“Don’t wait for your ship to come in, swim out to it” – Cathy Hopkins
I could not have said it better.
If you resolve to participate in a discipline, you need to be proactive and clearly indicate that you want to be involved.
When people gather on the pétanque field, would-be players need to come forward and clearly indicate a willingness to play.
Then teams must be assembled. But it seems that team coordinators are few and far between.
When somebody finally endeavors to do the job, you need to pay attention to the proceedings.
You cannot lollygag on the sideline and pursue a private conversation while significant decisions (concerning you) are being made.
If you neglect to pay attention, you are showing a definite lack of respect for the people who labor to organize the teams.
These individuals don’t owe it to you to rearrange everything for a second time because of your lack of attention or because you showed up late.
The field rules are longstanding and they are very simple: first arrived first served. There is no obligation for anybody to wait for latecomers.
Teams cannot (and should not) be reorganized each time somebody shows up late or takes a siesta after lunch.
Nobody but you is responsible for being included in a game.
And once teams have been configured, it is up to each individual to find out who his/her teammates are.
Babysitting is not a part of the club’s charter.
As a club we should strive to include everybody, but this is a two-way street.
To be included you need to show up in a timely fashion and pay attention to what organizers are saying.
Socialization on the field is not prohibited, on the contrary, but during games private conversations should be kept to a minimum.
This is my take on the incident that happened last Saturday on the field.
Alain