Good manners

“Civility costs nothing and buys everything.”
Mary Wortley Montague

Pétanque is a pastime, an activity that someone does regularly for enjoyment.
One enjoys a game when taking pleasure in it. But sometimes, due to a bothersome player, one participates in a game without enjoying it.

Therefore, like the Soup Nazi of Seinfeld’s fame, I reserve the right to refuse serving soup, or playing pétanque with anyone.

Being a club member doesn’t give anybody any special privilege. It just gives you the opportunity to interact with other club members.

It is an individual’s attitude, on and off the field, that will dictate if this person will be readily invited to join a casual game or not.
Arguing and contesting every point makes an individual particularly undesirable.
When disagreeing, there are civilized ways to settle an argument, and being belligerent is not one of them.

Winning a game can also turn into a pyrrhic victory. A victory won at too great a cost to be worthwhile.
You might win a game, but permanently alienate the other players.

In life (or in pétanque) one needs to be generous, magnanimous.
If you win gracefully, people will admire you. If you win unpleasantly people will resent you.

“Good manners: the noise you don’t make when eating soup”.
Bennett Cerf

Equally good manners:
The noise you don’t make when playing pétanque.

Moral of the story:
If you want to be accepted, be mellow.
Before, during and after.

That’s the way I see it.

Alain