The Spring League

 

The umpire is the most helpful guy of the Concours; he is even willing to get on his knees to help us.

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Wednesday April 5 marked the opening of the Pétanque Marinière Spring League and I don’t mind saying that it was very successful.

Thirty-eight (38) people of all stripes showed up to play and it almost felt like a regularly scheduled tournament day.

People came in droves from all parts of the Bay Area and we owe it mainly to Brigitte Moran, our fighting hausfrau.
I suspect that people would not dare to refuse her for fear of being kneed in the groin or whacked on the head by her long sword.

Regardless, it was a very well attended affair and one should remember that the proceeds of this event end up in the coffers of the club and help us revitalize our organization.
Brigitte has done a lot to recruit new members and our once unadventurous club is poised to become one of the most popular associations of the Bay Area.
A prerequisite to play is the League by the way, is that pétanque aspirants have to agree to join our club.

The Spring League being played during working days’ evenings (when people walk their children or dogs) gives us an above average exposure and the more participants promenaders see on the field, the better for it is for us.

We are not a bunch of weirdos anymore, we are becoming mainstream.

Hail  Brigitte, our Maid of Orleans!

Alain  ?

Panache

 

“When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him you will win”.
Ed Macauley

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Si vis pacem, para bellum the Romans used to say, “If you want peace, prepare for war”.
Or in other words, if you want to prevail, you need to practice… relentlessly.

To be a well-rounded pétanque player you need to know how to “point” AND how to “shoot”. Without this additional skill a pointer is just like a tennis player without a backhand. An incomplete, very vulnerable player.

When you play a casual game of pétanque, the stated goal is to win of course, but more importantly it is also to prepare you for bigger events, such as regional, national or international tournaments.
Winning is always satisfying, but it comes only second to sharpening your skills. All players (male and female), instead of restricting themselves to pointing ought to practice shooting.

You are not born a shooter. You become a shooter. And you become a shooter by practicing whenever there is an opportunity.

Winning is OK, but having fun is definitely more enjoyable than winning.
Éclate-toi! (have a blast) say the French. It should be the driving motto behind every game of pétanque.
Losing can be disheartening, but losing with panache more than makes up for a defeat. Losing with two well-executed “carreaux” under your belt is nothing to be ashamed of. Personally, I will gladly take such a loss versus a laborious 13/12 win.

Panache my friends is what makes a game memorable. Last year in Sonoma Antoine Lofaro won a tournament with two rare “carreaux” in a row.
A few days ago, Alain Marchand ended a game with another superb “carreau ». Nothing beats such an achievement my friends. It is an orgasmic feat that you need to experience at least once in your lifetime.

So, if you want to enjoy the ecstasy of the Big O, you need to practice mes amis, unrelentingly.

When you finally succeed “you will wiggle and you will shake like a big rattlesnake ♫”.

Alain

Are you informed?


“Facts are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes.”
Jawaharlal Nehru (1889 – 1964)

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“Knowledge is power.” You must have heard this expression a thousand times and it is basically true. Then how “powerful” are you and what do you really know about subjects that matter to you?

How knowledgeable are you about Money, Taxes, Technology, Healthcare, Environment, Politics?
Do you know enough about money to invest it wisely? On what side of the digital divide do you stand? Can you fix a simple computer problem? Do you believe in climate change? Or is it a “hoax”? Do you know who your Congressman is? And who are the bad guys in Washington? The Republicans? The Democrats? The Ecologists? All of them?

The awful, pathetic truth is that generally speaking we know very little about what matters most to us and the puppeteers at the top are very careful to keep us in the dark.
“Trust me” is a very popular saying in Washington.

Facts and statistics are like gold nuggets. They are precious but only the well informed know where to pan for it and how to put it to good use.
Today though, thanks in great part to Mr. Gates and Mr. Jobs the computer is your best defensive tool. Before believing anything that you hear or read, it would greatly behoove you to do a little research and check the authenticity of those assertions.

“Be skeptical. Check the author. Check the publisher. Check the sources.”

There are a few non-partisan Fact Checking Websites (Politifact, Factcheck.org, and the Washington Post‘s Fact Checker among them) that can help you to do so.

If you are an average fellow and if you suddenly hit the lottery’s piñata, you are immediately wading in quicksand. What are you going to do with all that dough? Buy a bunch of cars and expensive presents for family and friends? Take a long vacation?
And whom can you really trust to steer you right? A friend, a lawyer, your mistress?

When you come into money, “friends” pop up around you like mushrooms after a spring rain. And some can be very poisonous.

To survive in this dog-eat-dog environment you need protection and your best protection is education. The more you know about a subject, the less appetizing you become to the sharp teeth swindlers circling around you.

Learning is a never-ending process and it is your best life saving jacket.

Alain

PS: If you feel like it, you can post a personal comment below by clicking on “Reply“.