CarolinaPetanque

The Inn at Bingham School

2012-01-19T10:20:00.005-05:00

http://www.chapel-hill-inn.com/

Our longtime CarolinaPetanque member and good friend Francois Deprez sent us a couple of snapshots from play at his Inn at Bingham School . The intrepid group braved the cold and wind on January 2, 2012, to get in a few games to start the 2012 season. Check out the Inn's website and consider playing and/or staying if you're ever in the Mebane/Chapel Hill area of North Carolina.

Thanks, Francois.

Yesterday

2012-01-16T08:02:00.006-05:00

Our NC mountain group braved the snow in and around the Boone/ Spruce Pine areas to make the drive down the mountains and join us in Winston-Salem for Sunday's play at Miller Park. CarolinaPetanque members Kirk, Bo, Uijin, and Lauren were there along with Miller Park first-timers Cruz and Christy who made the drive from Boone. Cruz and Christy's daughter, Linnea, played as well-- and she played well!

Miller Park regulars Bob M. and Fred along with Shirley and I rounded out the group. We actually had a pretty nice afternoon for NC January weather. Temps in the mid-forties and bright sunshine made playing conditions pleasant.

We hope more of you will make the effort to come out and play on some of these nice mid-winter afternoons. Don't wait until spring to get off the couch!

New Year's Day 2012

2012-01-14T10:29:00.003-05:00

We started our 2012 petanque year off with play at the Browning Hangar in Austin, Texas. Arsene's Heart of Texas Petanque Club turned out in good numbers for play on a cool, sunny day

New Year's Eve 2011

2012-01-14T10:08:00.005-05:00

Our good friend, Amine Najah, is in the process of preparing to open a Coffee/Tea/Hookah house in Austin, Texas, on North Lamar Boulevard. He called Shirley on Saturday morning (New Year's Eve) and asked if we were interested in coming out to look over his new location. Of course we were excited about doing so!

Amine is planning to encourage petanque players in and around the area to make his new shop a hangout where players can most always find a game. He has an area large enough for about eight lanes already cleared and ready for play. There's also a large plot in the rear of his shop for expansion if the number of players warrant.

He hopes to open "Zaytouna Lounge" (roughly translates as "The Olive Lounge") in February of 2012. If you find yourself in the area before then, stop by and say hello. There's a good chance a game will be going on even before the official opening. He's at:

11800
N Lamar Blvd
Austin, Texas

December 18, 2011

2012-01-14T09:56:00.004-05:00

Play at the Browning Hangar in Austin, Texas, with the gang from Heart of Texas Petanque Club. I hope they realize how lucky they are to have such a great facility. You can play there in any weather and day or night!

Decmber 11, 2011

2012-01-14T09:50:00.003-05:00

Sunday play with the Austin crowd at the French Legation. Santa made a surprise appearance!

December 7, 2011

2012-01-14T09:43:00.003-05:00

Celebrating Jeffrey's birthday at the French Legation in Austin, Texas.

November 27, 2011

2012-01-14T09:36:00.003-05:00

At Miller Park before leaving for Texas for the holidays.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T22:24:00.000-05:00

Texas, 2011.

Nice Sunday Turnout

2011-11-21T10:36:00.005-05:00

Miller Park on Sunday afternoon. Danny, Sue D., Bob M., Fred, Marc, Chad, Trevor, Matt, Walt, Stefanie, Priti, Tom, Carol, Ronnie, Faye, Ed, Anne, Shirley, and Gary.

North Augusta, SC

2011-11-21T10:31:00.002-05:00

We went down to visit our friends, Larry & Tammy, in North Augusta, SC, over the weekend. As usual, we found a place to play petanque. Tammy points (very well, I might add!) as Larry looks on.

2011 Petanque America Tournament Week-- the day after

2011-11-16T16:35:00.001-05:00

Win, lose, or draw-- the sun still comes up the next day!

Petanque America Tournament week-- Sunday

2011-11-16T13:04:00.018-05:00

http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3973173022/a=1958339022_1958339022/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

The above link to Snapfish will allow you to see ALL Sunday's photos. (Snapfish accounts are free!)

The final qualifying game was held on Sunday morning. The field of 136 teams was then slotted into nine brackets for single-elimination play.

16 teams Championship A
16 teams Championship Aa
8 teams Championship B
16 teams Consolation A
16 teams Consolation Aa
16 teams Consolation B
16 teams Consolation Bb
16 teams Consolation C
16 teams Consolation Cc

CarolinaPetanque ended up with only one team in Championship A: Khalid Mesbah and his partner, Josef, from New York. They eventually made it to the quarterfinals. Congratulations, guys!

We also had two teams that made it into Championship Aa: Augustin & Marc Quilici and Gary & Shirley Jones. Team Quilici made it through the first round and into the quarter-finals.Congratulations, guys!

Shirley and I lost in the first round to a team of two women from Israel. Their shooter, Gali Shriki, is a multiple-time member of the Israeli National team. The Israeli team went on to win Championship Aa bracket, so we didn't feel too bad to have lost to them.

The overall winners, Championship A, were Marco Foyot of France and Bernard Marten of Florida. Congratulations to them-- they were superb. Foyot is currently ranked as the number 4 player in the world (source: petanque.com), and it's hard to imagine anyone playing better than he did on Sunday. I never saw him miss a shot in the entire finals. You should have been there!

Petanque America Tournament week-- Sat Nov 12, 2011

2011-11-16T11:44:00.013-05:00

The first five qualifying rounds were played on Saturday. Augustin & Marc finished 5-0. Khalid & his partner from New York were also 5-0. Shirley and I were 4-1, the same as we were in 2009 and 2010.

Check out the link to Snapfish if you want to see ALL of Saturday's pictures. (Snapfish accounts are free!)

http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3973867022/a=1958339022_1958339022/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

2011 Petanque America Tournament week-- Friday

2011-11-16T11:05:00.008-05:00

http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4906602015/a=6125880_6125880/

Things were starting to heat up a little by Friday with more and more teams arriving. The link above will take you to Snapfish where you can see ALL of Friday's pictures. (Snapfish accounts are free!)

2011 Petanque America Tournament Week-- Thursday

2011-11-16T09:32:00.005-05:00

Bobby and Peggy, as well as Terry and Sue (not pictured), joined us on Thursday afternoon.

2011 Petanque America Tournament Week-- Wednesday

2011-11-16T09:23:00.003-05:00

We stopped along the way for lunch at Larry's Giant Subs. Finally arrived at the tournament site in the afternoon.

2011 Petanque America Tournament Week-- Tuesday

2011-11-16T09:15:00.003-05:00

Practice on Tuesday afternoon in Lincolnton. We're leaving for Florida in the morning.

Last Play Before Petanque America Open

2011-11-07T11:43:00.005-05:00

For many, Sunday's play at Miller Park was the last chance to play before making this week's trip down to Florida for the Petanque America Open at Amelia Island. We were delighted to have Kirk, Bo, Uijin, and Lauren join us from their homes in the mountains of NC. They don't get down to play with us flatlanders too often, so it was a treat. Danny and Sue were also able to play, so the mountain group almost had a majority!

Shoafs in Lexington-- Part two

2011-11-07T11:26:00.007-05:00

After morning play at our house, the six of us went to Cook's Barbeque for lunch and had some famous "Lexington Style." Delicious!

Then, on to Terry and Sue's new terrain for afternoon play. Terry's still putting on the finishing touches, but, boy, things are looking great. He has just finished hanging his new lights-- still has to take the scaffolding down-- and we're looking forward to trying them out on Monday night.

Ed and Anne are going to build their own court before too long and are getting ideas on landscaping, construction, court surfaces, etc. by playing at various locations. We'll look forward to playing at their house, maybe in the new year?

Shoafs in Lexington

2011-11-07T11:10:00.008-05:00

Dr. Ed Shoaf and his wife, Anne, are the newest members of CarolinaPetanque. Welcome, you two!

Ed and Anne made the trip over from Charlotte to join us for Saturday play at our Lexington terrain. Terry and Sue also came over. The six of us had a cool start for morning play, but I lit all the heaters and started a fire in the chimenea. After a while, the sun kicked in and made things much more comfortable.

Halloween Eve

2011-10-31T12:57:00.006-04:00

Halloween Eve 2011 at Miller Park in Winston-Salem, NC. We were glad to have numerous new players. Charlie and Dustin, who have played with us a time or two before, showed up planning to play bocce, but joined us for petanque instead. Dustin's parents, Kelly and Renon, were visiting him from Washington state, so they played as well.

Fred spotted a lone bocce player across the way practicing his game and went over to say hello. Turns out they knew each other, so Mark joined our group as well.

We also had Danny & Sue down from the NC mountains and Augustin, Susanne, and Marc from Hickory.

Bob M., Shirley, and myself rounded out the group until Tom showed up a little later on his way back from a visit with Wesley and new fiancee, Marcie, in Asheville.

Nice crowd and great weather.

Recent Play

2011-10-31T12:20:00.000-04:00

Above: Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 4, 2011, at Miller Park
Below: Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011, at Miller Park

Below: Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011, at Nevin Park Charlotte, NC

Below: Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011, at Lincolnton, NC

Below: Monday, Oct. 17, 2011, at Lexington, NC

Below: Friday, Oct. 21, 2011. Terry & Sue Wien's new court in Lexington, NC. (Pig is in front of Lexington Library.)

Below: Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, at Miller Park

Below: Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in Lincolnton, NC

Hickory, NC, last night

2011-10-04T15:56:00.005-04:00

Shirley, Khalid, and I made the drive over to Hickory to play at Augustin & Susanne's place. We challenged Augustin, Marc, and Juan to triplettes on their home court. They proved to be up to the task, beating us 3 out of 4 games. The scores were respectable:

13-11

13-12

12-13

13-12

Can't get a lot closer than that!

Practice for the Island

2011-10-03T10:51:00.008-04:00

Just like others from all over the US and abroad, we are practicing to make a good showing at Petanque America's November tournament at Amelia Island, Florida.

Sunday's Play 9/18/11

2011-09-20T10:44:00.005-04:00

It was a day of, "Welcome back!," at Miller Park on Sunday.

Augustin, Marc, and Juan made the drive over from Hickory for the first time in a couple of months (we missed you, Susanne!). Augustin and Susanne have only recently returned from an extended stay at their place in Corsica.

Francis and Bonnie rejoined the group after a couple of months off as well. No overseas trip to blame-- just too much other stuff to do and too blasted hot in August!

Ronnie & Faye and Tom & Carol were back after a few weeks away. Work and family obligations have been their reasons for the absence.

Bob M. was back after a long stay in Germany. You may have seen some of his photos in prior posts.

Then there were the regulars: Fred, Shirley, and I rounded out the group.

Weather should be great in the Carolinas for the next few months. Plan to come!

2011-09-18T07:35:00.003-04:00

Over Labor Day Ed and Anne Shoaf visited Gainesville, FL, and played on a court behind Satchel’s pizza, a local landmark. In the photo with Anne is their daughter Amanda, who is the French scholar. Pretty girl(s)!

Remembrance Day

2011-09-13T19:09:00.005-04:00

Eight of us spent 9/11/2011 playing petanque at Miller Park. Shirley pulled out some of her patriotic tablecloths and flags to honor the day. We were particularly glad to have our friend, Sandy Boone, from Austin, Texas, join us.

More from Bob in Germany

2011-09-12T08:47:00.003-04:00

Our German friends. That's Mirko in the center and Ingo on the right. We've yet to met the lovely lady on the left. Maybe in November at Amelia Island?

Terry & Sue Have a New Court!

2011-09-11T09:52:00.006-04:00

Terry & Sue are in the process of putting the finishing touches on a beautiful new petanque terrain in Lexington, NC. It is 4m x 15m with a fine top coating of crushed oyster shell over gravel screenings. Just great! I hope to have many more pictures to share with you in the near future.

The second picture, above, shows our Texas friend, Sandy Boone, enjoying some southern hospitality at the new facility.

From Germany

2011-09-05T11:04:00.003-04:00

Bob Moyer sent iPhone snaps from Germany. Check out the palace walkways where they play and the cool "piggies" that Mirko and Ingo made for us! Thanks, guys!!!

Yesterday's play

2011-09-05T10:44:00.005-04:00

We finally got Faye Rierson to join in the play yeterday. She has been an enthusiastic spectator for quite a while but has not actually played with our group. She had played previously in France, but was content to let Ronnie carry the family banner in CarolinaPetanque group play. Shirley and I were practicing while awaiting other players when Ronnie and Faye arrived. Faye was a good sport to join our play until someone else showed up. I suggested that she and I challenge Ronnie and Shirley to a game. We actually beat them! Way to go, Faye.

Amine and Aziz in Lexington, NC

2011-09-01T11:06:00.008-04:00

We were very happy to have our longtime Texas friend, Amine Najah, pay us a visit last evening. He was in Charlotte, NC, on business and made the drive over after having put in a long, extended workday to join us for late evening play. Furthermore, Amine's cousin, Aziz, drove two hours from Wake Forest, NC, for a reunion with Amine, who he had not seen in nine years!

The evening finale, best-two-of-three games, was won by Danny, Aziz, and myself over Amine, Shirley, and Sue. Please pay no particular attention to the last two photographs in the series above which depict the results of game two, and remember instead that we won games one and three despite the unfortunate showing in game two!

Tommy Munroe returns!

2011-08-29T07:59:00.010-04:00

We got a very pleasant surprise yesterday when our good friend Tommy Munroe made an unexpected appearance after a lengthy absence. Even better- he's back to stay! After enjoying the bright lights of the big city, Los Angeles, for quite some time, he and his wife are back in Winston-Salem. California's loss is North Carolina's gain.

More good news-- Fred rejoined play after his recent recuperative hiatus following surgery. He may have been a little rusty at first, but he was soon back in form pointing with the best of our group.

We also got to meet Tom Cearley's mom and dad for the first time on Sunday. Despite his protests to the contrary, Tom's dad, Robert, played very well and fit right into our game seamlessly.

Tom's son, Wesley, was down from Asheville, NC, and played with us for the first time in a while. And, since Tom's father-in-law and mother-in-law (Ronnie and Faye) were there too, it was practically a family reunion! Carol is in Houston babysitting with the grandchildren, but she'll be back soon.

We were pleased to have two walkups from the bocce courts. Rom and Barbara took time out from their head-to-head bocce play to give our game a try. We hope they'll be back!

Myron, last week's walkup, was back for more, so we hope he may become a regular too.

August 25, 2011--Lexington, NC

2011-08-29T07:45:00.004-04:00

Khalid and his friend, Raed, came over and played at our Lexington terrain. Danny & Sue were spending a couple of nights with us on their way back to the mountains from the beach, so they joined our play as well. Khalid's game was in fine form after his recent month in Morocco. He's tuning up to make a good showing at the November Petanque America Open in Amelia Island, Florida.

August 23, 2011--Carolina Beach, NC

2011-08-29T07:34:00.004-04:00

Staying and playing with our good friends Bobby & Peggy at their channel-side beach cottage in Carolina Beach is always a special treat. Danny & Sue were also able to join us and we all had a great time. The girls played the guys and beat us more than once. Surprised? Not!

August 21, 2011--Winston-Salem, NC--Miller Park

2011-08-29T07:22:00.005-04:00

Ed and Anne Shoaf made the trip over from Charlotte to join us at the Winston-Salem Miller Park terrain. They had been on a hiking excursion in Ashe county and decided to make the detour for Sunday afternoon's play. It was great to see them again for the first time in a while, and we hope to get back over their way soon.

August 14, 2011--Austin, Texas--French Legation

2011-08-29T07:05:00.004-04:00

While visiting our grandchildren this trip, we discovered that two of our favorite people had recently tied the knot after many years of courtship. David Edwards, esteemed professor of government at the University of Texas, and his beautiful wife Sasha are pictured above. Congratulations, guys!!!

New venue for Heart of Texas Petanque Club

2011-08-08T15:21:00.017-04:00

We played at the Heart of Texas Club's newest venue for the first time yesterday. The Browning Hangar
http://texdraft.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/historic-browning-hangar-at-mueller/

is even more impressive in real life than in the pictures. What was once an airplane hangar is now part of the Austin park system and definitely one of the most unique petanque terrains in the US--heck, the world!

While it was bright sunshine and 104F outside, we were actually very comfortable inside the hangar due both to the shade and the slight wind tunnel effect that the hangar creates. (Thanks to Jim for the photos; Shirley forgot her camera.)

Almost too hot for petanque?

2011-08-02T23:03:00.004-04:00

Fuzzy picture above is of the thermometer in our pickup truck as we entered Texas. So you guys in the Carolinas think 100 degrees is hot?!

July 31, 2011

2011-08-02T22:58:00.003-04:00

Tom and Carol came over and played with Shirley and me on our Lincolnton terrain. Shirley's cousin, David Rhyne, looks on.

Walt's Grandmother

2011-08-02T22:48:00.005-04:00

Shirley and I were in Avery County visiting our friends Danny & Sue Daniels over the weekend. There was a parade on Saturday celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 100th county in North Carolina-- Avery County.

One of the honored parade participants turned out to be CarolinaPetanque's Walt Elder's grandmother, Mary Elder, who is 100 yrs old!

CarolinaPetanque in Tangier, Morocco

2011-07-17T15:22:00.002-04:00

One of our very best players, Khalid Mesbah, sent us this snapshot of him wearing a CarolinaPetanque t-shirt while playing in Tangier, Morocco. Thanks, Khalid, for the snapshot and for representing us while you're visiting in Morocco.

Fred Returns; Tim Appears; Mike & LuAnn

2011-07-14T19:41:00.006-04:00

We had a nice turnout on a VERY hot July afternoon at Miller Park. We were pleasantly surprised to welcome Fred back to the group. He's about halfway through a six week recuperation period from surgery, so we didn't expect to see him quite so soon. Not only did he and Faye make an appearance, but he really looked good and seems to be well on his way to complete recovery. Welcome back, Fred!

One other surprise caught most of us off guard as well: Tom Cearley's TWIN brother showed up unexpectedly on his way to Virginia. We didn't even realize Tom had a twin! He visited for a while and even played a game with us (substituting for Shirley who got caught up in an extended phone call). Come back anytime, Tim.

And, finally, a friend of Shirley's from her workplace in High Point showed up with her husband to try our game for the first time. LuAnn and Mike both seemed to catch on quickly and enjoyed meeting our group. Hope to see you again soon, guys!

Along with those mentioned above and Shirley and myself, we were happy to have Augustin, Susanne, and Marc from Hickory; Ronnie Rierson from Clemmons; Bob M. from W-S, Tom and Carol from Lincolnton, and Joe from the Miller Park neighborhood.

The two umbrellas that Shirley and I had the foresight to bring made the temperatures (barely!) tolerable and we had some good games despite it being mid-July in North Carolina.

4th of July in Charlotte

2011-07-05T16:48:00.003-04:00

Here's a small i-phone snapshot that friend-of-CarolinaPetanque, Ed Shoaf, took of wife Anne Shoaf with their daughter and son-in-law on a morning outing in Charlotte at the courts on Kings Drive. Thank, Ed, for the snap. Hope we see you guys again soon.

Spruce Pine Invitational -- Day 2

2011-07-05T15:58:00.009-04:00

The second day of the 2011 Spruce Pine Invitational included two more group meals, courtesy of Kirk & Bo, along with the actual tournament. The tournament was a (random-draw-for-teams) Doubles event comprised of eight teams.

Play was spirited and fun though the weather was particularly hot for a North Carolina mountain town. Temperatures were in the 90s in the sun. Three timed games of 45 minutes each were played to determine seeding for the single elimination brackets.

Shirley (with her partner Rebecca) lost in the first round of bracket play and I fared only a little better, losing (with my partner Kori) in the semi-finals. Both our partners played well, but I guess we had used up all our luck on Saturday.

The finals came down to Danny & Lauren against Uijin and Cruz. It was a good, back-and-forth match, but Danny's shooting and Lauren's pointing proved to be too much for Uijin & Cruz in the end.

Kirk had a unique twist planned for the final game of the official competition. Danny & Lauren played each other head-to-head for the overall tournament championship award! Danny was the one with the hot hand and came out ahead despite some flashes of brilliant pointing from Lauren.

The tournament was a huge success in our view and we hope Kirk & Bo will think about us when they plan future events.

Spruce Pine Invitational -- Day 1

2011-07-05T14:28:00.013-04:00

For the past three years Kirk & Bo Edwards of Spruce Pine, NC, have hosted an annual petanque invitational for their friends on the 4TH of July. This years event was, therefore, the Fourth Annual Spruce Pine Invitational.

Since Kirk & Bo decided to join the FPUSA through CarolinaPetanque a short time back, they were kind enough to invite Shirley and myself, along with our Crossnore, NC, friends, Danny & Sue Daniels, to join them for this year's event.

Day 1 was sheduled for arrivals, practice rounds, and pointing and shooting competitions. We got to meet a lot of nice, young people and were welcomed into the group of long-time friends without hesitation.

Shirley and I spent Friday night with Danny & Sue at their home in Crossnore. We were only about twenty minutes away from Saturday's event. Arriving at noon, we were all treated to traditional 4TH of July fare-- hot dogs from the grill and all the fixings and sides.

As mentioned above, Kirk had devised a test of pointing skills to get the group into the competitive spirit. As luck would have it, Shirley won first place. More surprising, I finished second!

Then came the shooting competition. New game-- same results! Shirley won; I finished second (I know; I couldn't believe it either!).

Our great day of practice play went on until nearly dark (in the meantime Kirk & Bo treated us to another good meal-- this time pork barbeque and all the trimmings), at which time the four of us took our leave to return to Crossnore for the evening and leave the more serious partying to the younger crowd. Rumor has it that some played/partied until 3:00 AM!

Saturday and Sunday

2011-06-27T10:22:00.008-04:00

To make it a little easier for players in the Lincolnton/Hickory/Charlotte area to attend, we played in Lincolnton on Saturday. So as not to forget or exclude our Lexington/Winston-Salem players, we then invited them to play in Lexington on Sunday.

We'll be playing in the North Carolina mountains this Saturday and Sunday. There may also be play in the foothills. We'll let our e-mail subscribers know later in the week.

Fathers' Day at Miller Park-- 2011

2011-06-27T10:03:00.006-04:00

We had a hot Fathers' Day afternoon at Miller Park. It was particularly great to have Ronnie Rierson back on the terrain for the first time in quite a while. He really pointed well--but then, he always does!

Parisian Promenade 2011

2011-06-06T10:27:00.019-04:00

http://www.digtriad.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=977985727001

We had fun hosting the petanque area yesterday at the Parisian Promenade in Tanger Park at Greensboro. Shirley even made the local news! Check out the link above.

Thanks to Bob M., Danny & Sue, and Joe & Catherine for helping out. We certainly could not have handled the crowds on our own.

Sunday's Play

2011-05-24T20:42:00.003-04:00

Is it summer already!? Hot day at Miller.

Inn at Bingham School

2011-05-24T19:44:00.010-04:00

http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4243594015/a=6125880_6125880/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

We had a wonderful overnight-and-next-day trip to Francois Deprez's Inn at Bingham School over the weekend. Check out the link above to see the Snapfish photo album of Shirley's pictures.

Sunday- Winston-Salem

2011-05-20T09:24:00.005-04:00

We had a nice group for play on Sunday. Tom and Carol (Lincolnton) stopped by to introduce us to their daughter, Ashley, who was visiting from Texas. Augustin and Susanne made the trip over from Hickory. Terry and Sue (Lexington) joined us for the first time in a while. Taylor, Bob, and Fred were among the Winston-Salem players. Also from Winston, Joe and Catherine joined us again and are already playing very well after only a couple of tries. Finally, Francis and Bonnie (Clemmons) dropped by to say hello.

Saturday- Lincolnton

2011-05-20T09:17:00.004-04:00

Gary & Shirley hosted in Lincolnton (and played until the rains came).

Friday- Hickory

2011-05-20T09:13:00.002-04:00

Augustin & Susanne hosted in Hickory on Friday evening.

Happy Mothers' Day!

2011-05-09T07:18:00.011-04:00

Bob, Fred, Joe, Catherine ................Catherine, Joe, Bob, Gary, Tom

Charlie, Bob, Tom, Chris.................. Francis, Bonnie

Taylor, Bob.................................... Bonnie, Tom, Bob

Bob, Francis, Tom, Bonnie........... Mary, Tom, Jim

Mothers' Day 2011 found us at Miller Park in Winston-Salem, NC. It was our first chance to play in the Carolinas since February due to our travel schedule over the last ten weeks or so. We weren't sure how many players might turn out since Mothers' Day was being celebrated across the land, but we appreciated seeing familiar faces and quite a few new ones.

As is often the case, Shirley gets credit for the photos, even though she's not pictured here.

Last Play on This Trip

2011-05-02T13:40:00.005-04:00

We played on Sunday at Pease Park to wrap up our play for this particular Texas trip. Many thanks to Arsene, Sasha, Amine, Jerome, Jeanne, and the rest of the gang for hosting our play on so many fun days. It's back to the real world for a while as we're heading back to the Carolinas on Thursday.

Eeyore's Birthday at Pease Park

2011-05-02T12:58:00.008-04:00

Each year since 1963 the city of Austin, Texas, whose motto is,"Keep Austin Weird," is home to a rather unique celebration of life (and weirdness!) called Eeyore's Birthday. It usually takes place on the last Saturday in April. The only connection to petanque is the venue. The Heart of Texas Petanque Club plays on Fridays and some (first, third, and fifth) Sundays at Pease Park, the home of the festival.

Since Shirley and I happened to be in town this year on April's last Saturday, we thought we'd check out the festival. After all, there's nothing like it in Lexington, North Carolina! It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed seeing the young people (and many not so young) having a good time. The music was entertaining, the vendors were numerous, and it was all in support of various local non-profit groups, so why not!?

Sunday in Austin

2011-04-26T16:02:00.006-04:00

The Heart of Texas club plays on the second and fourth Sundays of each month at the beautiful French Legation Museum in downtown Austin. They (along with the Alliance Francaise group who hosts) routinely have twenty to forty players. Shirley and I always try to join them when we're in Texas visiting the grandchildren. Hope to see you there someday!

Saturday at Amine's

2011-04-26T15:31:00.008-04:00

Amine, Ilhaam, and their three children hosted the gang at their home in Pflugerville, Texas, on Saturday afternoon. They not only provided us with a great afternoon (and evening and night for some of us) of petanque, but also with some really wonderful food in the Moroccan style.

There was beef, chicken, and fish galore from the grill; sides of beans, potato salad, and more; and Ilhaam laid out a dessert table you wouldn't believe!

Shirley and I were among the first to arrive around two o'clock and among the last to leave just before midnight. Amine had good lighting on his terrain, so we just couldn;t bring ourselves to quit earlier.

Friday at Pease Park

2011-04-26T15:19:00.005-04:00

We're starting to get in the groove of playing most Wednesdays, most Fridays, most Sundays, and once-in-a-while on Saturday. We have about another week to go on this particular trip and are trying to get in as much play as possible when we're not on "Grandparents Duty."

New Members

2011-04-22T12:57:00.004-04:00

Please welcome four new members of CarolinaPetanque. Joining us from the Boone, NC, area are (upper row) Kirk Edwards, Bo Edwards, (bottom row) Uijin Park, and Lauren Gioscio.

The four new members have only been able to join us for play a few times to date, but we look forward to seeing a lot more of them both "in the flatlands" and "the hills."

Still in the Heart of Texas

2011-04-19T14:21:00.011-04:00

Around the campground with the grandkids and then to Pease Park on Sunday.

Sunday in the Heart of Texas

2011-04-11T16:44:00.007-04:00

We played at the French Legation Sunday afternoon. Amine, Michael, and Hal (Abdul substitured for Hal after the first game) beat David, Shirley, and myself three out of four games. Shirley and I managed partial retribution in the final game, beating Amine and Abdul. Amine is starting to return to form after not playing as much since the recent birth of his new daughter. Games against any team he is on will now be much harder to win.

Tom & Carol in Texas

2011-04-11T16:18:00.007-04:00

Tom and Carol happened to be visiting family near College Station at the same time we are visiting family near Austin, so we managed to get together for petanque at our Texas friend Jeanne's beautiful home on the shores of Lake Travis in Spicewood, Texas.

Jeanne and Drew hosted as Carolina challenged Texas during an afternoon filled with friends and fun. Everyone was particularly happy to see Amine, Ilhaam, and their beautiful family. The newest addition, Lamees (lovely little girl!), made her debut at Jeanne's terrain while everyone fawned.

HoT Petanque Open

2011-04-04T12:24:00.008-04:00

The Heart of Texas (HoT) Petanque Club held its open select doubles tournament yesterday at the French Legation in the heart of downtown Austin, Texas. The results were:

First Place-- Pascal Corchia (Dallas, TX) & Juan Garcia (Miami, FL)

Second Place-- Earl Lovell (HoT) & Trevor Lovell (HoT)

Third Place-- Rick Armstrong (HoT) & Michael Kaufman (HoT)

The winning team of two well-known and nationally accomplished players went undefeated in three qualifying rounds, a playoff round of sixteen, playoff quarter finals, playoff semi-finals, and the championship finals.

They did fall considerably behind in the championship finals to Earl & Trevor (a father-son team from HoT) before turning it around with a big end when Juan moved the jack in to an open area after his opponents had played out their boules.

Congratulations to the winners, the players, the event organizers and supporting staff for a very well planned and produced event.

(Shirley and I won our three qualifying games and were seeded number one in our pool of four teams. We had to come back from considerable deficits-- I think we were down 9-0 in one game-- in each game but managed to pull through. We had another long and difficult game in the round of sixteen against Jacques and Spiros of HoT, but we again pulled through to win. Our luck ran out in the quarter finals against Trevor and Earl of HoT. This time it was our team who had the early lead only to ultimately lose 13-11. Earl and Trevor went on to win their semi-final match before finally losing in the finals to Juan and Pascal.)

Art City Austin

2011-04-02T23:24:00.012-04:00

We went downtown to Austin's 1st Street bridge for their "Art City Austin" festival to help the Heart of Texas Petanque Club demonstrate petanque. It was a lot of fun and we were happy to see many of our Texas friends for the first time in a while.

The location under the trees was great with temps hitting 90 degrees. We ended up both demonstrating and playing for about six hours.

Shirley spent most of the time instructing passersby and newcomers and just promoting the game in general to anyone who would listen.

I managed to sneak off to another area of the terrain and get into several really good practice games. Particularly notable were a series of three games that Earl Lovell of the Heart of Texas club and I played against Juan Garcia (Florida) and Pascal Corchia (Dallas, Tx). Really good games. Earl played great and we managed to hold our own against two national-class players.

We're really looking forward to tomorrow's tournament at the French Legation. 28 doubles teams!

Game Day on the Island

2011-03-27T21:14:00.013-04:00

(Above: Vincent Cosme, Nicolas Lacand, Caroline Lacand, and Anthony George.)

Amelia Island, Florida, Sunday March 27, 2011. North Florida Open (Select Doubles) results:

1st Place-- Vincent Cosme & Anthony George (Amelia Island Boules)

2nd Place-- Nicolas Lacand & Caroline Lacand (Amelia Island Boules)

3rd Place-- [Tie] Bob Osborne & Rob Portegies (Amelia Island Boule)

[Tie] Jorge Abejon (Spain) & Lionel Cannet (France)

It was an all Amelia Island final at today's tournament. Both teams played wonderfully well and entertained the crowd with precision pointing and pin-point shooting. The final was an amazing 13 to 12 victory for the winning team. Congratulations to both teams.

Shirley and I won our three qualifying games but lost to the Abejon/Cannet team in the quarter finals. It was a well-run and entertaining event for all concerned.

Now for a brief trip to North Carolina before we leave for next Sunday's Heart of Texas Tournament in Austin.

Practice Day on the Island

2011-03-26T19:34:00.008-04:00

We had a morning practice session for Sunday's upcoming North Florida Open Select Doubles Tournament. Shirley and I played three games. We had 2 wins and 1 loss. The level of play for the Amelia Island Boules Club seems to be much elevated from what we remembered from last year. There are numerous good teams instead of just a few. Should be a good tournament.

In the afternoon, we made our way out to the beach for something called "A Taste of Blues." It turned out to be sort of a small, kick-off festival for a much larger event that is scheduled for September. There was good music, good (well, not Lexington-style; but, good!) pork barbecue, wine, and beer. Nice.

Another Sarasota Sunday

2011-03-22T07:36:00.005-04:00

We had a great time on Sunday, March 20, 2011, visiting and playing with the Sarasota Petanque Club. They play at 10:00 AM on Sunday mornings at Lakeview Park if you ever happen to find yourself in the area.

Soon we'll be heading up to Amelia Island for next Sunday's North Florida Open. Rumor has it that there may be a team from Hickory, NC, there as well!

From Florida

2011-03-17T20:33:00.002-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day, 2011.

Hickory, NC, on Saturday

2011-03-03T08:16:00.006-05:00

Thanks to Augustin and Susanne for opening their home and terrain to the group this past Saturday. For those of you who haven't yet been able to make the trip to Hickory, you've missed a treat. The terrain is wonderfully natural and just quirky enough to add interest (notice the tree in the last photo!).

Special thanks to Steve Gantt for taking and sending the photos.

Sunday at Miller Park

2011-02-22T17:08:00.006-05:00

We played at Miller Park on Sunday, but Shirley had a commitment that kept her from being there; so, I'm unable to post any photos. The photo above is one I "borrowed" of a new player that drove over all the way from Raleigh to play with our group. Michael Rozzo has been on our e-mail notification list for a long while, but he's never made the trip before.

We enjoyed having him join us and hope that he'll be able to make it fit his schedule again sometime. We also encouraged him to find a few players and a place to play in Raleigh so that we can make the trip in his direction. If you're near the Raleigh area and happen to be reading this, get in touch and we'll work something out.

In addition to Michael, we were happy to have Danny, Sue, Augustin, Juan, Marc, Bob, Fred,and Taylor. Danny&Sue did well as a team and the Hickory crowd of Augustin, Juan, and Marc ruled in triples. They seem to be getting better every week. Fred tried his hand at shooting and showed great promise. His style seems to be changing with experience.

Good crowd for Lincolnton play

2011-02-22T16:42:00.007-05:00

It looks as though we hit upon a good combination of factors that encouraged a large turnout at our Lincolnton, NC, terrain. Saturday play, sunshine, a location that is somewhat central to the people who came, and maybe some (early) spring fever all contributed.

We started around 11:00 AM and finished up by truck headlights in near darkness. It's hard to say who the big winners were for the day. Maybe it's just me (Shirley would surely agree!), but it's getting very difficult for us to win consistently with the crowd we have playing now. Even some of our newest players are beginning to find themselves in the winners' circle quite often.

Miller Park on 2/13/2011

2011-02-14T10:19:00.010-05:00

We really had a nice turnout on Valentine's Day Eve at Miller Park in Winston-Salem. Perhaps there's no better example of young love to be found than the pictures above of Taylor, Katie, and their almost-brand-new son, Cayden.

We were happy to have them and their friend, Trey, join us for Sunday's play. They all promised to return in the future.

We had two other walk-ups who played several games as well. Rocky and Shana seemed to enjoy our game and also promised to return soon.

One other walkup to mention-- Tony (who had to leave before the picture taking began) threw a few boules and vowed to come back when he has the time to stay for the afternoon. We look forward to it.

We also welcomed Terry (& Sue) back to club play for the first time since last November. They've just been so busy with work and Terry's other hobby (fishing in general and bass fishing in particular) that we've missed connecting with them for quite a while.

Nevin Park on 2/12/2011

2011-02-14T09:57:00.007-05:00

There was quite a crowd of park enthusiasts at Nevin Park Saturday. Walkers, playground participants, disc golfers, picnicers, and petanquers came out to enjoy the sunshine. We had several interested onlookers who took our club business cards. Maybe a recruit or two in the future?

Weekday Play in Lincolnton

2011-02-14T09:41:00.004-05:00

We were in Lincolnton Wednesday through Friday and happy to have players each of the three days. Augustin, Tom, Carol, Danny, and Sue all joined us on various days so we got a chance to get in some much needed practice. Notice the robin. Early spring coming to the Carolinas?

Saturday and Sunday

2011-02-07T12:27:00.005-05:00

The plans for Super Bowl weekend play were for the group to play on Saturday in Charlotte and then take Sunday off in recognition of the fact that so many would be hosting or attending Super Bowl parties. Unfortunately, we got an e-mail late Friday from Ed & Anne who live in Charlotte within half an hour of our playing location at Nevin Park advising us that the courts would most likely be too wet for play. There was an on-and-off rain (mostly on) all day on Friday. We knew from previous experience that court drainage was poor. It was almost too wet for play on our last Nevin Park outing a couple weeks ago.

So, as much as it pained us, we sent out a last minute notice on Friday night cancelling Saturday's play. Not wanting an entire weekend to pass us by, we made contact with our friends Danny & Sue to play at our house in Lexington on Saturday afternoon. Our main court has a coarse gravel-fine gravel-oyster shell layered construction that usually allows play within minutes of rainstorms. We were able to play with no problems.

In the meantime, Bob Moyer from Winston-Salem had advised that he had no Super Bowl commitments for Sunday that would preclude him playing. So we called Sue Wien (Terry was fishing in Florida) for a fourth and played all afternoon Sunday, once again in Lexington, as well. Guys vs. Gals on Sunday. Shirley and Sue split the first two games against Bob and myself. We barely managed to pull out the third game for a narrow, hard fought victory for the guys. Shirley got a chance to be the shooter for the gals. Sue pointed very well even though she hadn't played in a while. See the last picture above for an example!

Then Winston-Salem on Sunday

2011-01-31T12:32:00.008-05:00

After two days of play in Lincolnton, we moved about 75 miles to the northeast to play at our "home" courts in Miller Park in Winston-Salem, NC.

Shirley picked up a cake on the way to celebrate Marc's birthday which was Sunday and Jane's which is today. The Happy Birthday Song rendition was vastly improved when Marc himself belted out the lead.

Other than the two birthdays, the big news was that our friends from the Boone/Spruce Pine area of the North Carolina mountains--Kirk, Bo, Uijin, and Lauren were finally able to juggle their schedules (and their children!) around enough to make the commitment for the two hour trip down the mountains to join our little group. It was a delight to have them. They are all accomplished players and a fun, lively group to be around. We really hope it works out for them to join us again soon in the flatlands; otherwise, we''l be forced to track them down in the highlands to play again. Some of us (no names, please) need a chance to avenge the drubbing we got Sunday!

Friday & Saturday in Lincolnton, NC

2011-01-31T12:01:00.008-05:00

We had a Friday afternoon warmup with Augustin, Tom C., Shirley, and myself. We played from about 2:30 until near darkness at 6:00 PM.

Then, on Saturday we started all over again around 11:30--this time with a larger crowd that also included Carol, Susanne (S.) Q., Susanne (C.) Q., Marc, Juan, Danny, Sue, and Khalid in addition to the four who played on Friday. Not to mention, as spectators, Khalids two beautiful daughters and Susanne's precious toddler!

Yesterday's play

2011-01-24T10:48:00.004-05:00

The terrain at Miller Park was surprisingly soft for Sunday's play. The recent snows must have remained on the ground long enough to really saturate the playing surface. As the afternoon wore on, our walking and playing improved things considerably so that we were getting a decent roll by the end of the day.

News from Florida

2011-01-17T12:21:00.006-05:00

Some of you know our friend, John Hayes, from Tampa, Florida. He played in the 2010 Petanque America Open as Augustin Quilici's partner. He and Augustin were quite succesful at Amelia Island, going 5 and 0 on Saturday.

Well, John played in this past Sunday's Florida Cup Tournament in Sarasota, Florida. He partnered with a friend of his, Danny Massingale, from the Tampa area. They had a record of 2 and 3 on Sunday. Two of the three games they lost were to the Florida team of Juan Garcia and Gilles Canesse. Many of you will remember both of them from the Petanque America Tournament and know what really good players they are. [They went on to finish third in the Florida Cup tournament!]

With their two wins and point differential rankings, John and Danny were ranked 6th of the sixteen teams for the playoffs. That's a very good showing. Congratulations, John and Danny!

The only negative to this story is that John, a 2010 CarolinaPetanque member, has now moved his membership to the Sarasota club. One member of each team participating in the Cup had to be a Florida club member, and Danny is not FPUSA affiliated. Too bad for us; good for Sarasota!

Nevin Park after Monday's Snow

2011-01-17T11:43:00.005-05:00

If you look closely at the final picture above, you'll see that Monday's snowstorm still lingers in places. However, though the courts were wet and slow, the weather Saturday was just about all one could ask for on a January day in North Carolina. Bright sunshine and temps in the low 50s improved everyone's outlook. We had ten players, which is pretty good for winter petanque. Besides Shirley and myself, Danny&Sue, Ed&Anne, Khalid, Raed, Augustin, and Bob Moyer all participated.

Lexington, NC

2011-01-17T11:30:00.005-05:00

Khalid and his friend Raed Ibraheem made the journey over to Lexington to play on Sunday, January 9, 2011. Bob Moyer also came down from Winston/Salem.

It was a cold, but sunny, day as you may be able to tell from the pictures. Temperatures were in the high 30s. We fired up the patio heater and a couple of propane tank-top heaters and were able to be pretty comfortable until almost nightfall. Winter petanque in the Carolinas can definitely be invigorating!

Petanque Today is Cancelled

2010-12-26T14:35:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays!

'Twas the Sunday Before Christmas

2010-12-24T10:43:00.006-05:00

Not a bad weather day, as North Carolina goes in December, with temperatures around the 40 degree mark as we took advantage of a little bit of warming sun and played all afternoon in Lincolnton. We were particularly glad to have Danny and Sue down from the mountains for the first time in ages. We hope to see a lot more of them in the months ahead.

It's the Holiday Season!

2010-12-12T09:40:00.005-05:00

Christmas time is coming and the air in NC is becoming consistently colder. Yesterday wasn't too bad (though Susanne said she was "freezing"!), but most players chose to wear jackets or sweaters. The forecast for Sunday predicted a cold rain, so our decision to play on Saturday appeared to be the correct one. We were particularly glad to have Tom C. back in the fold after his latest trip to France. We missed Carol though! Too busy? Guess it's the season.

Sunny and Cold

2010-12-06T10:54:00.004-05:00

Though the thermometer struggled to reach 40 degrees yesterday at Miller Park, the bright sunshine made a world of difference from Saturday's play in Charlotte. We were actually quite comfortable. The only snow we saw was on the goody bag Shirley was using for the picnic table. Don't let a little cool weather keep you from joining us the next time!

Nevin Park in the Sleet

2010-12-05T09:13:00.005-05:00

It was about 34 degrees at game time in Charlotte yesterday with a wintry mix in the forecast when six of us got together for petanque at Nevin Park. We were very happy to have two new, first-time players with us. Dr. Ed Shoaf and his wife, Anne, had been communicating via e-mail for some time (he's the one who actually discovered the boules area at Nevin Park and informed CarolinaPetanque). Their schedule finally coincided with ours for Saturday. It's too bad the weather couldn't have been a little more cooperative for their first outing.

Nevertheless, we had fun trying to get a game in before the precipitation started. We only made it about halfway through the first game before the rain/sleet/snow began. The Shoafs were good sports and we finished in the wetness. Please come back again soon, guys, when we can hope for better weather.

The four CarolinaPetanque members who showed up (Augustin, Steve G., Shirley, and myself) continued through the ensuing showers for the next hour or so until the wintry mix finally subsided. We then played on until near-dark at 5:00 PM. We had good games and no one seemed to let the inclement circumstances deter their fun. Maybe it's just a mind set? Or maybe we're "mental"?

Back in Winston-Salem, NC

2010-11-28T20:18:00.010-05:00

Jason, his friend Crystal and children

Even though we played on Saturday this weekend (see prior post re: Charlotte, NC), a few of us were able to play on Sunday as well--this time at Miller Park in Winston-Salem. We had a visitor near the end of the day from La Boule New Yorkaise. Jason Cheek, whose parents live in Liberty, NC, showed up to play a game or two. He is considering a relocation to North Carolina from New York. We hope their loss may be our gain!

Charlotte, NC

2010-11-28T19:53:00.006-05:00

Daniel, Jordan, Jeff, and Jacob

We were made aware of boules courts in Nevin Park by a friend of CarolinaPetanque, Dr. Ed Shoaf of Charlotte. He sent us a snapshot, so, of course, we couldn't wait to try them out! Though Ed wasn't able to join us due to holiday travel plans, we managed to get together a group of CarolinaPetanque players and some visitors for a great afternoon of play. Our visitors were comprised of Daniel Smith, president of Boules de Leon in St. Augustine, Florida, along with his brother-in-law, Jeff, and his nephews, Jordan and Jacob. Jeff, Jordan, and Jacob actually live in Charlotte; we hope they'll join us again soon. Daniel happened to be visiting the area in regards to work obligations. We had met him previously in play at Amelia Island, Forida.

Valdese, NC

2010-11-28T19:25:00.002-05:00

Jane Gantt and her husband, Steve, played at the Waldensian Presbyterian Church boules court in Valdese, NC, over the weekend. Jane invites anyone in the area who would like to try playing there to contact her through CarolinaPetanque@yahoo.com. Shirley and I look forward to trying it out in the very near future.

New Members

2010-11-23T10:58:00.004-05:00

From top: Fred Marchant, Jane Gantt, and Steve Gantt.

We are pleased to have Fred, Jane, and Steve as the newest members of CarolinaPetanque. Fred is from Winston-Salem, NC, where he lives with his wife, Faye. Jane and Steve are from Morganton, NC. Fred was a walk-up player at Miller Park this past summer. He has since become one of our most regularly attending players. Jane&Steve are Augustin Quilici's sister-in-law and brother-in-law. [Jane is Susanne S. Quilici's sister.]

Welcome to the three of you and we hope you'll enjoy our group.

Autumn leaves

2010-11-23T10:33:00.003-05:00

The Sunday before Thanksgiving found eight of us at Miller Park in Winston-Salem, NC. Augustin's wife, Susanne, and Fred's wife, Faye chose to visit rather than play; so, we had a triples match. In a best-of-three series, Fred/Juan/Gary narrowly defeated Shirley/Augustin/Marc in three games. The shortened days at this time of year made it necessary to play the final end in near darkness. Guess we'll have to move our starting time to one o'clock for a while.

Hickory, NC

2010-11-23T10:07:00.004-05:00

There were ten of us for petanque at Augustin/Susanne's Hickory, NC, terrain on Saturday. Though many of the games were very close, the team of Shirley/Logan/Gary played into the darkness to defeat Augustin/Susanne in the winners' bracket.

Logan's friend, Mike, played for the first time and seemed to have a knack for pointing. We hope he'll join us again before too long.

Quilici Crew at Amelia

2010-11-18T12:55:00.008-05:00

Augustine and Susanne's granddaughter, Jacie.

Brian, Jacie, Susanne, and Marc.....Stacy, Marc, Augustine (John Hayes in background)

Augustin and Stacy................Steve and Jane

Stacy, Marc, Augustin........................................Augustin points the way

Susanne C. Quilici sent some snaps of the gang. Thought I'd share a few with the rest of the group. Anyone else want to share?

Amelia Island, Sunday, 11-14-2010

2010-11-17T15:03:00.016-05:00

Philippe and Christophe congratulate the winning team of Jean-Michel Laulhe and Stephane St. Croix

Juan and Mo beat Claudy and Jean-Pierre!

Marc and Stacy

............................................................Uijin Park and Lauren Gioscio

Sunday was a beautiful day for the final play of this year's Petanque America Open. The first round consisted of four categories based upon rankings/seedings resulting from Saturday's play. The losers of first-round play dropped down one notch into a sub-category for the balance of play. For example, Shirley and I began the day in Concours A. This category consisted of the highest ranked 32 teams of the original 112 teams.

However, we lost our first game on Sunday to the very fine team of Juan Garcia and Mamary Coulibally. Therefore, we dropped down into sub-category Aa. The same thing happened to losing teams in Concours B (losers dropped to Concours Bb), Consolante A (losers dropped to Consolante Aa) and Consolante B (losers dropped to Consolante Bb).

Thus, there were eight categories of play for the single-elimination brackets that were drawn up at that point. So, we played in the second highest category-- Concours Aa. We managed to win our first elimination game against a fine team from Seaside, FL, but were not so lucky in our next game against a strong New York team. So we were out after three rounds on Sunday. The NY team that beat us, Yngve and Leila Biltsted, went on to finish second in Concours Aa, so that made us feel a little better. Plus, they were really nice folks!

None of the rest of the CarolinaPetanque teams fared much better-- all were eliminated by no later than the quarter finals in their respective brackets except for Marc and Stacy who, after losing their first match on Sunday to our own Terry & Sue, made the semi-finals in Consolante Bb. Congratulations, guys!

There was one other bright spot for Carolina teams. Though not (yet!?) members of CarolinaPetanque, Uijin Park and Lauren Gioscio from Boone, NC, won the Consolante Bb. We'll definitely be trying to recruit them in the near future.

Amelia Island, Saturday, 11-13-2010

2010-11-17T14:06:00.011-05:00

Susan Steger, Mayor of Fernandina Beach, Florida

Augustin giving Claudy a few tips?..........................Stacy, Claudy, & Marc

White t-shirts in center: Will Grant and David Mason (Amelia Is)........Walt and Khalid

Peggy, Shirley, and Bobby.......................Mario Gagne and Ben Gauthier (Canada)

Jason and James Wright (GA)................................Marc, Stacy, John, & Augustin

Logan, Susanne, Susanne, and Juan.........................Notice the drummer?

The field of 112 doubles teams (224 players!) played five games each on Saturday. CarolinaPetanque teams had won/lost records of:

John/Augustin...5/0. Khalid/Walt...4/1. Gary/Shirley...4/1. Bob/Donna...3/2. Steve/Trey...2/3. Marc/Stacy...0/5. Terry/Sue...0/5.

The won/lost records don't begin to tell the whole story. Since there was no pre-seeding for the draw, some teams were luckier than others regarding the strength of their opponents. Our game scores were 11-2, 11-2, 11-1, 6-11, and 11-0. [Saturday games were shortened to eleven points.] Contrast that with Terry and Sue who lost at least one game 10-11 (maybe two?) and had to play the Canadian Team of Laulhe/St. Croix (who won the Championship and were reigning Champions of Canada!). Or with Steve and Trey who had to play Juan Garcia/Mo Coulibally. And Steve/Trey won! Juan/Mo then went on to beat Claudy Weibel and Jean-Pierre Subrenat on Sunday. Claudy is current world record holder of petanque shooting and a former world champion. Jean-Pierre was this year's team USA captain at the world finals in Turkey!