Pétanque for the Gold
This endearing and enduring game might not be an Olympic event, but it represents the best of France
Priscilla Martel, a professional chef and devout foodie, has been playing pétanque with friends since owning a French restaurant in Chester, Connecticut, in the 1980s. "We still play as an informal group called Boules des Dimanches and includes our chef buddy Jacques Pepin," says Martel.
The group plays in Martel's yard. "Years ago, we removed the pea stone on part of the driveway and replaced it with stone dust," says Martel. "Now we have a hard, fast surface and room to have two games of pétanques going at once. And many of our friends with whom we play in our area also built courts." Martel says when they first started playing pétanque, they played on the hard-packed sand of a parking lot near the beach. "In other words, one doesn't necessarily need to go to great expense to start playing," says Martel.
What Is It, Exactly?
The equipment involves boules, hollow metal balls. And the objective is to throw the boule toward a target wooden ball or cochonnet. The balls used in pétanque are smaller than those used in bocce, which are solid wood and not hollow. A pétanque court is also shorter than a bocce court (91 vs 50 feet) although both are the same size in width (13 feet wide).
And it is a very social game. "What do we love about the game?," says Martel. "It's an excuse to drink rose all day! Seriously, it's the camaraderie with a pinch of competition and huge helping of good cheer." She says her group ranges from people in their 40s to a few in their 90s."It's a great way to bring people together," she says.
It is also a low-impact game, so injury risks are minimal. Even bending down to pick up the small metal balls can be eased with the use of a magnetic pickup tool.
Of course, being a French game, wonderful food and drink is often a factor.
"Definitely low impact but there is much skill to be a competitive player," says Martel. "If you have good hand—eye coordination, say if you played baseball, tennis or darts, you might do well at the game."
She also believes that playing often at the same court, whether it is fast or slow, flat or sloping, is helpful. "Watch some of the tutorials from France on YouTube," says Martel. "I swear they help me. I also have a few fun tricks including uttering foodie mantras before I shoot," she says. Some of her favorites: Canard aux cerises and petit pains au chocolat. She's also known to sing the lyrics to "Par Gourmandise." "It helps me focus," she says.
Tips for forming a group, according to Martel, include keep it to a manageable size when first starting out. "You can form a few teams and gauge how serious the players are." And, of course, being a French game, wonderful food and drink is often a factor. "Once the number of teams grows, you need a cadre of chefs to feed everyone. We have plenty of chefs but sometimes the pot luck afternoons are the most fun and easier on the hosts."
Where to Play
Cape Cod is another spot with several active pétanque clubs. My mother of a certain age plays pétanque with a group of friends three days a week in Harwich on the Cape, year-round, weather permitting, and has for more than a decade. They play on two pétanque courts in a lovely park setting.
She has also often played on the pétanque courts in Bryant Park in Manhattan's midtown, a court that's busy with locals and tourists. "Bryant Park does have a lot of French tourists who play on its court, roughly 50% of the people who use the space," says Dan Biederman, executive director of the Bryant Park Corp. The games are staged on the gravel area along Sixth Avenue, with the majestic New York Public Library as a backdrop. "The park allows players ages 10 and up and has some regulars as old as their mid-90s," says Biederman.
There are, in fact, many locations and venues around the country where players can pick up a casual game.
There are, in fact, many locations and venues around the country where players can pick up a casual game.
"I have enjoyed playing at this cool little French bistro, Cenadou, in Northern Westchester County in New York," says Jill Mango. "They have drinks on the patio and around their pétanque court every Wednesday evening and on other days as well."
And St. Supery Estate Vineyards & Winery, a Chanel-owned winery, has a tree-lined courtyard with lovely pétanque courts at its Napa Valley Rutherford location.
The Valley of the Moon Pétanque Club in Sonoma Valley, California, debuted in the late 1980s through Sonoma's sister city relationship with the French village of Chambolle-Musigny. "These boulistes organized the Valley of the Moon Petanque Club and soon, pétanque became a part of wine country living," says a spokeswoman for the club. "Over 30 years later, the VOMPC is now a diverse group of pétanque enthusiasts — male, female and all ages and backgrounds." VOMPC is one of the largest clubs and affiliated with the Federation of Petanque, USA (FPUSA). The club plays at Depot Park, north of the historic Sonoma Plaza. Monthly tournaments are held, as well as casual, friendly gatherings of players nearly every afternoon.
The annual Pétanque Amelia Island Open is the largest Pétanque event in America, attracting players from all over the globe. Philippe Boets, of Pétanque America, introduced the game to the locals and today there is an Amelia Island Boules Club and year-round courts. And while the sand is too soft for an official court, people are sometimes seen playing or practicing on the beach.
And about 45 minutes from New Orleans is where you'll find The Thibodaux Petanque Club which meets at the courts at Peltier Park every Saturday morning; everyone is invited to play. In the mid-1700s, many of Nova Scotia's French residents who were forced out of their homes and into the United States eventually settled in the bayous of Louisiana, adopting the way of life in Louisiana and introducing their own culture.
Bienvenue, petanque!
