Time flies. About 50 years ago a handful of French expats decided to start a pétanque club… a ridiculous enterprise in a land where this “mysterious” game was almost totally unheard of. But “to a valiant heart nothing is impossible”, and after many false starts, La Pétanque Marinière was born.
Of the original protagonists, only 2 people are still alive: Louis Toulon and Charlie Davantes. And to prove that pétanque is good for you, both over 80, are still (occasionally) playing. How many athletes do you know that can boast such records? Most of the time, past 35-40 you are a has-been and out to pasture.
“Pétanque and sex are the only two activities you can enjoy while being mediocre”
Yesterday La Pétanque Marinière celebrated its 50th anniversary and many people came to take part in this party. Among them, the Joske clan, lead by their matriarch Maryse Joske. For those who still don’t know, Pierre Joske was the person most responsible for the creation of our beautiful field. Thank you very much Joske family.
Many people participated in the success of the club, but one stands out, and for many, she is the only Club President that they have ever known. Her name is Christine Cragg and yesterday (as always) she was instrumental in the favorable outcome of our celebration. Among many other things, she spent a long, long time putting together a collection of photographs displayed during this event. She was also helped by her faithful husband Larry who, among other things, set up the very professional sound system.
Personally, I give Christine a lot of credit for leading the club for so long. Being president is not an easy job, and very few capable people are postulating for the post… Above all, unlike some other deranged president, she will never attack any other club to enlarge her following. Thank you, Christine, for keeping the peace with all the other independent clubs.
“What is exciting about pétanque is that even if you play very badly, it is always possible to worsen your game.”
As I said earlier, many volunteers lent a hand to the party. On the food side, Sabine Mattei and Mireille Di Maio did an excellent job purchasing and arranging the eatables. They were also assisted by Nina, Tamara and Wendy. Thank you all for a job extremely well done.
I cannot mention all the volunteers that were of assistance, but I also noticed that Sara Danielson and Shama were part of the working crew. Thank you very much, ladies.
In the afternoon, after the speeches and personal testimonies, a little Concours consisting of 3 untimed games took place. The tournament ended around 4:00 pm and medals were awarded to the best players.
They were:
1st place: Bernard Passemar & MarieAnne Curley
2nd place: John Morrison & Patricia Biscay
3rd place: Frazer Bradshaw & Helen McGill
Thank you all for coming and making this event memorable.
Alain
PS: Don’t forget to look at the pictures that took me a very long time to choose, crop, and correct. I hope that you will like them.