Yesterday, La Pétanque Marinière hosted the FPUSA NW Regional tournament and I am happy to report that everything went swimmingly well.
The weather (nobody ever does anything about it) was picture perfect and absolutely ideal for a pétanque contest.
People who came early couldn’t help but notice the clearly marked and perfectly groomed field. You can thank Charlie Davantes, Christine Cragg, Claudie Chourré and David Riffo for that. I tip my hat to you, you beautiful people.
54 contestants (18 triplettes), elected to participate in this event, and they are as follows:
Team 1: Steve Jones/Jean-Michel Poulnot/Simone Furlan
Team 2: Gilles Karpowicz/Jurgen Weisse/Denyse Haney
Team 3: Bee Moua/Carolina Jones/Caryl Putman
Team 4: David Riffo/Bleys Rose/Gustave Foucher
Team 5: Paul Moua/Pierre Bremont/Christine Cragg
Team 6: Jean-Claude Bunand/Teri Sirico/Liv Kraf
Team 7: Dan Feaster/Holly Sammons/Robert Belfore
Team 8: Alain Gusella/Antonia Paulsen/Nan Walker
Team 9: Etienne Rijkheer/Alain Efron/Phyllis Mosher
Team 10: Yor Lee/Larry Cragg/Christine Jones
Team 11: John Morris/Greg Putman/Carin Paulsen
Team 12: Mike Cooper/Clausie Chourre/Frank Haney
Team 13: Kao Lee/Bernard Passmar/Mary Albright
Team 14: Phominok Lee/Colette Van Der Meulen/Peggy Silversides
Team 15: Kevin Evoy/Phim Nielsen/Tamara Efron
Team 16: Steven Paulsen/Patick Vaslet/Helen McGill
Team 17: Chang Xiong/David Katz/Linda Evans
Team 18: Ed Porto/Barbara Howard/Donna Yates
It is to be noted that, for sake of efficiency and timeliness, teams were configured the day before the tournament and this allowed the organizers to start the games at 10:00 a.m.
Croissants (albeit a little late) and coffee were offered to the contestants to help them sustain the arduous journey ahead.
Three 13 points “timed” games were played before lunch.
Timing games is a good idea, but I resent players who take an inordinate amount of time before finally parting with their boules.
Pacing the field back and forth might look good wise, but to me it is a real nuisance.
This often means that a game will be cut short before it reaches its natural 13 points completion. This procrastination can affect the final outcome of a game, for a leading team is not always assured of victory.
In my (always partial) opinion, in a timed game, contestants should be allowed to inspect the field only once. On their second shot they should have 30 seconds to play or desist. Period!
Before I forget, let’s give a hand to Verena, Bart and David for running a tight tournament, and to Antoine Lofaro (umpire) whose decisions are godlike.
After lunch, contestants (according to their morning scores) started to play either in the Concours or either in the Consolante and all the games were eliminatory.
At 7:00 p.m. it was all over. Apéritifs were served and medals awarded.
The final results are as follows:
Concours
1st place: Kevin Evoy/Phim Nielsen/Tamara Efron: $73.00 each
2nd place: Paul Moua/Pierre Bremont/Christine Cragg: $41.00 ea
3rd place: Steve Jones/Jean-Michel Poulnot/Simone Furlan: $31:00 ea
Consolante
1st place: Steven Paulsen/Patick Vaslet/Helen McGill: $31:00 ea
2nd place: Yor Lee/Larry Cragg/Christine Jones: $20.00 ea
3rd place: Alain Gusella/Antonia Paulsen/Nan Walker: $13.00 ea
Before I put my pen to rest, I would like to beg for sympathy.
Because of my mate’s (annoying) prowess on the field, I am now in the unenviable position of playing second fiddle to somebody I taught how to drink wine, eat snails, and play Pétanque.
This is humiliating and has got to cease! I need your support to help me find ways to regain my previously unchallenged macho man status.
All suggestions are welcome and I will publish the 10 best ideas.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Alain