Au Cochonnet Marin

With one more meet to go, the Night Fall League tournament is about to end but I have the feeling that once over it is going to be missed by many.

Started by tireless Brigitte Moran, the League surprised many (myself included) by its popularity.

 

Thirty people (10 doublettes) of all stripes and colors initially signed up to participate and entered the tournament under the following banners:

1. Les Trois Joueurs: captained by Mark Shirkey
2. Les Bons Temps: coached by Brigitte Moran
3. Oui Cheat: managed by Chris Spratt
4. Les Lezards: skipped by Alain Efron
5. The Happy Hurlers: directed by Henry Wessel
6. Team D: supervised by: led by Marc Davantes
7. The Boule Shooters: chaired by Ken Lee
8. The Originals: bossed by Charlie Davantes
9. Les Bouchons: coxswained by Shannon Tracy
10. La Provence: tutored by Mireille Di Maio

It all started on August 31^st, and ever since two games were played every Wednesday night starting at 5:30 p.m. and usually ending around 7:30 p.m.

But these last two weeks, with nightfall darkening the field around 7:00 pm, the second game had to played with the help of floodlights, graciously supplied by none other than Brigitte.

The participants ranked from total beginners to semi-pros. Games were played in a very relaxed “bon enfant” atmosphere, refreshingly different from the sometimes quarrelsome contests played by club members on weekends.
Most of the time, points were accorded simply by “eyeballing” the boules on the ground and not by measuring distances with a measuring tape.

The last session of this tournament will be played October 19, 2016 and prizes for the 1^st place and 2^nd place will be awarded to the most successful teams. I assume that the ranking will be determined first by the number of games won and second by the points accumulated.

It is hoped that the people playing in this little tournament will eventually sign up and join our organization, because to avoid sclerosis a club needs a constant flow of new blood.
I believe that they will join because Pétanque is a highly addictive activity. Once you start it is difficult to give it up, and like the locoweed it gives you incredible highs.

So, start the New Year on the right foot and join La Pétanque Marinière today.

Unlike the still uncertain outcome of our loony presidential elections, you will never regret it.

Alain

Erratum: Per Brigitte “last league night is next week and playoffs and end of league celebration will be the following week.”

« Té, vé l’Antonin, il m’a encore embouchonné le petit !.. »
« Oh peuchère! Vas-y César, tires-moi cette boule et pas à la rabaille hein !

 

Everybody has heard of the Joy of Sex… at least I hope.
Well, the joy of “carreau” is as satisfying as the joy of sex… The joy of “carreau” is almost as satisfying as the joy of sex…
Let me rephrase this.
The joy of “carreau” is not really as fulfilling as the joy of sex… but it comes close.

In pétanque, the king of shots is the “carreau”, the “dead on the spot” shot. It is the most difficult, spectacular and rewarding pitch of the game.
But in order to achieve this, you need to learn how to “to shoot the iron” (in French, tirer au fer).

This means that when you shoot, your boule (without ever touching the ground) should hit the target boule and take its exact position on the ground.
In French it is called a “carreau parfait”, a perfect carreau.

It is a difficult and intimidating shot and most of the beginners shy away from it. But with some practice, I believe that almost anybody can do it.

Because it is relatively easy, beginners start by firing “à la raffle” or “à la raspaille”. In this shot you try to hit the opponent’s boule by aiming in front of the target and hit it after a bounce or two.
This shot (unpopular with purists) can work but has some serious drawbacks. If the field is uneven or if another boule stands in font of your target, it becomes difficult or impossible to do it.

The advantage of “shooting the iron” is that this shot is possible regardless of the field conditions or the positions of your opponents’ boules.

Personally, I started by shooting “a la raspaille” but became frustrated by its limitations. So whenever I could, I started practicing “shooting the iron”. After many, many misses, to the wonder of my partners and adversaries, I suddenly started to hit my mark.

Let me tell you. Nothing feels quite like a “carreau parfait”.
The slight anticipation while the boule in the air, the smacking sound, the yelling, the applauses… Cloud 9.

If you want to elevate your game, stop shooting “a la raspaille” and concentrate on “shooting the moon”.

It is worth the effort.

Alain aka La Foudre

By the way, I don’t know why it is called a “carreau”. In French, the word either means a floor tile or windowpane.

Why in hell would anybody run for the Presidency of the United States?

Is it a craving for power? A longing for attention? Vanity? To increase fame and fortune? All of it?

Don’t the candidates realize that if they run for office their background is going to be scrutinized like never before?
Don’t they understand that hundreds of highly motivated warrior ants are going to dig in their past and unearth all their carefully concealed secrets?

Don’t they know that their opponents can and will hit them repeatedly below the belt?

Seasoned politicians know that and stay safely on the sidelines.
But some so-called “captains of industry” obviously are not aware of this and will try to prove that they know better than anybody else.

The reality is that when it comes to politics, businessmen are babes in the woods.
When you are running a corporation, very few people will dare to challenge you. Everybody will kowtow to you. Yes sir, absolutely sir.
But in the political arena, it is a totally different story.

Anybody can and will attack you, and you cannot simply subdue an opponent by firing him.
A political fight between a businessman and a seasoned politico is more like a confrontation between a gladiator and a shopkeeper.
The gladiator knows how to wield a sword and will use it skillfully. The shopkeeper only knows how to protect himself with a shield of shysters and this tactic does not work well under the burning sun of the public arena.

The reality is that the path to the White House is littered with the bodies of “know better” magnates.

In the age of ubiquitous electronic devices, it becomes more and more difficult to hide your true persona. Everything you have (even unknowingly) said or written will come back and haunt you.
And the closer you get to the finish line the hotter it gets. Like live grenades embarrassing questions will be lobbed at you and pop all around you.

Did you always pay your taxes? Did you ever cheat on your wife? Are you a misogynist? Have you ever used drugs? Do you have a criminal record? Are you hiding money abroad?

Politicians know that it is the nail that sticks out that will be hammered down. Businessmen don’t seem to be aware of that. They will learn that success in business does not necessarily translate into political success.
And in case of defeat their lifelong reputation will be tarnished forever.

No one is a prophet in his own country, but I am willing to bet my virginity that the bloodied body of the intellectually-challenged businessman is going to be carried out in a stretcher at the end of the fight.

Alain