Yesterday was not a day for the faint-hearted; it was cold and unpleasant. At 9:00 am, it was 41° with 70% humidity. But in the afternoon the weather changed for the worse. The day turned blustery with freezing gusts of wind sweeping the field and creating havoc everywhere.
How cold was it? “It was colder than a room full of ex-wives.”
I bet that the people who had the audacity to show up in shorts cursed their macho clothing decision.
At 10:00 am a small crowd had congregated on the pétanque field. With the flu epidemic still in full swing, the “fist bump” or the “rump bump” was still de rigueur. Many participants spontaneously grabbed some tools and proceeded to groom the courts. Kudos to all of them.
I did not do any of this. As a photographer, I put my priority on recording for posterity most of the details of tournaments. I will let you judge the results.
The organizer/accountant/scorekeeper/enforcer was Noel Marcovecchio. A first-time job that he managed to accomplish very well. He registered contestants, collected fees, kept scores and put together the 12 following doublettes:
- Alain Efron $ Sabine Mattei
- T.Wetzel & Monique Bricca
- Mark Shirkey & Susan Wyatt
- Bernard Passemar & Sandra Shirkey
- Ed Porto & J-C Bunand
- Evan Falcone & Tamara Efron
- Rob Houton & François Moser
- Charles Davantes & Logan Ginzberg
- J-M Poulnot & Helga Facchini
- John Morrison & Mireille Di Maio
- Jonathan Dalmau & David Lindsay
- Liza Moran & Calvert Barron
The tournament, by the way, was open to all (newcomers and seasoned players) and the format of the event was “a la mêlée”.
One game was played before lunch and 3 games after lunch.
I was lucky to be paired up with my old partner in crime Sabine Mattei. She is a good player and above all a cool chick. We are both natives of the Parisian area and we speak the same language. We have an easy, playful relationship and there is never tension ever between us. The way a team should be.
We managed decently, winning 3 games out of 4 while losing one 11/13 and I credit Sabine’s excellent pointing for these results.
Some of the people we played with were very good, among them Charlie Davantes, François Moser, and newcomer Logan Ginzberg. The previous day I also noticed Liza Moran who is becoming an excellent shooter and a threat to male egos. Don’t be fooled by her angel face! Under her smiling face, she hides the instinct of a killer.
To everybody’s relief, the tournament was over around 4:00 pm. and prizes were awarded to the top players:
1st prize: Rob Houton & François Moser
2nd prize: Calvert Barron & Liza Moran
3rd prize: Monique Bricca & T. Wetzel
4th prize: Alain Efron & Sabine Mattei
Everybody went home for a well-deserved rest and a hot beverage.
Epilog:
Then, shortly after I arrived home, shazam! I received a telephone call from Noel Marcovecchio (our scorekeeper) telling me that the previous results were erroneous.
After a recount, the official results are now as follows:
1st prize: Alain Efron & Sabine Mattei
2nd prize: Rob Houton & François Moser
3rd prize: Calvert Barron & Liza Moran
4th prize: Jean-Claude Bunand & Ed Porto
Sorry folks! Poopoo happens!
Alain
I hope that you like the pictures!