Umbrella Dan

Never one to give up on the possibility of playing Petanque, Dan holds his umbrella aloft while shooting. "It affects the balance somewhat," Dan remarked, "but it's better than getting soaked."

Larry and Sue Visit the Petanque Pond

Larry and Sue also came out tothe terrain, despite the weather, to see what was going on. Romain (at right) looked like he was fishing, using his boule-magnet in the puddles.

Hopefuls - Choosing Teams

The day started out with a fine drizzle. Perhaps it would stop... (it didn't - it turned into a downpour). Teams were selected - and play began...

Heritage Festival - This Saturday (May 28 @ 2:00pm)

Joe spoke a little bit before Petanque play, about the Heritage Festival.

Just a note: the petanque demonstration begins at 2:00 pm, so we'd like some of our members show up earlier (let's say at 1:30pm) so we can organize the terrain/piste set-up.

We'll be putting down 9 terrains on the ball field at the park (check the website main-page for the map and info). Then we'll each take a terrain and show the onlookers how to play petanque, and play some rounds of games with them.

You are all serving as our club ambassadors so please be patient teachers. We'll be bringing our extra boules and cochons so there should be enough for all. See you there! (and yes, we'll ALSO have our tournament on the Sunday (May 29th)).

Puddle Petanque Shows Who Is The Craziest

Sunday was a day for Noah's Ark. There was an outstanding turnout for the tournament, but due to the inclement weather we decided (by a vote) to push the tournament to next Sunday (May 29) and just play Petanque in the mud. As you can see, some of us were prepared and some... well some were not as well prepared.

Who was there: Joe, Jeff, Dan, Thierry, Joyce, Cyrille, Gregory, Sebastien, Francoise, Daniel, Eric, Maude, Larry, Sue, Michel, Jeanette, Romain, and Camille.

Levitating Boules at D.P.C.

Joe throws another close boule.

Michel's Shooting Right On

Michel fires off another successful shot.

Umpire Joe

Umpire Joe makes a careful measurement. At the N.E. Regionals, Joe took and
passed his "field umpire's exam"

Pointing Perfectly

Joe pointed very well today, and though I cannot recall all of the scores,
we (Joe and Jeff) did pretty nicely against Michel and Jeanette.

Don's Pointing is Dangerous

Don's pointing makes Zajac re-think his June 11 PVP-Tournament Strategy.

Good Times

Don rakes in the good times at the Detroit Petanque Club terrain.

This was Saturday - amazing how the next day was so rainy.

Magic Boule Levitates at D.P.C. Terrain

Joe works his magic...

Welcome Back Jeanette and Michel

Michel and Jeanette came to visit the Detroit Petanque Club on Saturday.
What beautiful weather. We played lots of mixed games among those present:
Jeanette, Michel, Don, Joe, and Jeff. I think Michel was a little impressed
with the progress we've made in our pointing and shooting.

Michel & Jeanette Back From The South

I just received an e-mail from Michel and Jeanette that they're back in
Michigan. This Winter they both enjoyed a really adventurous cruise. I'm
also sure that they played quite a bit of petanque. When I last spoke with
Michel, he was planning on putting in a terrain in his backyard in Florida.
Let's all give them a hearty welcome and test out their shooting and
pointing skills.

MPC Accepts DPC Challenge

The President of the Michigan Petanque Club, officially accepted the Detroit Petanque Club's PVP-Cup Challenge.

As the screws were tightening, Joe issued a call to arms appointing Dan the VP of the Michigan Petanque Club. Of course, we're not sure if this is an actual appointment, or if Joe simply wished to "stack the deck" with his best player.

We'll see what happens when the two clubs meet on June 11.

Detroit Petanque Club Practices at Sunrise

7:00 a.m. While most of the MPC members sleep, the DPC plays petanque...

"There's no better time to exercise those throwing muscles than early in the morning," reassures club President Jeff Widen, "I guess we're just a bit tougher than those pretty boys up in the Northern suburbs."

Two games were played. The first 13/10 went to VP Don Tait, the second, 13/9 to Prez. Jeff Widen.

Joe and Friends do Fairly Well in Triples in NYC

Joe Zajac, after flying at break-neck speed to the N.E. Regionals, played Triplettes with, Drish (Morocco); and Cherif (Senegal). Their first game, a well-fought victory: 13/7 and their second game, also well fought (but a loss) 7/13. Their final game (against Yngve's team) was a 13/0 fanny [Yngve won].

Yngve was a very gracious host, showing Joe around Manhattan, and his shooting pen up on the rooftop above his apartment. We'll find out more about Joe's trip once he wakes up after only sleeping for 3 hours in 72 hours...

Kickball with a side of Petanque

What would kickball be without a little Petanque? Jeff went to a BBQ in Bloomfield Hills with his wife Denise where they are joining a kickball league (the "Freeballers") for Friday nights. After the kickball was put away, Jeff brought out the Petanque balls and everyone played. Though the terrain was a full-lawn the game play was pretty decent.

Hal Reports on Sunday's Petanque Games

[Hal D'Arpini - Special Petanque Correspondent]

Just wanted to update you on today's club meet (who showed up, etc.) so that you can post it on the blog site. Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera (yet) so I can't send you any pictures.

Jennifer, Anita, and Joyce were there when I arrived. As Jennifer and Joyce were defeating Anita and me (the final score escapes me), Mike and Cathy showed up. We played a game of triplettes (my team lost but I don't remember the score), and then Jennifer left, to be replaced by Thierry.

After another game of triplettes in which my team lost (I have a bad memory for scores), Joyce and Anita left. Cathy and I went on to defeated Thierry and Mike in doublettes 13-7.

The rain held off nicely, and there was even a little sun from time to time.

See you next week,

Hal

[thanks Hal, I was wondering what the turn-out would be for today, as Joe was in NYC and I was at the kickball BBQ - I'm happy that people had a good time - see Joe... they don't need us!!!]

No Tournament this Sunday - but play as usual

Joe and Jeff won't be able to attend this Sunday's Petanque meet. It happens, rarely, but it happens.

This weekend, Joe is playing in the N.E. Regional Petanque Doubles and Triples in New York City. Jeff is playing kickball (yes... kickball) with his wife up in Bloomfield Hills. Dan has a previous engagement. Cyrille is attending his brother, Gregory's graduation.

As such, you can all still go to Royal Oak and play Petanque - you're all adults (except for you Daniel...) BUT if you don't have your own Petanque balls, you may have to use 2-balls each, and take the odd-3rd ball to make up another pairing - in order to play.

Don't be shy about it, we're all in the same club. As for the tournament - that'll be next Sunday - we promise. It was an unusual circumstance that we've all been called away this weekend. Have fun, and let us know how it turned out!

Joe Zajac misses his flight to New York - but makes later one...

Joe planned everything: the flight, the accomodations, the doubles-partner; but what he didn't count on was not waking up in time at 4pm to get to the airport for his flight to New York. When he awoke, he had to drive 85 m.p.h. to the airport, only to find he then had to check his boules and that didn't give him enough time (Homeland Security) to then board his flight. He caught the next flight out, which had him arriving 1 hour after the tournament began. As such, Joe was able to join in the "Consolare" portion of the event (N.E. Regionals) - and enjoy the hospitality of his host: Yngve (President of the New York Petanque Club). The better news is that Joe will be able to compete in the triples event for Sunday - being teamed up with two players from Madagascar. Good Luck Joe!

We Hope Joe Zajac Remembers to Check Boules in his Luggage

In his eagerness to get to the N.E. Regionals tomorrow, I hope Joe remembers that Homeland Security maintains the safety of airline travel in the United States. There is a "No Boules" rule for flights - so he'll need to check his 3-12 petanque boules in his luggage. Just in case, we will be collecting for a "Bail Out Joe Fund" on Sunday.

Joe Introduces the new Petanque-America Banner

Joe Zajac really is giving it his all. He arranged for the above banner to be made so he can promote both Petanque and Petanque America during his tournament play in New York this weekend. He also will be displaying the banner at the Rochester Heritage Festival on the 28th, and I'm sure we'll see the banner at all of our events. Good going Joe! I see Marley is inspecting the material for "toughness."

Hobo Joe may Sleep in the Street to Attend N.E. Doubles

Joe Zajac, President of the Michigan Petanque Club has no shame when it comes to Petanque. He'll sleep on floors, stoops outside buildings, maybe on the petanque terrain itself! But his dedication to the sport is making him into a legend. This weekend he will be attending the N.E. Regional Doubles in New York City where his doubles partner has yet to be arranged. We expect good things from Joe (just don't bring back any head-lice!).

Zajac will attend N.E. Regional Doubles in NYC

In a surprise turn of events, Joe Zajac, president of the Michigan Petanque Club, has decided to participate in the Northeast Regional Doubles this weekend in New York City.

We await the news of who shall be teamed up to serve as his doubles partner.

What a good Petanque Son...

As it was Mother's Day today, Joe thoughtfully brought along his Mother's flowers to show us what a great son he is. I'm sure when he finally returned home after practicing his shooting/pointing, at 11 pm that night, his Mother really appreciated them.

Maude Points to Perfection

Maude (the better half of Eric and Maude) shows us how crucial good pointing can be for Petanque. Here we see her leading her team (Eric, Maude, Dan and Cyrille) in the opening pointing.

Brigitte Must Have Been Practicing

The final games of the evening were a quartet (with Eric, Maude, Cyrille, and Dan playing against Hal, Brigitte, Joe and Jeff). The two teams led off with their key pointers: Brigitte (seen here) and Maude.

Cyrille's Three - Dangerous...

Cyrille looks over the terrain of battle. A shooter at heart, Cyrille stands by and waits for any "close boules" Here we see him with three boules, a particularly threatening sight for any opposition.

Dan Instructs All in the Benefits of Lobbing

Dan shows us here how lobbing the boule can be most effective when boules in front present an obstacle. Lobbing your boule has the double benefit of getting past obstacles (boules, stones, rough terrain) as well as preventing your boule from rolling forward too much.

New Boules for Eric and Maude

Eric and Maude received their new Obut boules today. We can see how thrilled Eric is to try them out. I can attest to the fact that he played very well with them today.

Anne Places a Close Boule

Anne wanted everyone to see how close her pointed boule was in her game against team: Joe/Dan/Clare. That's a hard position to beat!

Clare Plays Like a Pro

Clare Pfeiffer Ramsey, our guest journalist from the MetroTimes Detroit played petanque like a natural. At first, like all of us, she had to test out her throwing arm. But before long she was pointing particularly well - - (suspiciously so - I'm glad we weren't betting) and Clare proved to be a very valuable pointer helping to lead her team to victory.

Joe Coaxes Anne to Play Today

Anne, neighbor of Joe, pointed magnificently. Though she's only played Petanque a few times - she partnered up with Jeff to be quite a formidable team. We hope she returns for future competitions.

M.P.C. Toasts D.P.C.'s First Official Game

Wyandotte - Afternoon

The D.P.C. (President Jeff and VP-Don) met up with Joe and Joyce (of the reknowned M.P.C.) for a series of games this afternoon. It was a beautiful day for petanque, as two teams were mixed for boule competition.

In the first set of three games, Jeff and Joyce were teamed up against Joe and Don. Team JJ won the first game 13/8; but lost the next two games 13/7 and 13/10. The very precise pointing of Joyce and Don together with matched shooting from Joe and Jeff kept the games going long and strong.

After a delicious snack break (cheese & crackers; mini cupcakes; fruit; and some wine to toast the opening of the D.P.C. terrain) there was another mixing of the players: resulting in a win for M.P.C. (Joe & Joyce) verses D.P.C. (Don & Jeff).

We couldn't have asked for a nicer day (but we expect even better weather for the Mother's Day Boule tomorrow in Royal Oak). My sincere thanks to Joe and Joyce for venturing down to Wyandotte for our official opening day.

F.P.U.S.A. 2005 Cards Have Arrived

President Joe Zajac has once again fulfilled his promises. He has received back from FPUSA headquarters (by U.S. Priority Post no less!) all of the remaining FPUSA Member cards. When you show for the regular club meeting (this weekend or any other) you'll be given your card.

Much thanks to Joe for a speedy turnaround.

Detroit Petanque Club's Terrain is Official

Thursday (8pm) Council Meeting of the Sports and Recreation Committee

Jeff Widen attended this important meeting to describe the various particulars of the sport of Petanque and its local Michigan club plans. Joe Zajac helped Jeff immensely during the meeting, which included a display board of the Petanque club, and demonstration of the sport's gameplay.

We received an enthusiastic acceptance by the Council and celebrated with a couple of games on the new terrain in the Fraternal Order of Police Park in Wyandotte (near St. John & Lindbergh Street). Later that evening we were joined by Julie Simons, Wyandotte Sports and Recreation Events Organizer, who played exceptionally well and plans to bring her husband and son to future games.

The Detroit Petanque Club will meet on Saturdays, at Noon.

Future plans include Petanque's inclusion as an event in the Senior Olympics and demonstrations in the local schools.

Big Thanks to Joe for the Assist.

M.P.C. part of the Rochester Heritage Festival - May 28th

The members of the Michigan Petanque Club will be headlining at the tremendously popular Rochester Heritage Festival.

The Saturday afternoon event begins at 2:00 p.m. with an interactive display of Petanque to the crowds. We shall be setting up a number of terrains on the baseball field and showing the sport to potentially hundreds of people.

Check out our press release (on the main page of our website), and also specific details about the Heritage Festival at their website: www.rochesterheritagefest.org

MetroTimes Detroit takes interest in club

Sometime in the next couple of weeks we will be receiving a visit from Clare Pfeiffer Ramsey, Cultural Correspondent for the Detroit MetroTimes. Clare will be asking us some questions about the club and the sport of Petanque.

We have insisted that she also play a few games to get the true feel for the club.

Let's all show her what a social and pleasant bunch we are (umm or can be).

SUNDAY UPDATE: BOULODROME AT BORDINE TODAY

SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE: I checked the weather reports and it looks like rain showers for today (50%). Joyce, Special Piste Correspondent (SPC) for the club, checked out the boulodrome yesterday morning and reports that the "piste is clear" - no flowers in the way. I think it'd be wisest to meet at our boulodrome, under cover of plastic, for a dry day of Petanque.

Much thanks to Joyce for going the extra mile(s) to ensure we still have options open for today.