Midwest Petanque Alliance BLOG

Petanque Pizza Party a Success

2011-12-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

Now that the Detroit Petanque Club's courts have been professionally groomed in the winter bouleodrome we decided to start our Friday pizza parties. Throughout the Winter we'll be bouleing it up down in the club and don't worry about something cold to drink -- we have a fridge too!

We're getting the couches and dartboard brought in next week...

Today's score: Sam & Jeff = 7 to Tim & Fred = 10 (we play to 10 points due to pizza eating interruptions). I took a strong shot against a biberon (boule touching the cochonnet) to knock it out into the open for 3 points, but Team-Tim/Fred were too strong.

Petanque inside a Bank Vault in Detroit

2011-11-30T15:40:00.002-05:00

Neither snow, nor sleet, nor darkness of night shall keep us from playing petanque. At least in Detroit! Pat secured a top secret location for the club to play during the cold Winter months in Detroit. The space comes complete with ample court space, a very realistic rolling surface, with high ceilings for plombe, shooting, and shouts of victory!

Oh did I not mention that there's a giant vault in the room in case of a nuclear attack (or zombies). If the sh^t hits the fan we know we'll be the last petanque players to survive!

Possibly the Last "Outdoor" Game for the Season in Detroit

2011-11-16T17:19:00.000-05:00

With colder temperatures arriving I'm thinking this might be the last game for the 2011 Season - outdoors that is. Pat has secured an indoor location which might be put into use as early as next week. (Note: I'm not in the office from Thursday to Monday so our next boule-ing opportunity will be Tuesday (11/22).

Today's game: Abu/Jeff vs. Fred - with Team Abu/Jeff taking an early lead, getting 6 points before Fred warmed up to the Court - but when he dialed in, it was as if every round he'd get one point while we sat perpetually on 6 points. When it was all over, Fred took the win 13 to our 9.

Hey, Someone Turned off the Heat!

2011-11-10T15:33:00.000-05:00

I was happy to wear my sherpa hat today because the wind and chill definitely cut into our hands and after a few rounds really worked against our shooting/pointing. I'm not sure if this is it for the season because you never know when the weather will become warm again in Michigan. Pat A. has secured an indoor location which will allow us to continue despite any snowdrifts and ice on the ground. Stay tuned!

The official lighting of the Campus Martius Tree is fast arriving (November 18th)

We're Having a Heatwave in the Mid-West

2011-11-08T16:04:00.000-05:00

MVP Sam really tightened the screws at today's game in Campus Martius Park. Leading the batting order for our team, Sam rolled in close boule after close boule - leaving Team-Pat/Abu/Maury scrambling to point in. We took the lead early on and kept a healthy margin - with Team-Pat only gaining 1 point in their early rounds while we gained 2 and 3 points per round. Towards the end they made a comeback with a couple of three-point rounds, but it was all over and done when Tim pointed in two boules for the 13/10 win.

Ice Rink Nearly Frozen Over at Campus Martius Park

2011-11-07T16:11:00.001-05:00

It is hard to imagine that in a month the rink behind our court will be filled with skaters. For now, hoever, the conditions are ripe for petanque playing.

Multi-tasking is our middle name. When a business phone call rings in, we can still point in the close boule.

Seasonable weather for a monday, with lots of folks congregating in the park for the cider and doughtnuts (at the Compuware float) and to check out our game playing.

Welcome to the Fall Foliage at the Petanque Courts in Detroit

2011-11-04T17:50:00.000-04:00

With November came some really bright color transformations in the foliage surrounding Campus Martius Park in Detroit where we play our afternoon petanque games in the warmth of the sun. There's some leave on the terrain, but they don't disturb our boule pointing, in fact, it only adds to the charm of playing so deeply into our season. The ice rink is installed and soon the park will be getting the ice surface installed. The holiday tree has been lowered into position and this weekend the special "Tree Elves" will be hanging all of the super-sized ornaments (they sort of look like giant boules!)

Cold Thursday Brings Warm Victory for Jeff, Fred, and Sam

2011-11-03T17:14:00.002-04:00

Boule Playing As the Christmas Tree is Lowered into Campus Martius Park

2011-11-02T16:51:00.000-04:00

Today's game was full of careful playing by the rules as a cochonnet, knocked (for an Article 13 hopeful) out of bounds bounced against a "dead boule" that remained on the court. The ruling? The cochonnet was still in-play as it did not leave the field of play but the dead boule became dead when a player (from the same team as the boule thrown) stopped the boule with his foot before it rolled off the court. This is an "understood policy" with our club (out of convenience) so as not to have to chase down far flung invalid boules across the pavement.

Technically, the "dead" boule should have been allowed to leave the court before being touched by a player, and removed (as per Article 18 - "Boules out of Play"):

Any dead boule must immediately be removed from the playing area*. If it is not it will be considered in-play once the next boule is played by the opposing team.

* It is the responsibility of the team playing to remove any dead boule that has re-entered the playing area. If the dead boule is not removed and the next boule is played by the same team, and as a result of that play the dead boule is struck or strikes other boules, the opponent may choose to accept all the new positions of those boules or declare them all dead. The same applies if the jack hits, or is moved by, the dead boule or boules set in motion by it. Regardless of the opponent's choice, the re-entered boule remains dead and must be removed.

The cochonnet, upon hitting the non-removed "dead boule" would be considered dead or kept at it's resting position. I chose to keep the cochonnet where it lay, but to remove the dead boule (as it's movement was interfered with by a player from the throwing team).

The result was that the opposition was able to get three points from that round - and the eventual win 13/11.

Jeff, Sam, Tim, Pat, Abu, Fred, and Maury just before their big petanque game

Lots of analysis of strategy and rules for the petanque games at Cadillac Square Park

2nd Boule Played When 1st Boule Already Had the Point

2011-11-01T13:59:00.001-04:00

Today's game brought up a situation where a Player from Team-A threw a boule which was closest, but he didn't realize and he then threw a 2nd boule. Then Team-B threw their boule to get closer. What is the proper protocal/rule for this situation?

Typically, if the proximity of the 1st boule was not obvious, and a measurement was not called for, and the 2nd boule was thrown, we would keep the 2nd boule on the court where is rested. It is advised that teams have a member at the cochonnet end of the court to observe and measure when closeness is not obvious.

Article 16 – Throwing of the First and Following Boules

The first boule of an end is thrown by a player belonging to the team that has won the toss or the last scoring end. Following boules are played by the team not holding the point.

Article 24 – Throwing Boules Contrary to the Rules.

Any boule thrown contrary to the rules is dead and, if marked, everything it has moved in its travel is put back in place. The same applies to any boule played from a circle other than that from which the jack was thrown.

However, the opponent may play the advantage rule and declare it to be valid. In this case, the boule pointed or shot is valid and everything it has displaced remains in its place

What Happens When Cochonnet is Accidently Struck by Opponent's Body?

2011-10-31T14:43:00.000-04:00

Today, Pat struck the cochonnet with his boule, but his teammate, standing nearby, accidently blocked the cochonnet's travel off the Court, and it bounced back on to the court. We, as the opposing team, chose to (i) leave the cochonnet in its new position. (We didn't "mark" the cochonnet's original position and so we couldn't choose options ii or iii. But, we were happy for the accident as it prevented Pat's team from getting 4 or more points on an Article-13 (cochonnet off the court). Pat's shooting, by the way, with the house boules was very successful. He might leave his "lead bombs" back at his office.

Article 14 – Positioning the Jack after it has been Stopped

(a) If the jack, having been hit, is stopped by a spectator or by the Umpire, it remains where it stops.

(b) If the jack, having been hit, is stopped by a player, his opponent has the choice of:

(i) leaving the jack in its new position.

(ii) putting it back in its original position.

(iii) placing it anywhere on the extension of a line from its original position to where it is found up to a maximum distance of 20m (15m for Cadets and Minors) and such that it is visible.

Abu leapt out of the way of the cochonnet numerous times, gaining considerable height in his jumps.

Winter Time Detroit Bouledrome Secured at Secret Location

2011-10-28T17:29:00.000-04:00

A hard won victory for Sam/TimC./Nick/Jeff against Fred/Pat/Maury at Campus Martius Park this afternoon. Sam led off each round putting in a boule at around 20 inches from the cochonnet at a medium distance - tempting for the opposition to beat his point (and not to shoot) - which worked to our advantage time and again as Team-Pat threw down 80% of their boules before regaining the point. This left us with a majority of boule with which to point and a consistent lead in score. A couple of well placed shots from me, together with the unfailing pointing from Nick and TimC. gave us a comfortable lead despite Team-Pat having a "boule advantage" (Pat and Maury each had three boules to use).

Club Members have been sworn to secrecy the locationof the "boule bunker" which doubles as a safe-haven in case of zombie apocalypse. Stocked with food and beverages for a five year span - we could be playing boule in an ice-age

Pat and Tim Gain Another Petanque Victory

2011-10-25T17:55:00.003-04:00

Swept! Team-Pat sweeps up and propels to top of rankings

2011-10-24T14:43:00.000-04:00

Team-Jeff/Fred/Sam were schooled today at Campus Martius Park with a Fanny (13/0 loss) to Team-Pat/Maury/Abu. Every round they had a close first boule, and we expended nearly everything to win back the point. I'm not sure what was keeping us back - we switched up our playing order, we changed strategy on pointing and shooting - but nothing we attempted worked to our advantage. They were just the better team. Aaron E. joined us for the second game which improved somewhat as we had three points this game, but still a loss to Team-Pat (13/3). I guess some days are like that. Hopefully not TOO many! Pat took a healthy lead in the standings - regained. It'll take quite a few games to dislodge him (if ever).

Zanesfield Petanque Club's Newest Member

2011-10-19T12:05:00.000-04:00

In an odd news story that has crossed the Country, an exotic animal keeper has set free over fifty wild animals from his Zanesville property in Ohio. Zanesville is on the outskirts of Columbus, Ohio. Some of the animals include African lions, grizzly bears, wolves, chimpanzees, and an orangutan! Local police are using their rifles to go on a local Safari hunt but some of the predators remain at large.

An odd coincidence at the Zanesfield Petanque Club courts, also in the outskirts of Columbus, Ohio, as new members include, Yogi, a grizzly bear and expert pointer; and Boo-Boo, an Orangutan and experienced shooter. The new members will be representing the Zanesfield Petanque Club at the next petanque tournament in Amelia Island, Florida.

Fred Maintains his Top Position at the Detroit Petanque Club

2011-10-19T11:46:00.002-04:00

Strong Games Played - Now at Campus Martius Park

2011-10-18T09:56:00.000-04:00

As the October winds arrive, we've moved across the street to a more sheltered (and sunnier) Campus Martius Park for our boule games. Monday's game was pretty exciting with lots of boule-for-boule exchanges on the piste. Sam and Maury were holding their own against Abu and Fred - while I was sneaking in a boule now and then. At 13/12 - you could tell everyone played their hardest. Thanks to all who attended.

Days Becoming Chillier at Detroit Petanque Club

2011-10-17T11:32:00.002-04:00

Fred K. Tops the Club Standings

2011-10-13T15:19:00.000-04:00

In the first game today, Fred K. (teamed up with Maury B. & Jeff W.) kicked butt with a 13 to 1 victory over Team Pat A.; Tim C.; and Abu M. The wide point spread was sufficient to knock Pat A. into second position, leaving the other players stunned and in awe of Fred's new accomplishment. I was proud to be on the winning team today, as we laid in point after glorious point, leaving Team-Pat to watch our steady ascent.

The second game almost had a reversal, with a revenge match giving Pat's team a 6 point to zero lead. But we caught up and tied our opponents, and agreed (due to time constraints) to play a final round, with the winning team at 13 and the losers at 12. We ended up in a strong position, with the cochonnet at 11 meters and protected - but Pat's shot found a hole and knocked the cochonnet to 15 meters - and kept the point for the win.

Double Losses Plague Team-Pat

2011-10-11T10:49:00.000-04:00

Monday's games brought Team-Pat together with Tim C. and Eric C. re-joining the weekday gaming. What was initially thought to be a "power-team" turned into quite a fight for survival as Team-Fred & Jeff piled on the points with control of the cochonnet and Fred anchoring in the points while Jeff slammed away any offending boules from the mix. Will Pat (who is only marginally above Fred's score) maintain his top position? Today might very well be the day when Pat is toppled. Come out and see (or DO the toppling!)

Players Becoming Scarce at Detroit Petanque Club

2011-10-05T16:52:00.000-04:00

Lately I've noticed a distinct lack of participation in our weekday games. I realize that folks are busy (thank goodness they're working) but if you do like playing the game, please come down to the courts before the season ends. When winter hits I may do some campaigning at Quicken to drum up some interest. After all, they do have nearly 4,000 employees - some might be interested in playing a cool, trash-talking French game right at their doorstep - without any cost! Anyhow, we've been moving our playing to different sections of gravel at Cadillac Square Park - which does change up the game play somewhat. Nothing like a fresh, deep puddle of gravel to increase the level of difficulty.

a couple of Carreau, a few 5 point rounds... neat!

2011-10-03T17:16:00.000-04:00

The petanque carreau (kah-row) is a neat little trick shot that happens along once in a while. The shooter throws his boule (A) at the target boule (B) and A replaces B neatly such that you see one boule "magically" replace the position of the other boule (which is "kicked" out of the way). Here's a video of one in action: CARREAU (not "exactly" a tir au fer (shooting iron to iron) carreau - but you see the action).

This afternoon's games (2) of Jeff/Abu vs. Pat/Maury were fun. We had two rounds where each team lucked out 5 points - but with a couple of lucky shots (a tir-au-fer and a carreau) we took both wins (Jeff/Abu). Satisfying. Pat has promised to seek a revenge match on Tuesday.

Five Points on a Cochonnet Knock - Takes the Game

2011-09-28T17:46:00.003-04:00

Sharon joined the game today after a long time away. Maury and I teamed up (for the sake of the holiday) and we did pretty well, especially after knocking the cochonnet to the back position, but still valid, and rolling in four more boules for five points and the win. Slim pickings on players as of late, I certainly hope folks remember we're out here -playing noon to 1pm. Winter has a sneaky way of slipping in before we realize it.

The Detroit Hub Visits the Detroit Petanque Club

2011-09-21T17:46:00.001-04:00

Ashley, journalist and Kenny, photo-journalist joined us today from The Detroit Hub, a website of journalists dedicated to telling the stories of the people, and organizations that are transforming Metro-Detroit. I wasn't sure they would be entirely up to our salty group but as it turned out, they seemed to thoroughly enjoy the trash-talking experience. Not one to allow others to passively watch, we drew them both into the action after a short lesson on how to play. We split into two teams, with Pat A., Tim C., Fred K., and Kenny verses Jeff W., Abu M., Ashley, and Nathan. Nathan, by the way, is from Vietnam where petanque is regularly played. While Ashley had progressed at an exceptional pace throughout the two games we played; Kenny displayed a superhuman expertise with the boule. No doubt we would be in for a strong competition. The first game went as expected, with the more seasoned players on Pat's team pulling 13 points to our 2. The second game, a revenge match - had a completely different scheme as we quickly ascended to six points to our opponent's ... zero! It took quite a bit of ~~yelling~~ coaching on Pat's account to ~~bully~~ inspire his team to gain five points. Time being a constraint, we decided to end the game at that round, and as such, our final result gave Team-Pat the win (13/12 modified).

Nice group for a Wednesday

Kenny displays his mastery of the boule to Ashley

Almost caught up to my opponents!

2011-09-20T14:54:00.000-04:00

Segway Petanque - Why Not?

2011-09-16T16:29:00.000-04:00

As an interesting variation to petanque, we had our first player on a segway try the game out. The rules of petanque permit (kinda) a segway player to participate. As long as one wheel is in the circle... I'm not sure what advantage segway players would have, however, because the machine keeps wanting to "right itself" which throws the aim completely off for a player.

Finally! a fusion of S.C.A. and Petanque

2011-09-14T15:02:00.000-04:00

Today's game was a happy mixture of petanque players with Society for Creative Anachronism friends. Matt S. and Cheryl D. were walking through Campus Martius Park and we pulled them into our lunchtime game. Cheryl is an experienced boule player, but this was Matt's first petanque game - though admittedly, he has played bocci before. I decided to make a true tournament - with Cheryl, Matt, and me representing the S.C.A. against the petanque regulars. So how did we do? Not bad at all. Matt and Cheryl pointed really closely on a consistent basis while I made a few of my shots (a VERY few). This put us out in the lead for a while until Pat's team got wise and caught up. In the end, they took the win - but it was not a milk-run by any imagination.

We can see that Pat is extremely happy with the current status of the game

Pat, Tim and Abu glorious after their victory, went over to the ping pong table to test our Abu's claim that he was the "King on Table Tennis" - No reports back get on the result.

Matt (as usual) was spectacular at Petanque. Afterwards we went over to try out the bean-bag toss . . .

Court Surface at Campus Martius Park - a challenge

2011-09-13T17:57:00.000-04:00

Playing boule upon the same surface every time can give you a false sense of predictability. Tournaments played on your home court will give you some advantage as you familiarity with the "lay of the land" should give you inside information to all of the dips and "puddles" of gravel that might not be apparent. That is why you should try to mix things up a bit by either varying the places you play petanque (in our case, moving across the street from our usual stomping grounds) or throwing some small twigs and rocks upon the surface to give you and your team a modified terrain. Remember, the original game of petanque is played in the town squares in the South of France and those squares are littered with bumps, tree roots, and even small trees!

Pat and Sam really warmed up to the different ground surface, which was very FAST running with sparse gravel

Both Teams Took a Beating at Campus Martius Park

2011-09-12T15:39:00.000-04:00

In continuation of our Campus Martius Park playing, the lawnside court was a tad on the narrow and meandering side, with lunch-goers eating feet away from where we threw - but as this is the norm for playing in France and in New York - I thought it was important for our players to experience the game under varied circumstances. iI think our being there, next to the gaming equipment (ping-pong; bean-bag) helps to bring onlookers into the communal gaming experience. That is always good: a small town experience in a big city.

The Sun Shines for Friday's Games at Campus Martius Park

2011-09-09T14:21:00.000-04:00

Playing petanque across the street at Campus Martius Park among players of table tennis and bean-bag toss

In another great trade (because Mark had to leave a tad early) Sam went to the other side, giving him (along with Pat, Mark, and Fred a nice win. Sam was really rolling in the great points suspiciously when he was playing on Fred's team. We'll have to investigate this matter further.

Detroit Firefighters Commemorate the Tenth Anniversary of 9-11 at Campus Martius Park

Game Playing at Campus Martius Park

2011-09-06T15:48:00.000-04:00

Campus Martius Park has begun a social games collective for people in Detroit to gather together and interact. Games include: Chess, Checkers, Table Tennis, Backgammon, Corn-Hole (beanbag), Washers, Bocci and of course Petanque. The games will be provided through to October 14 (Petanque continues until the snow falls). For the next few weeks, to promote the games in the park, we will be playing petanque at Campus Martius Park instead of Cadillac Square. The new court surface will do our players good as we've become too used to the layout of the courts at our usual playing spot.

Jazzy Day in the Park

2011-09-01T15:50:00.000-04:00

Not a bit turn out for today's games, perhaps folks were thinking there wouldn't be enough room for us to ~~safely~~ toss the boules? We actually had more than enough room, using the larger of the ten courts at Cadillac Square Park. Friday, the first day of the Jazz Festival of Detroit might be a different story, but I'll take a look on the Web-Cam and let you know.

Four Points - Lost in Error

2011-09-01T10:01:00.000-04:00

It happens... My team was catching up to our opponents, and we had a good (great) round going with the possibility of four points to be won when the ole' push the opponent's front boule closest by accident routine played out. In retrospect, perhaps I shouldn't have tried to be so greedy with the points. Lesson hopefully learned.

Hello to Hitesh; Nick; and Sam who Rejoined Us at Cadillac Square Park

2011-08-30T13:55:00.000-04:00

Mark & Hitesh assessing the boule layout

Sam firing in the boule

Today Nick, Sam, and Hitesh re-joined us. It is always good to see familiar faces at the petanque piste. Our game (Pat/Nick/Mark/Hitesh vs. Tim/Jeff/Sam) opened up okay, but then Team-Pat pulled ahead with a round that gave them six (6) points ! Recovery from that is tough, but we took our time and laid down some tight points to bring us at 6 points to their 13 in the final. We had an opportunity to reclaim some major points if we successfully shot out the cochonnet (Rule 13.ii) - ~~I screwed up~~ I didn't hit it after two throws. Oh well.

Campus Martius Park is going to be having a few different outdoor games installed for folks to get more involved in their park and their community. I believe Corn-Hole; Lawn Bocci; and Checkers/Chess are on the list.

Fred Traded to Team-Jeff

2011-08-30T10:53:00.000-04:00

Running an Afternoon petanque club has some nuances to it for efficient use of time. Folks generally have an hour for lunch and it is in everone's interest to choose the players quickly and get right into the boule throwing. Some of these tips could help your own club to run efifciently.

For team selection, I usually take the obvious top players and make them team captains (perhaps rotating this from day to day so everyone has a chance) - and a coin toss decides which captain has first pick. The captains alternate in their player selections and this makes the starting fair and fast.

In case you haven't played with our club, our general rule is to have everyone who wants to play, playing right away. So when we have an odd number of players (not "odd" players, we always have odd players) then we make up uneven teams and simply use equal boule distributions. As players arrive or leave (out of time constraints for example) we add/remove the necessary number of boules and continue game play. This maximizes the number of games we can fit into our lunch hour as well as keeps the games flowing smoothly.

Yesterday, we had a four player team vs. three player, so when one of our players on the team of three had to leave, we "traded" in a player from the other side to form up a true triplette and keep the game going. Who is traded? Probably the fairest method is to trade in whomever makes the teams even in ability (looking at pointers/shooters) - but you can also just choose the last player to arrive at the field for the trade.

Another two important tips for keeping games moving is the use of measuring tape and scoreboards. The measuring tape eliminates arguments on who is closest and the scoreboards avoid the guessing game of what the score is, as well as keeping teams informed as to their standing. Obvious stuff, yes, but I've seen plenty of angry confrontations (yes, petanque can rile up the emotions in the dedicated) over what the score was, or whose boule was closest. Best to avoid this!

New players... I always mix them in with experienced players. How else can a new player learn and improve? The important thing to remember is to have fun - and as a new player, facing a very experienced team without any guidance isn't as much fun as having someone on your team to lend advice and a little edge.

Steven and Elizabeth Leaving for Germany - See You Next Year!

2011-08-26T15:43:00.000-04:00

Today being Friday, Campus Martius Park was putting on it's usual stellar day of music which really provided a nice setting to end our week of Petanque playing across the street at Cadillac Square. Steven and Elizabeth enjoyed a nice two games of boule together with Tim C.; Pat A.; Maury B.; and Fred K.

The second game, played to eight points provided lots of competition (the first game had Pat's team winning 7 points in a single round!).

Splendid Afternoon of Petanqueing

2011-08-26T11:37:00.002-04:00

[click image to enlargen]

Another lovely afternoon of playing boule with friends old and new. Today's games really displayed the pointing expertise of Elizabeth, visiting from central Germany with Steven who is originally from Detroit. Pat came by with his old family boules - heavy ones from relatives in Europe (no doubt they won plenty of Francs in petanque games with them).

Jeff Returns to the Petanque Arena for his First Game in Three Months

2011-08-24T17:18:00.004-04:00

After a three month hiatus, I'm back fully healed from my triple by-pass surgery. Not one to lie down on the job I rolled the boule cart out to Cadillac Square Park to meet up with Steve and Elizabeth visiting from Germany (Steve is originally from Detroit and visiting friends & family). Mark and Abu also joined us and we played a nice leisurely game in the breezy, comfy shade. The match was hard fought with Abu/Elizabeth/Jeff taking the 13 to Mark/Steve's 12 points. Steve and Liz will be playing up to Tuesday so come on by and test yourselves against their skill. Steve has a killer pointing throw. My own shooting isn't back to its normal (abysmal) level - so I'll most likely be pointing for a few more games. Sam rolled over on his bike to say hello and promises to re-join the group soon, and Tom ambled by (on the way to care for his pooch) to say hi.

Jeffrey Returning from Retirement

2011-08-11T14:44:00.003-04:00

Away since the end of May for my triple by-pass surgery and recovery, I forsee my return to the world of working people on August 24th. Long story short: I had a routine, in your 40's, stress test which resulted in my having further tests on my heart and a necessary triple by-pass surgery. The hospital stay was thankfully brief, and the recovery time and follow-up cardiac rehabilitation went smoothly. I have made changes to my eating habits, increased my exercising, and look forward to seeing my friends at the petanque court. Our usual time, 12-noon.

Tight Boule Game Makes for Fun Filled Afternoon

2011-05-24T14:19:00.002-04:00

Today we had a well matched group: Fred/Abu/Sam vs. Nick/Sharon/Jeff. The rounds were exceptional, with each point taken back by the opposing team numerous times. Nick & Sharon were essential for dropping in their points. Our opposition was fierce but we had some good fortune on squeezing in close boules and quite a few ricochet pointings.

I had a lucky shot removing a 9 meter opposing boule in a tight grouping. That is where the plombe comes in handy, it allows you "access" where otherwise a straight "cannon ball" shooting wouldn't work.

Close Matches - Well Play All Around

2011-05-20T14:20:00.002-04:00

Fred flipped to Pat's team, and he was playing so great the other day that I kne wI would be in trouble against his pointing. Maury proved to be his usual close-pointer and joined by Eric, we held our own to the tough competition. Where the competition was getting points here and there, we were making nice strides 2-3 points at a time.

Sharon H. Returns to the Petanque Pistes

2011-05-11T13:52:00.000-04:00

After a nearly year long sabbatical, Sharon H., long-time played for the club, returned to the Cadillac Square Courts. From the very first boule she was out-pointing every other player. "Prego - it's in there!" she exclaimed as yet another opening boule rolled to within a couple of inches of the cochonnet. We (Pat/ Jeff/ Sharon) won that game: 13/2 due to her excellent pointing. Another longtime player, Eric C. ambled over to watch the second game. He'll be starting up again as the weather becomes more comfortable.

Early May Stats

2011-05-05T17:24:00.002-04:00

The playing conditions have recently improved with the warming of the season. We're still playing doublettes but I expect multi-triplette games going soon once the weather ascends into the 60's.

A recent carreau heightened my spirits - a rare result of a throw of one boule which replaces the target boule perfectly. Must be on account of the soft, raked gravel.

No Joy for Jeff with Four Games Lost

2011-04-29T17:58:00.000-04:00

Beautiful Day for Petanque - Hardly Any Takers...

2011-04-26T14:53:00.002-04:00

Despite the weather person (you have to be PC these days) saying rain rain rain... it was really nice weather out at Cadillac Park this afternoon. I was pretty much practicing for a while (except for the constant 2 questions asked of me: A) What is the name of that game? B) What do you have to do? Normally, I'd take this as a recruitment opportunity - but then Abu stepped up for a few games...

Petanque - April 12th & 13th

2011-04-13T14:44:00.004-04:00

The Gravel Report: the grounds at Campus Martius and Cadillac Square will be groomed over the next few days. There will be hardening compound added to the ground as well as a top layer of gravel and raking. As such, despite the nice weather, we won't be able to play at those two parks until probably Monday (April 18). We do, however, have a third park (down near the Detroit River at the Ren. Cen.) which we have used for playing. If folks are up for trying that park on Thursday & Friday let me know. Excellent playing on Tuesday and Wednesday. Real precision pointing.

Two Fun Games at Campus Martius Park

2011-04-11T15:35:00.005-04:00

NOTE: Heather B. the manager for the groundskeepers for Campus Martius Park and Cadillac Square Park, told me that she has arranged for the regraveling and hardening process to begin tomorrow through Wednesday. We will not be playing petanque until the surface is dry, so we'll play our next game on Thursday (April 14th).

Today's games were really competitive with Tim C. being the MVP for the first game (we had 5 boules of points in one of the rounds!) and the second game's MVP shared out between Sam O. and Fred K. Sam was putting in the crucial close first boule - and the opposition just could seem to find the distance. Maury B. was puttingin some dangerously close curve boules, and Pat A. was slamming away some of the boules - but by the time they decided to shoot - they were low on "ammo" Nice games guys! See you Thursday.

Skunked! Painful...

2011-04-04T15:17:00.002-04:00

I (Jeff) was throwing terribly, and the points were adding up... by the time Sam stepping into the game, it was 8 to zero. Poor Sam, we didn't accumulate a darn thing, and Pat and Tim took the game 13 to 0 - a skunking!

On the revenge, we did a bit better, but still lost to the Honigman twins, 13-6.

On a brighter note, the 55 degrees was very welcome, and hopefully a sign that our daily game playing will soon start.

April Fool's Boules

2011-04-01T16:30:00.002-04:00

Maury was the smart one, he took his big win and left town, literally! Sam and I were left fighting to get momentum in the second game - but Pat and Tim took home the 7 points for the win. (This last game may be under protest as my team mate was distracted by Pat's yammerings about some club in Chicago).

Cadillac Square Re-Opens for Petanque Season

2011-03-21T13:44:00.005-04:00

The pristine gravel at Cadillac Square officially re-opened for the 2011 Petanque Season, and none too soon! The terrain over at Campus Martius, newly cleared of the skating rink mats, needs a gravel refresher - so it is fortunate that we can return to our usual playing courts across the street!
(The combine parks of Campus Martius and Cadillac Square have about 20 courts worth of petanque play available).
The teams included Buzz C., recently returned from Florida. Buzz was throwing pointing boules like the pro he is. But the VIP award goes to Abu M. who has been shooting and pointing boules expertly. Though we didn't take the win, we certainly did far better score-wise than is Abu were playing for the opposition.

Today's Petanque: a close shave...

2011-03-18T15:51:00.002-04:00

Playing boule upon the uneven surface which is mostly hard-packed clay, at Campus Martius Park can be a challenge - but not one that isn't entertaining. Until a fresh layer of gravel is raked in for the season, the players will need to read the ground very carefully. Boules that look like they'll stop close to the cochonnet end up rolling an extra 2 feet; and the pits and "ravines" make for a putt-putt experience at times.

Today's game was excellent. Both teams pretty much exchanged point for point keeping an even pace until near the end. We were "playing near the wall" for a bit - which narrows the available angles for throwing. Sam laid in a close boule with his plombee, but Maury, up to the challenge, took the close spot with his own boule.

Fred has become noticebly more aggressive in his petanque play - shooting multiple times to dislodge a disadvantageous position. Nick was our team's anchor, placing very close pointer boules and keeping our opponents in shooting mode.

Have a splendid weekend.

Jeff

Warm Weather Brings out the Petanque Boules

2011-03-17T15:57:00.005-04:00

With a surprise gift of warm weather (65 degrees) and sunshine, the petanque games restarted (at Campus Martius Park). We had only four players (Andonian watched for a moment) but the teams were evenly matched. Mike D. was shooting well, as was Abu - and Sam was plombee-ing in crucial close boules. My shooting has been improving, but is still not up to scratch... Abu and I held out for as long as we coule, but Sam and Mike made their thirteen.

Winter INDOOR Petanque

2011-02-27T14:18:00.001-05:00

Have you ever played INDOOR PETANQUE on a hardwood floor? There is a petanque group in WHEATON Illinois that plays twice a week. The Chicago winter has absolutely no influence on whether they play or not. They ALWAYS play.

Here is a VIDEO LINK that captures the true spirit of INDOOR PETANQUE in Chicago. Click on the link or cut and paste into browser window.

After you view the video, be sure to leave USB Studios a comment and thank them for supporting our game.

www.vimeo.com/17872028

SEASON OPENER at Campus Martius Park

2011-02-17T14:41:00.010-05:00

Finally, a break in the cold temperature! Eleven of us showed up to do battle on the slightly muddy soil of Campus Martius Park (in a few days it'll harden up to its usual cement consistency). Smiles all around as everyone got into the game and quickly things became competitive. Mark W. brought his girlfriend, Danielle, to the courts and she proved to be a g-dsend for our team as she picked up the gameplay immediately and rolled in some very crucial points. Scott T. also ensured our victory by pointing in fabulous boules where nobody thought there was space. My own shooting was terrible (though I lucked out on one of my throws) - it will take a little time to warm up to the outdoor playing. I was glad to see all of the familiar face (and new ones) - to be sure, this season is one of our earliest starts. Wear a jacket and come out and boule!

Maury Binkow Invitatational - Extra-Final Games

2010-11-30T15:30:00.002-05:00

[click photo to enlarge]

Okay, so last week's game wasn't the "final" final game, and who is to say today's is final? Let's just call it the "Maury Binkow Invitational" and see if any nice weather in the near future allows us to extend our season.

The game "acorss the way" Abu/Fred vs. TimC./Maury was a nailbiter with a 13/11 finish. I didn't hear the details - but considering the game went for an hour (as a doublette) - the rounds must have been point-for-point exchanges!

Our games were fun as well. The first one, true, we lost 7 to 13, but we had some good shooting and pointing rounds. Boris was landing in some good value boules, as was Eric, I was hitting the targets - but we couldn't seem to thwart the great pointing from Sam and Nick. Pat blasted away anything and everything. The second game (a near win/loss for us (we won by a point) - was also well played... this time, however, it was lots of luck (for us - andmisfortune for them) as boules were knocked into our point tally.

So... perhaps tomorrow (or later in the week) an Andonian Invitational? then a Klugman Invitational.. etc etc... we'll see.

Final Game of the Season - and a cold one!

2010-11-24T10:50:00.003-05:00

[CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE]

We did it! We made it to nearly the end of November. Typically, our petanque season ends at around the 10th or so of November so I'm thrilled to have squeezed in a couple more weeks of games. Thanks to all who have come throughout the season to make this petanque club such a nice success.

I'm not sure if we'll have an indoor spot this winter, but if not, I'd still love to get together and do lunch during these chilly months.

Big congrats to Pat A. and Tim C. for taking the top two places in the ranks, and to our new guys who have been quick to learn the techniques/strategy and have placed high on the board (and in my heart).

Hope to see you soon, until then... may your boule always be closest to the cochonnet!

Jeff.

Tuesday's game was certainly a bone chiller. I don't think Abu nor I wanted to even try shooting once we could no longer feel our fingers. The 13/1 and 13/7 games...whew... a real blowout! Still though, I was hpapy to see you all out there despite the weather - and it was good to see Pat and Tim who came by to cheer us on.

Super Abu takes a 13/1 Victory

2010-11-19T16:18:00.006-05:00

...whew... 13/1 what can I say... we just couldn't point in anything closer than 24 inches. That being said, we had a nice recovery in the revenge (2nd) match - 13/11 (10/8) win.

If I had to re-run things, I'd probably shoot more, and take points when I got them instead of "getting greedy" and losing my points in trying to accumulate.

Getting Greedy: When you're sitting on 3 or 4 points, and you're trying for MORE, but your boule ruins your set-up and awards the other team a point instead.

Close Game with Frozen Hands

2010-11-18T14:45:00.002-05:00

This afternoon, at Cadillac Square Park, the hardy petanquers clutched their frozen steel boules in equally cold hands but the slight discomfort was soon forgotten as the lopsided scores (my team held a nice lead for a while) evened out to a 12/12 final round.

The 13th boule was hooked into a tight position (at 10+ meters) by Nick. The opposing team had 4 boules to sneak in - but despite some near pointing rolls, Nick's boule held the winning point.

Petanque tip of the week: fleece hats are warm!

Hard Won Boule Battle Royale

2010-11-17T16:01:00.002-05:00

Today's games showed the consistency of strategy in concert with ability. There were hardly any boules wasted. Sure, there were some extra shots taken but overall I'd say the game-playing was very tight.

One of the situations notable for me was when we were sitting on the point at about 9 meters, with the opposition boule sitting snuggly 4 inches behind out own close boule. Then more of our own boules were "circled stagecoaches" around those two boules - meaning that if I could shoot away that back "spoiler" boule we'd stand to gain some nice points...

When I shoot, I try to get into a very focused mental state, my eyes only see the target boule - and I take careful consideration of the displaced angle of my left-arm to my target focal point. Then, if I'm trying for Tir au Fer (shooting directly to metal) I aim for a place about 6 inches above my target.

Kaboom! 4 points for us. Lucky shot.

Mild Temps in Detroit - El Nino-esque Winter

2010-11-16T16:53:00.002-05:00

Good news, I've read that this Winter in Detroit will be mild into December - so we should have plenty of petanque games ahead of us (of course after December the weather will freeze down until April - but first things first).

Today my team (Sam/Maury/Jeff) played quite well together, I'd be shooting away the offensive boule and Sam & Maury would be landing the close boule replacement. We had a number of rounds (ends) where we stood to gain 4 points (or so) but then the blasted cochonnet would be knocked off the piste (court). Slow moving, we had reasonably even points throughout the match - only getting our 4 points (and the win) at the last round.

Warm Hands Offer Warm Boules

2010-11-15T17:08:00.003-05:00

Hey, we're still out playing boule is anyone wants to roll on by...

Today's games was over at Cadillac Square Park as our Campus Martius courts had a few "guard fences" sitting upon it.

No bother - we had some really good games today and don't listen to the weatherman - if you wear a coat you'll be fine for playing.

Three Games in One Afternoon - Final Decides the Winner

2010-11-12T15:14:00.002-05:00

Best of three games gets their score recorded. The first game Pat/Tim/Maury took us for a 13/2 ride. But then on the revenge match, we (Abu/Fred/Jeff) took them on a ride: 13/3.

The third match (played to 7 points) was evenly spread for a while, then in the final round Pat's team took the game (and the day) for a 13/2 recorded win.

Abu & Mark Smash the Competition

2010-11-09T18:04:00.002-05:00

Standing in the shadow of the "World's Tallest Salvation Army Kettle" (sarcasm here) . . . Abu and Mark schooled Jeff & Boris in the artof petanque with two victories.

"We're not done with the season yet!" Jeff shouted as the winners ambled back to their respective offices.

See you tomorrow!

Detroit Gets a Visit from Portland, Oregon

2010-11-08T17:38:00.002-05:00

Joe C., a member of the Portland Petanque Club came to play at our courts at Campus Martius Park this afternoon.

Before he arrived I did a bit of google searching to see what to expect from Joe. I see he's quite the expert shooter... excellent! Abu and I (both shooters) teamed up against Joe C. together with Boris & Sam (pointers). It was a good game in that despite my team leading off with 5-6 points, Team-Joe caught up and passed us with their own amassing of points. finally we gained the 13th point for the win. Joe made some fantastic tir-au-fer shots and the members present were watching his technique.

The second (played to 8 points) game was a disaster for my team! Joewarmed up to the terrain, and he laid in 6 points in the final round... zilch for us!

Next time I'm in Portland, I'll be "gunning" for yah Joe. Nice to see you in Detroit!

Box Cars! Rare but I guess not THAT rare...

2010-11-05T15:31:00.002-04:00

When a team gets 6 points on you, that's a pretty odd occurrence when the two teams are fairly evenly matched. How about when one teams gets 6 points in a round, and then the other team gets 6 points in a round in the revenge match? That's what transpired at Campus Martius Park today.

When Abu & Maury won 6 points in their first round against us we didn't give up... and when they were at 12 points - we still gave it our all because you shouldn't forecast the outcome until that last boule is played. We lost, but we had some real opportunites to make a comeback.

Have a great weekend - see you at the courts on Monday!

a close game... a good game...

2010-11-04T16:32:00.002-04:00

The 12/12 in the final round is my favorite type of game. This is when you really need to make every boule count. Today's game had some interesting variables. Abu/Boris made for a powerful shooting and pointing combination, one which Jeff/Maury couldn't unravel - UNTIL we found the opening... Boris, though an incredible pointer at 8-10 meters, was not used to the 6 meter cochonnet toss and so it took a few rounds for him to dial-in to those distances. This gave Maury and me a distinct boule advantage which we (of course) capitalized upon as Abu was left with 3 boule to our 6! We caught up fast (being behind Zero to 7 points) - to land on a 12/12 game. The final round could have gone either way with a 10 meter cochonnet and multiple close boules. It was fate which landed our boule sufficiently close to take the 13th and winning point.

So what is the lesson to take away from this game? Observe all of the aspects carefully... Mixing up the cochonnet distances to see what is better for you (and worse for your opponent) can make all of the difference in the end result. But also know that just because there was a "flaw" available in this game doesn't mean that with practice, it will persist!

See you tomorrow!

Petanque Play Beneath the Christmas Tree

2010-11-03T16:55:00.003-04:00

Today, as we played petanque, this year's Christmas tree was being lowered by crane atop the Campus Martius Park's fountain.

The game was a really good one, with my team: Jeff/Sam/Nick really displaying strong pointing against an equally powerful pointing team of Fred/Boris/Abu.

There were plenty of tight pointing situations where it was thought a boule couldn't squeeze in any closer - yet, all of these professionals were able to convert seemingly unwinnable positions to their team's favor.

Brrrrrr ! Squeezing in some final games before the Freeze

2010-11-03T10:46:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure how far into the Winter we have played (checking the BLOG archives...)

Aha... We still (historically) have about 2 weeks left...(last year we played outside up to December 2nd!!!)

What do petanquers do in the winter time? In the past we've played petanque in a 300 foot long; 25 foot wide heated greenhouse
and indoors with mini-boules

Our Chicago friends play in the snow

...and there's been the carpet courts at 1001 Woodward...

Whatever the situation is for this winter - we should definitely meet up for a lunch together downtown.

Boris is 1 game away from moving to the 4th (or better) spot!

2010-11-01T17:23:00.003-04:00

Today's game was a fun one. Each round presented a 1 or 2 point gain for either team keeping a pretty even score right up to the finish: 13/12 victory to Maury/Deric.

As the weather gets a bit colder, determined players should still expect to play petanque (just wear a scarf!) at Campus Martius Park. I think there's more sun at the gravel area beside the ice rink.

See you out there!

Big Thanks to Sam for Running the Club

2010-10-27T15:44:00.002-04:00

I see that things ran rather smoothly while I was away. Thanks to Sam for organizing things and to all who participated. The Friday game (10/22) looks a bit tough: Three experienced players against two relative newbies. I'm glad you took up the challenge! The weather has been ... on and off - so we'll just have to check the doppler each afternoon and decide. I know that in the past, we've played into November - so hopefully we'll hve a few more weeks of games.

French Visit Detroit Petanque Club and are Surprised

2010-10-19T15:03:00.002-04:00

Though it is nothing new to us, for French folks visiting Detroit, it was a novelty to see Americans playing the popular French sport. Plenty of photos were taken, and the visitors were invited to play a few rounds... De-Troit (the straights) is a French city after all...

I will be in New York (back on Wednesday Oct. 27th) and Sam has been kind enough to volunteer to bring the boules each afternoon so everyone can continue to play. Please choose the teams fairly - and have a great time!

Petanque Still Going Strong at Campus Martius Park

2010-10-18T14:38:00.005-04:00

I'll be out of town starting Wednesday (Oct. 20th) returning Tuesday night (Oct. 26th). Not sure if anyone will be taking custody of the petanque equipment for continual play while I'm away but I'll keep you posted.

New player, Boris played on my team - and was actually quite a good pointer - which perplezed my opponents... we lost 8/13 but still... held out own.

Alpha was playing with left and right hands... an advantage when looking for an angle!

Sam Threatens Pat's Top Spot in the Rankings

2010-10-15T17:56:00.002-04:00

New player, Sam, has only 28 notches in his gun stock and he's gunning now for Pat's top rank spot. Will he make it? We'll find out next week...

Pat leaps over Mark W.'s Deep Double Losses

2010-10-14T14:57:00.003-04:00

Pat A. was quite a bit down from Mark W.'s lead, but Team-Abu crushed Team-Mark with a 13/0 and 13/2 (whew!) double victory. Over on Piste (court) 2, Team-Widen/Sam had a hard time at first against Team Pat/Maury - we even tried to use the court/cochonnet positioning to our advantage (it didn't work) - but after some key points laid in by Sam and a few Tir-au-fer (shooting to the metal) shots from me (lucky) - we took the game 13/8.

Still We Won...

2010-10-13T13:48:00.004-04:00

Though Pat declared it to be "the worst game of October" (Hey, we still have 2 weeks left in Oct.), I felt the game was so evenly matched as to have kept the final score pretty low: 8/7. Abu was really a strong player for his team today while Pat felt he could have performed better. I was glad we did as well as we had with only 2 boules per player on our team (normally a disadvantage). That last round where Team-Abu had the close point and 1 boule left and we had to expend nearly 6 boules to gain back the point was a tense moment.

Pat Teams up with Abu to Fight Back

2010-10-12T17:55:00.002-04:00

Some might call it an uneasy alliance, but the coin toss decided that Pat and Abu would team up (with Nick) against JeffW. / DericT. and TimC. (otherwise known as Peppers).

It was tough going, and sometimes painful to listen to the excited banter between the twin-headed captain (Pat & Abu) deciding up the course of attack. But eventually, despite my team's best efforts, they were able to take the victory (13/8).

Sam brought in yet another new player, Mark W. who has immediately shown his strength in pointing. Well to my advantage, together with Sam's primo plombe pointing, we took on EricC. / Mob-Rob and DericT. also a strong pointing team. Conclusion: victory to Jeff/Mark/Sam.

Tidal Wave Sweeps Over Team Andonian

2010-10-11T16:55:00.003-04:00

In an unusual turn of events, Team-Andonia was swept out to sea in two games. The first match had evenly distributed players (pointers/shooters) but surprisingly, the results were a bit lopsided. The second game had the players mixed; but Team-Widen chose a strong pointing team (Deric/Eric/Nick) which he felt would be advantageous - and so it was as the initial point was almost entirely controlled by Deric's first boule which held for 7 or 8 of the opponent's boules! At that point, it was "shooting fish in a barrel" with 7 boules left to point with. I know Pat will be hungry for a rematch A.S.A.P.

Pat Knocks Cochonnet Twice (for 9 points)

2010-10-08T15:16:00.002-04:00

It is wise to keep Article-13(2) of the Rules in mind, especially when Pat is playing because he was solely responsible for 9 of his team's 13 points with two solid cochonnet strikes.

The teams were pretty evenly matched. Both sides had plenty of shooters and pointers - plus careful strategy.

In the final round, it was 8/9, and we had too many boules far from the cochonnet. My hope was to use our last three boules to tie up the front position and lay a "safety" boule in the back in case Pat would go for the cochonnet. Unfortunately, my "safety" boule landed short and captured the point... Not good when it happens to be my team's last boule and the opposition has six boules left to use!

Pat knew there was none of our boules in the back - so he went for the logically sound Article-13 cochonnet hit... and made it successfully for 5 more points (and the win).

Congrats to everyone for a tight well-played game.

Abu Shooting Petanque at 100%

2010-10-07T14:41:00.002-04:00

Lots of fun today at Cadillac Square Park. Clark has been pointing in without a miss; and Abu has been shooting better than Pat (I dare say...) - Sam has been taking some shooting throws to gain in experience. Buzz has been using his serpentine-English pointing throw with much success; and Eric has been "push-pointing" nearly 100% of the time.

I'd love to see a match of: Pat; Abu & TimC. against Jeff; MarkW. and Clark - it'd be a good game.

We aren't alone in the petanque universe... there's a great club down in Chicago which hold tournaments every now and again: Chicago Petanque Club and here's a link to a YouTube video describing a 4,000 team (yes, 4,000 = 12,000 players) tournament in Marseilles which is a direct elimination. Marseillaise Video

See you tomorrow!

Team Honigman Trumps Miller Canfield and Klugman Empire

2010-10-06T14:21:00.003-04:00

In a display of sheer might, the Honigman Brothers (Pat A./Maury B./Tim C.) trounced Team Canfield (Jeff W./Clark C./Lin Y.) 13 to 1... admittedly, the Honigman team used their vastly superior experience against my relatively newer players ... so we were happy tro "steal" a skunking away from them!

With Thirteen players - the games spilled on to two courts (and back to Cadillac Square Park for the space!)

Team Klugman did well, handily beating the Alpha Team 13 to 1 (also another team composed of relatively newer players).

I'd say we should break-up the Honigman team for future games so the game play won't be so lopsided... but it was worthwhile to see how out-matched teams fared against tough odds.

Likely, with the weather turning nicer, we should play back on our usual Cadillac Square Park stomping grounds. See you there!

Congrats to Team Honigman for the Double-Wins. And to Scott T. and Clark C. for ascending to the 10+ rankings.

Clark C. Produces Strong Results for the Win

2010-10-05T15:29:00.002-04:00

Another grand day at Campus Martius Park, with Abu M. showing his bold and daring petanque style. His team seemed a bit undecided on strategy, so Petanque Coach Pat A. was on the scene calmly leading each player through the correct methods for a victory...

...but victory was not to be had as our team boasted masterful pointer, Clark C. who rolled in close boule after close boule for a non-stop attack which led to our victory 13/9.

There were quite a few times during the match when billiard physics had to be considered (or ignored at your peril). The final round gave us 3 points and the win when the sole defensive boule was shot away bringing in 4 points. Let the losing team be warned: examine the boule layout before deciding upon your play.

Campus Martius Park Petanque - Great Fun!

2010-10-04T16:59:00.001-04:00

One of the joys of playing petanque among the same group of players is that over time you get to enjoy the improved progress in game play from new players as well as any changes in game strategy from the experienced players. Monday's game with Abu really solidified this idea as his aggressive style of shooting and taking risks for points really showed. Sam, Maury and I witnessed a bold shooter in Abu who has a "take no prisoners" attitude - a good thing. Having a formidable opponent (or partner) in boules makes for much better gameplay.

Cool Weather at Cadillac Square Park

2010-10-01T16:52:00.005-04:00

[click on photos to enlarge them]

Buzz came by with his friend, Mike (not Mikey, a different Mike) - who was lobbing in boules like an expert. I can see already that we have a brand new pro-pointer in our midst.

The winning boule, by the way, was made by Mike when he rolled (at 10 meters) his last boule through a 4 inch gap in the opposition's front wall - to land a 13th point. Well done!

The game was quite evenly matched, as both teams were at 9 points before our team pulled ahead for the win. Of course, the 5-points we earned in the very first round didn't hurt either...

NOTE: as the cold weather establishes itself, the players all (well mostly) agreed to play across the street at Campus Martius Park (in the Sun!) Starting Monday, let's all meet over there and stay a bit warmer! If you haven't yet played petanque at Campus Martius Park, you'll enjoy it...

Action Packed Piste at Cadillac Square Park

2010-09-30T16:48:00.002-04:00

Lots of folks at the courts today for petanque. Must be the nice weather and word-of-mouth that Pat's out of town! (kidding). The main game going on had quite a comeback win for Team-Derek.

Over on Court-7 I was teaching some petanque to newbies: Ti's fiance Fred. Fred was throwing in points like he's played the game for 25 years.

Quintis, Raphael, and Wil stopped by to check things out. I'd say a busy day...

Another close game for the Detroit Petanque Club

2010-09-29T13:52:00.002-04:00

It came down to the final round where both teams were at 12 points. Nick laid in a close boule, which Tom replaced, and then Nick put in another close boule, Tom replaced it again, and so on, with each team pointing in the close boule in alternating sequence. Finally, it was up to Maury and Eric. Maury put in his second to last boule - close but still with a bit of room. Eric almost gained the point back, but left us in the win with 13 to 12. A great game.

We were joined today by relatively new player, Nick (who was pointing great) and Mark (not Weisgerber) who was really showing his Bocci skills by pointing in great boules.

See you soon!

a Win it was for Team Abu

2010-09-27T15:16:00.004-04:00

[click on photo to enlarge]

The Honigman boys wanted a win so badly, but that victory will not come for them today as they barely surfaced above 2 points for their team - the score was 13/7 but if not for Pat's incredible cochonnet strike (for 5 points) it would have been brutal!

Christmas Came Early to Pat, Abu, and Eric

2010-09-24T17:27:00.002-04:00

Whew! We took quite a beating today on the petanque piste, with two really badly lost games. "an olde fashioned shellacking" 13/1 and 13/2

Our pointing was off - and the opposition's point and shooting... obviously well on the mark.

Wednesday's Petanque Results

2010-09-22T16:07:00.002-04:00

Sam has been leading off for his team and not disappointing. His plombe arc shots have brought a good 75% of his boules to within a foot of the intended target. Usually a player begins by directly rolling along the ground to the cochonnet so it's great that he's mastering this more difficult throw. I do think a player should have a number of different styles of throws in their repertoire. For pointing: the Bonne Mamen (roll all the way from point A to point B); the Demi-Portee (half-lob, rolls the rest of the way); and the plombe (high arc with lots of back spin). As a court fills with boules, you might find one method more favorable than another.

Nine is Enough! Close Petanqe Match Today

2010-09-21T14:20:00.007-04:00

Today's game proved to be a bit boule-tastic, with nine players on the piste (staggered appearances led to a single 5 vs 4 player game!) We had the pleasure of seeing some familiar faces return to the courts: Aaron E. fresh from the Renaissance Faire circuit; Nancy (who we've not seen for a year); Tom C. between work and lunch; and Buzz observed from his hotrod (he'll be playing again soon).

Abu's troops (Sam; Eric; Tom) were sitting on 11 points for a few nerveracking rounds as Team-Jeff (Aaron; Maury; Nancy; TimC.) built up 1-point round after round - finally passing Team-Abu to arrive at 12 points.

In the last round, Tom C.'s boule rolled in for 13 points giving a slim but definite victory to Team-Abu. When there's "unorthodox petanque" of 7 or more players you really need to ration out and use your players wisely. Sandbagging your strongest pointers for later might not be the best choice if the area in front of the cochonnet is littered with blocking boules. Something to consider.

See you tomorrow!

Sam - M.V.P. for today's petanque game

2010-09-20T15:30:00.002-04:00

[CLICK ON TABLE TO ENLARGEN]

This being Sam's 9th game, he's really getting his plombe arc throw fine tuned. Today he really showed his potential by slamming away a close boule numerous times, as well as placing close boules. Team-Pat, despite their yelling, couldn't throw us off our game as we pummelled the opposition 13 to 7.

Second Game a Real Nail Biter

2010-09-17T15:55:00.004-04:00

"What a game!" Pat/TimC. led 9 to 2... then Team Abu/Jeff/Eric began a comeback which went to 10 unanswered points. Sitting on 12 to 9... Pat and Tim C. dug deep (into...) and pulled out another point for 10 to 12. Ten, we sat on a very close point (no boules left)... Team Pat/Tim had 4 boules left but no clear path for pointing into the cochonnet which was very protected. Pat took a bold but smart move... he fired away into the grouping hoping the cochonnet would fly off the court (which it did!) for his win: 13/12. Pat was so elated, we was already "running to the clubhouse" once that cochonnet flew off the piste. Well Done!

Mark W. is the Petanque Czar - Ruling Above All

2010-09-16T13:55:00.002-04:00

In a not-so-surprising turn of events, Pat, who was adamantly opposed to teaming up with Mark W. and Mob-Rob lost a surprising 4/13 against Boule-Czar Mark W. (Mark W./Jeff W./Mob-Rob). We kept them at 4 points (earning 1 point, then another, then 2 points but that's it!) while we smacked away any of their offending closer boules with laser-like precision. Pat's team: Abu M. and Tim C. seemed to be the favored one - but they ended up being too many Chiefs... each having their own different plan of attack. Our own team was a concentrated strategic force and it showed on the court.

In the second game, a five-pointer, an interesting twist in the last round had us sitting on the cochonnet (Jeff & Mob-Rob) at 4 to 3 while Team Abu (Abu/Eric/Mark) has only 2 boules left. Abu was already stating "the game is over..." but I knew better. Eric plowed in his boules for 2 points and the win. Now... the game is over!

Pat Loses 5-0 and Accepts Loss Like a Gentleman

2010-09-15T15:29:00.003-04:00

In a huge upset, Team Abu/Jeff beat Team Pat/Sam/Fred Five to Zero in a no-holds barred 2nd game battle extraordinaire this afternoon on the petanque court. We also played on the far courts - lesser known/played and full of some rough holes, thick gravel puddles and stones. Fun!

Pat Chose the Teams - But Abu Takes the Win

2010-09-14T16:58:00.002-04:00

Going into today's game, Pat already chose his team: Fred K. and Tim C. - which, together with Pat A. would make for a very powerful combination: Strong Shooting and Pointing. BUT, my own team was composed of some sensible strategy... Abu and I played a careful defense when needed, but chipped away at points when we could. Eric laid in the crucial poiints, while Sam (only 6 games in and he's addicted) has been putting in pretty consistent plombe arc boules. The teams were nicely matched.

a good olde tyme Skunking . . .

2010-09-13T15:07:00.002-04:00

Pat A. and Fred K. teamed up to show us (Jeff; Derek; and Sam) a good skunking this afternoon. Round after round they threw that darned cochonnet out to 10 meters and we just couldn't get even one point off of them. One time the cochonnet was hit to 18 meters (still valid) and still they got 2 points on us!

Pat: you're still trailing Mark W. who is reigning champion...

Quieter Game for Thursday

2010-09-09T13:51:00.002-04:00

Pat A. and Clark C. pointed in terrific today not allowing Abu M./Jeff W. to sneak in any easy points. Sure, we could have shot away the close boules, but they were sinking in a close boule with every throw (and I don't shoot at 100%).

Reminder: if you're running late - don't worry, we'll mix you right into the active game. This is normal procedure and accepted by everyone in the club. In fact, newly arrived players add a welcome twist to a game (new pointers/shooters).

See you all soon,

Jeff

Cool Weather for Cool Playing

2010-09-08T15:07:00.002-04:00

MCPS is showing full-force these days against the Honigman group as the petanque pistes heat up for the upcoming tournament (in about 2 weeks). Today's team mixes pitted newly returned Pat A. with Scott T. (strong shooting and pointing team) against very good pointer: Clark C. and Jeff W. (50/50 shooter). The first game, Jeff/Clark scored 4 points and it was looking good until Pat/Scott got 4 points the very next round, then followed up with a 6 point (!) gain the 3rd round. Sheesh! It was an up-hill climb to get another 2 points before Pat/Scott sealed out fate: 13/6. Joined by Eric, the tide turned, and we began a steady lead up until the end where we played a "winner gets 13/Loser gets 12 game due to time limitations"

See you tomorrow!

Challenges aren't Necessarily Negative Things

2010-09-07T11:04:00.001-04:00

Jazz Festival pushes Club to Old Digs: Campus Martius Park

2010-09-02T15:41:00.002-04:00

With the huge set-up/stages/mechanicals for the Detroit Jazz Festival being set-up on our usual boule pistes at Cadillac Square, the players met up across the street on the "old" club's pistes at Campus Martius Park. The setting is nice, with plenty of shade trees, sitting, and the neary fountain. True, there's also more onlookers, so a bit "oblivious" to the game and walking in amongst the boules - but regardless, it is fun and a bit refreshing to use a new terrain. As long as there's space to play, we'll be out there. Hope to see you Friday. Jeff.

Fred K. Really Rolling in Deadly Points

2010-08-31T13:50:00.002-04:00

Today's game really showed a strong performance from Fred who brought in close point after close point - showing a 13/3 and a 13/2 set of scores for the day.