Hurricane Gusts Didn't Blow The Boule Game Away

Reaching 40 m.p.h. the winds blew the cochonnet around a little

Alpha concentrated on throwing at right angles to allow for the wind

 Sure it was windy (40 MPH winds) - but a few hardy players braved them for the sake of practicing.  You never know when you might be at a petanque tournament in Florida durng a hurricane.  This is a perfect simulation for just such a scenario.

Deric stapled his cap to his head to keep it from blowing to Woodward Avenue

Pat moves up to Second Place

Double Victory for Pat's Team at Cadillac Square Park

Pat firing in his boule

All sorts gravitate to the park



Nick and his size 17 shoes need a bigger circle





Alpha keeping his team afloat



Clowning Around at Cadillac Square Park in Detroit



Clowning around at Cadillac Square Park

  Another splendid afternoon of petanque.  A guy could get used to this.  Representing the Honigman boys was Maury, teamed up with Fred and Alpha, but they couldn't put a dent in the momentum of Sam/Jeff/Tom.  As the Sun shifted its angle, so did we, playing on whichever courts afforded us the extra warmth.  In mid-Summer we'll be doing just the opposite, tracking the shadows.



Tom points in with finesse




Following the Sun at the numerous courts at Cadillac Square Park




Fred's Kung-Fu grip as he witnesses the superior pointing by Team-Jeff



Norm joins the Detroit Club

 Right away Norm was pointing in very close boules.  We were all impressed (and delighted with the 13/4 and 13/9 wins).



Abu the Magician pointing in his boules...



Tight Game at Cadillac Square

Tim worked a nice carreau into today's game.  First of the season I think.  The first game started well for us, (2 points right away) but sank faster than a stone as the opposition (Tom/Tim/Fred) piled on their points.  We just couldn't do anything to shut down their pointing.

 The second game was more even, with each team showing strength and adaptation to the terrain.  Maury voiced complaint that the gravel wasn't as even as some of the other courts - but playing in the Sun trumped any moves.  We took the lead but sat on an 8 to 7 lead with the clock running out (near 1pm) - so we opted for even points around and the next round's winner would take it 13/12.  We ended with an edge of the seat situation - opposition with the close point about 5 inches away from the cochonnet, but the front position was open at 7 meters.  I rolled my two boules in, catching the point with the last boule for my team, and Tim opted for the shot, which removed only his own boule (after a newton's cradle situation).

The game wouldn't be the same without Pat's commentary

Close Game in High Winds

In a word: BRISK.  While the remainder of the week looks much warmer, today had low temps and sometimes an ill wind which chilled the hands and made pointing sometimes a challenge.  Still, we played a very close game 12/13 and had plenty of laughs.  Early in the game a boule touched the paver stone (making it void).   There was some dispute as to whether the boule actually touched or not.  I stated that only one player was standing where he could have witnessed the "voided boule" so despite other's protests, the idea of sportsmanship brought the element of trust to the forefront - and voided the boule.

The near freezing conditions made careful pointing tough.




Fred is still holding fast to second place, as Tim crawls to the top of the rankings.




At some point you just want the game to end, and to run inside to get warm




Abu watching for boules going out-of-bounds




Is it July yet?!



Fanny... at the Detroit Petanque Club



Painful...  I don't think I've been fannied for 6 months at least!  Admittedly, Fred and Abu were spot on.  Their pointing was superb.



Boules of Fun as Prelude to the Season

 Thursday's games flip-flopped as my team rocketed to a 12 to zero and possible fanny, but then in the end game our opponents gained some points to weaken the point value for the win.  The second game went topsy-turvy as they ran amok taking nearly every round, leaving us to count our measly three points.

 Campus Martius Park was alive with Opening Day crowds - trying out the wagon-based food offerings and making me feel a sense of remorse for what was once a thriving city...  perhaps one day.  The ground at Campus Martius is challenging as it is non-uniform - a delight for the petanque enthusiast as one needs to really watch how the boule travels.



Abu tosses his magic boule - for a 13 to 3 win.