translates well too!

Petanque's got swank

This has been a great summer for petanque in the press.
To spread the word faster, I post them on Facebook as I see them.
Last week the Globe and Mail published an article with a nice slideshow about Paris Plages.

But the big "carreau" came today when Associated Press ran a story that got picked up by thousands of news outlets worldwide. Emma Vandore (based in Paris) looks at the game from an international angle, from Manhattan via Paris to Bangkok. Here's how it appeared today in the Washington Post.

French bowling? Yes, petanque's got swank.

Some papers may have used it only on their online version, not necessarily in the print copy, but still, it's a great addition to our Petanque in the US Press saga.
Sincere thanks to Emma Vandore for the interest.

Petanque in America - a movie!

When I saw the short documentary Ludo in June, I liked how the game was presented. The camaraderie, the cheerfulness, combined with top quality photography, editing and sound.

The Open in Amelia Island will be the perfect occasion to capture this same spirit, on American soil, in English. Players from at least 20 states and beyond, who drive or fly in to meet, mingle, play, and have a good time. We will also use some footage to make a short but nice "How to play pétanque" tutorial.

All elements are in place, but UBK Studios needs help with funding.
We invite everyone in the English speaking world who loves pétanque to pitch in.
Do it for the game. Thanks in advance.



Petanque / UBK Studios site

PS: After posting the above, it struck me: though we don't mind mailing the same old DVD's about pétanque, in French, from Florida to the four corners of the world, isn't it time to move on to a next level?

Brooklyn Bastille Day 2010

For the second year in a row, Valérie and her family flew in all the way from Aix-en-Provence to participate and document the street festival. She did an amazing job at capturing the spirit, the faces, ànd what goes on around the play area.
Watch it in HD and full screen.

Honky Tonk Petanque 2010

The City of Republic (abt 2 1/2 hrs NW of Spokane) is gearing up for their 4th annual petanque tournament!

<--- click to see the nice poster!

Honky Tonk Pétanque - Sept 18

Petanque @ Paris Plages

Last week the Seine river banks were once again tranformed into a narrow, long beach, called Paris Plages. L'Express went to interview the lady in charge of the pétanque courts, from 9 am till midnight. Play and loaner boules are all free, and the non-profit organization makes up for the expenses with the "buvette", i.e. the outdoor bar.
Brilliant idea.



And when Paris police officers have no urgent matters to attend, they keep busy otherwise ...

Petanque (and a pig) in Prague!

Letenský zámeček is a unique restaurant in the heart of Letná park with wonderful views over the historic centre of Prague. And with a pétanque play area.
On Sept 2nd they're holding their 8th Pétanque Party.
Here's the ad. I wish I could go.... lots of good Pilsner :-)
(Publicis is a French multinational advertising agency, one of the top 3 worldwide)

Portland Bouligans on Channel 8 KGW

The Portland Bouligans - the downtown Portland, Oregon club that plays on Jamison Square- made it on the 6 o'clock news.

Good show!

Let's play 'boules'

This one is cute!
We have a lot of schools here in the US using pétanque during French classes.
Here you have the opposite: a high school in Grasse (the world's capital of perfume, 12 miles NW of Cannes) decided to make a simple movie in English to teach pétanque to foreign students!
Bravo for a job well done!
(there's one tiny error at rule # 3: should be 6 meters i.s.o. 3)

Petanque vs Boule Provençale

A bit of controversy on French TV channel LCM yesterday.
A guest came on to present the merits of the old game "Jeu Provençal" and the "Provencal 13" tournament going on right now in Marseille. That's wonderful, except that he kept stating that pétanque was the older game, and that "la longue" - as it is also known - was actually derived from pétanque. I couldn't believe my ears!
The host herself doesn't buy it either but allows him carry on. By the end of the program she relates that many people called in to the station to protest his version of history.
No analogy is perfect, but imagine a reporter on a London program claiming that rugby was in fact derived from American football :-)
Sorry, it's all in French, but some of the player action in the first minute is worth watching.

Petanque in Zanesfield, Ohio

Mike and his friends in Zanesfield, a town of 220 active souls, along the Mad River, thought pétanque would be a nice addition to the town's social activities.

He must have a lot of friends - some with nice equipment, to boot - because in a matter of hours the new club had its regulation size court, with ample room for more. Play times will be Wed & Sat at 2:00 and Thu at 6:30.

Welcome to Zanesfield, another new marker on the Petanque in the USA map!

Boules are cool!

The Guardian ran an article today about how petanque is catching on in the UK.
We definitely - I've said it before - owe thanks to Karl Lagerfeld whose event in St Tropez in May has attracted the attention of many journalists.


How boules got cool - Guardian - July 28