NYPC News

Pétanque America Open 2009 Fernandina Beach, Florida

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:53:24 -0500

NEW YORK PÉTANQUE CLUB SHINES!
On November 14th and 15th Fernandina Beach became a microcosm of Europe. France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland, England, Ireland and more I am sure were represented at this fabulous tournament, of course in a company of many Americans.
The resident of Fernandina Beach had never seen such a thing….200 people clunking steel balls together before throwing them to get close to a brightly colored wooden jack! Before the Saturday morning, 95% of them had never heard of Pétanque et by Sunday evening, most of them were talking about putting courts in their backyards….after having purchased boules from Philippe Boetz!
Philippe succeeded in putting a great tournament, brilliantly orchestrated by his tournament Director Christophe Chambers (also known as “Le Grand Chichois”).
It was also a great weekend for all of us at New York Pétanque Club as all of our teams showed good results and great team spirit.
All the registered teams qualified for the Sunday single elimination round.
Sunday morning, some did better than others as Thierry and Laetitia could not pass the 16th of the final and Eric and JPS lost in the 8th against Gilles and Malik. But as soon as the game was over, the losers went on to support the NYPC members. Xavier was associated to his friend Claudie Weibel who is an exceptional player, and demonstrated it the entire weekend. But let’s not forget that Claudie would not be able to win with 3 boules only and that his partner Xavier played is usual game, which is excellent, making that team extremely difficult (if not impossible) to beat. It was a very honorable gesture for Claudie to wear NYPC colors the whole weekend, and we are very proud of this.
The other team whom we should be very proud of is the Gilles/Malik team. For the first time that they played together, they went all the way to the final, beating everyone on their way. Gilles played as he normally does…..glued to the cochonet, extremely focused, shooting and hitting when needed. Malik demonstrated a lot of experience, although he was the youngest player of the tournament (21 years old). His shooting was impeccable and his pointing very , accurate. The two of the made a terrific team, but had to face the “Belgian Monster and the Marseillais” in the final, which was quite a rude task! They tried their best, pointing and shooting well, but when your opponent (Claudie) shoots nine balls in 3 rounds and the results are 9 carreaux…there is not much to be done! Other than go and have a drink with him after the game is over! 
Which is what we all did of course and win or lose the party afterward was great!
As president of our newly formed club, I not only would like to congratulate the 4 players who played in the final, it was a great moment to see 4 NYPC shirts together, but congratulate all the other players who made the trip and participated. We need even more people next year.
Finally a special cheer for our own Xavier Thibaud who has demonstrated again and again that he is our number one player, if not the number one player in the USA. Xavier’s tournament record this year is fantastic, he won (almost) all the tournaments he entered and we are very proud of him.
So join me for a virtual round of applause to Xavier first and to the rest of the club for a great 2009 season, and hopefully an even better 2010.

Jean-Pierre Subrenat
President, New York Pétanque Club

A Thank You Note From Ernesto Santos, President of La Boule New Yorkaise

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:44:10 -0400

Dear NYPC members,

You may not be aware but due to a problem with the courts at Bryant Park, we allowed La Boule New Yorkaise to use the courts of Parade Ground for the Memorial Tournament.
Following, please find a very nice thank you note from their President:

"On behalf of La Boule New Yorkaise, I would like to thank you for allowing us to use your wonderful pétanque terrain in Prospect Park, Brooklyn to hold our Memorial Tournament this past Sunday. We had a wonderful day of pétanque with the weather cooperating, the setting only adding to the enjoyment.

Though I have not been to all the clubs in the U.S., I believe that this is the only World Championship-style pétanque terrain in America. The variety of surfaces certainly makes for interesting play and puts a premium on skill and technique. And I am sure the terrain is bound to get more interesting and even better.

We owe your club a debt of gratitude, and I hope this is the beginning of a great collaboration to make the pétanque scene in New York even better."

Regards,

Ernesto Santos
President, La Boule New Yorkaise

Sunday Tournament Cancelled

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:59:22 -0400

Due to inclement weather, the Sunday tournament is cancelled.
We are very sorry for this change of plans, but “45 degrees, wind and rain” are not the best elements for a day of pétanque and fun.
Please inform all your friends about the cancellation as we would not want anyone to show up to the courts for nothing.
We will check the weather for future sunny weekends and will organize our last tournament of the season on the spur of the moment.
Stay warm and dry and see you soon!
NYPC

NYPC Went to the 2009 New York Open

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 19:53:25 -0400

This great annual double tournament (hosted by La Boule New Yorkaise) started under threatening skies that eventually opened up after the lunch break, and transformed the alleys of Bryant Park into individual swimming pools! The cochonet didn’t float, but we came real close!
Many teams flocked to New York City for the occasion, from Maine, Boston, Philadelphia, Illinois, Oregon, Canada, North Carolina and even France as our friends from Leers came one more time to New York. Hat down to them as they played the whole weekend dressed alike in beautiful dark blue shirts and with some of their players even wearing a white tie!
The day started with a bang as our own Gilles Ray and Eric Bertin had to play against last year winner’s team of Alec Stone Sweet (LBNY) and Yacob Nour (Canada). Our players took the better of the game and won 13-4.
The rest of the day saw all the teams from New York Pétanque Club qualify without too many problems for the next day. The main problem each player had… was to remain dry!
Sunday morning brought back the sun and the top 16 teams out of the 32 that started.
During the 8th of final, some casualties occurred and we saw the early departure of the good team from Boston, formed of Peter Crowley and Philippe Riand who lost to Jeannot Ruperti and Jean-Pierre Hemery (12-13), although the reverse happened the day before! The last team from France was knocked out by Thierry Julliard and Robert Dunn and Gilles and Eric could not overcome Keita and Charles and lost 12-13. Ernesto Santos and partner Yngve Bilsted took also revenge from the day before on team Philippe Hemery and Richard “Ti” Mias as they won 13-12.
In the quarter final Team Xavier Thibaud and Jean-Pierre Subrenat played a strong game against Jeannot Ruperti and Jean-Pierre Hemery forcing them to retire earlier that they had planned. Alec and Yacob took Thierry and Robert out and the set up for the semi final was: Alec/Yacob against Keita and Charles on one side, and Ernesto/Yngve Vs JPS and Xavier on the other.
Most of the crowd went to see and support the local team of Keita/Charles as they played a great game against two experienced players such as Alec and Yacob, eventually winning by the score of 13-11 and taking one of the favorite team out of the tournament.
The other semi was a more methodical game, a slower game without any big theatrical play but a conservative one point at a time. Sometimes this is how pétanque is played! The two teams (Ernesto Santos and Yngve Bilsted vs. Jean-Pierre Subrenat and Xavier Thibaud) were evaluating themselves round after round and trying to outdo each other during each round. Eventually, Team JPS/Xavier took the best and won 13-8.
The final was set in the very nice “carré d’honneur” situated on the practice courts at 42nd and Avenue of the Americas, and, with a large size crowd watching, the game began.
Both teams showed their own individual, but very different, style of play. Team Keita/Charles, a bit more impulsive and quick to play than Team Xavier/JPS, was certainly all pumped up and ready to play. The crowd reacted to each player’s move making it even more exciting. As each tournament’s final is an important one, players were obviously more nervous than during their previous game on Saturday morning! Thus a couple of errors and miscalculations from both teams, but altogether, the level of play remained very enjoyable as the cheers went on until the end of the game, won by Team Xavier/JPS on the score of 13-5.
Other websites have reported very negative vibes about the final and also about previous games, therefore denying all the players involved their enjoyment of their performance after two good days of pétanque. We believe that Pétanque is like any other competition sport. Teams play better at certain times than others. Losing can sometimes bring bitterness and make you lose sight of the reality of the sport. Pétanque is not a fast pace sports, it is closer to chess than to go-cart racing. It is a game of observation among opponents, a game of skill and, most of the times, a mind game. But, then again, it’s a game about losing and winning, and, at the end of the day, there is only one winner and many losers. Writers who denigrate players and the way they played will not make their loss better, at the contrary. So, instead of judging the other players level of game, one should contemplate its own level of game and reflect…. Did I win that day?
The day ended at the restaurant Tout Va Bien (a sponsor of NYPC) for a nice dinner and award ceremony, where the top eight teams received prizes, as well as the consolante winners.
All our friends from France were there, and despite the fact that they did not have a great showing during these two days, they had the best time of all…which is the proof that results are just a state of mind and should not impair good spirit.
Our congratulations to all our players, with a special mention to Xavier Thibaud who is really on a winning streak this year because, after his great run at La Marseillaise (last 16 teams from more than 4,500), he came back to New York, won the North East regional Single and the Double the next day (associated to Gilles Ray), before the NY Open. Let’s not forget JPS who, last August, won the LBNY singles, got a silver medal for the Double Northeast Regional (with Eric Bertin) and the gold at the NY Open.
2009 was a good year for NYPC’s players, and I believe a prelude to 2010.
Article written collectively by Eric Bertin, Gilles Ray, Jean-Pierre Subrenat and Xavier Thibaud (Founders of New York Pétanque Club)

FPUSA Northeast Regional Singles & Doubles Tournament

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 10:56:00 -0400

This year New York Pétanque Club hosted the annual Northeast Regional Singles & Doubles Tournaments on September 19 & 20. Although summer time seemed almost gone after a week of rain, wind and cold temperatures, we had fantastic weather on both Saturday and Sunday.

It all started on Saturday by the Singles. Twenty-one players had already pre-registered online and a few more came over. Some new players living around the area were willing to join the club and with the new rule allowing them to join the club and the FPUSA on the spot, they were able to compete in the tournament on the same day.

Players from 5 different Northeast clubs joined in for a chance to get the Gold medal. From Boston, with Le Mistral and Boston Pétanque, Westchester with La Boule Larchmontaise, New York City with a large contingent of La Boule New Yorkaise, Brooklyn and of course members of New York Pétanque Club.

After coffee, croissant and a reading of detailed FPUSA rules for the day, players started to play on the toughest pétanque courts ever built! Three games later, NYPC provided lunch for everyone before splitting the players between the 8th of final and a consolante for the morning casualties!

In the semi finals, Xavier Thibaud (NYPC) had a hard time against Gilles Ray (NYPC) but prevailed while Robert Dunn (LBNY) tried to resist to Phil Hemery (LBNY) but came just short.

In the final, the game started with a festival of carreaux from both players, and the ones who use the NYPC courts will agree that it is not by chance that you carreau boules on these grounds, it’s because of great skills. It was a real tough game but Xavier Thibaud finally won 13-10 and became Northeast Regional Single Champion. Congratulations to Phil Hemery who put a great fight.

Score line:
2-0; 2-3; 3-3; 4-3; 6-3; 7-3; 7-6; 7-8; 10-8; 10-9; 10-10, 12-10; 13-10.

Gold Medal : Xavier Thibaud (NYPC)
Silver Medal: Philippe Hemery (LBNY)
Bronze Medal: Gilles Ray (NYPC) & Robert Dunn (LBNY)

In the consolante, Jean-Pierre Subrenat (NYPC) beat Lucien Rakotojaona (LBNY).

On Sunday, nineteen teams showed up for the Doubles. Again, we were very fortunate with the weather allowing us to spend another great pétanque day. The same clubs from the day before and more new members joined for the double competition. Some players had the good idea to invite friends with their children and (even) pets for the lunch break and at one point, The NYPC courts looked like a great multinational picnic ground! People were sharing food and drinks as a big family going on a picnic trip.

For the serious part of the day, Four games were played before qualifying the top 8 teams for the concours sending the other eleven teams in a consolante which became quite competitive.

Concours Quarter Finals:

- Keita Bangaly (LBNY) – Emile Boujeke (LBNY) = Keita - Emile
Lorissa (LBNY) – Lucien Rakotojaona (LBNY)

- Xavier Thibaud (NYPC) – Gilles Ray (NYPC) = Xavier - Gilles
Philippe Riand (Le Mistral) – Matt Beaudoin (Boston)

- Thierry Julliard (NYPC) – Robert Dun (LBNY) = Pierrot - Jospeh
Pierrot Benjamin (LBNY)- Joseph Hassoune (LBNY)

- Joel Shifflet (NYPC) – Nick (NYPC) = JPS - Eric
Jean-Pierre Subrenat (NYPC) – Eric Bertin (NYPC)

Semi:

- Keita - Emile = Xavier - Gilles
- Xavier - Gilles

- Pierrot - Joseph = JPS - Eric
JPS - Eric

Keita and Emile went on battling against Pierre and Joseph for the third place, and eventually won the bronze medal.

The finalist gave the numerous spectators a great show.

JPS and Eric started very strong, especially in the second hand were they scored five points. Team Xavier & Gilles seemed paralyzed by the great shooting and pointing from their opponents. But, as it was a long day, darkness fell upon the game.

Because of the poor lighting on the court where the final was played, both teams decided to move up where city lights could brighten things up for the players. At that time, Team JPS and Eric were leading 12 - 3.
Is it the change of terrain….The light? Or just a charge of adrenaline on Team Xavier and Gilles, but they suddenly woke up and took charge of the game. On the first hand “under new lights” Team Xavier scored 3 points. The round after, trying to beat Gilles’ point, JPS fell on an undesirable rock (the size of New Jersey) twice, finally got the point to which Xavier replied with a carreau. Eric tried unsuccessfully to get close to the little one, opening the door for Team Xavier to score 6 points and bring the score to 12-12.

On the final hand, on the hardest part of NYPC courts, Eric successfully shot the cochonet, but, because of such ground, didn’t get it out of the court and pushed it closer to JPS’ boule. Xavier shot it, Eric gained the point again and Xavier shot it one more time with his last boule (this man sometimes has ice in his veins!). Eric had the last boule of the game having to choose between pointing or shooting for the win. He finally chose to point because he did it successfully 5 minutes before. Unfortunately, he was short, allowing Team Xavier and Gilles to win the tournament and become the Northeast Regional Champions.
Congratulations to both teams for a great show and particularly to Team Xavier and Gilles for the comeback of the year!

Score line Final: 1-0; 1-5; 2-5; 2-6; 2-8; 3-8; 3-10; 3-12; 6-12, 12-12; 13-12.

Gold Medal: Xavier Thibaud (NYPC) and Gilles Ray (NYPC)
Silver Medal: Jean-Pierre Subrenat (NYPC) and Eric Bertin (NYPC)
Bronze Medal: Keita Bangaly (LBNY) and Emile Boujeke (LBNY)

CONSOLANTE:

Semi Final:
Marie Christine Ray (NYPC) - Simon Tham (LBNY) = Peter - Jeannot
Peter Crowley (Boston)- Jeannot Rupperti (NYPC)

Pierre Perrier (La Boule Larchmontaise)- Raphael Richard (LBL)= Pierre P. - Raphael Pierre Le Goff ( LBNY) – Mike Devonshire (LBNY)

Final:
Peter Crowley – Jeannot Ruperti = Peter - Jeannot
Pierre Perrier - Raphael Richard

We had two great successful days of pétanque and we (NYPC) would like to thank you all for coming.

Thanks to: FPUSA and Pétanque America for their help and guidance as well as all the players from the different clubs represented during these 2 days: La Boule New Yorkaise, Le Mistral Club, La Boule Larchmontaise, Boston Pétanque, Brooklyn Boule, Pit Stop and last but not least, players and new members from New York Pétanque Club.
A BIG and SPECIAL thank you to all our sponsors: Armagnacs from Chateau de Laubade, Wine Baron Francois, Wine Christophe Barca, Wine Jerome Selection, Restaurant Tout Va Bien, Restaurant Flea Market, Restaurant Robin des bois, and our main sponsor RICARD USA, represented that day by the charming New York region’s Ambassadrice: Clémence Natta.

Thierry Julliard, NYPC.

La BouleNY Singles Tournament

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:54:13 -0400

NYPC members showed up for the singles tournament hosted by our friends LabouleNY even if it rained cats and dogs. 26 players braved the heavy rain during the morning to play their best game. JPS, Gilles, Eric and Thierry qualified for the finals. After lunch the sun popped up allowing players to play in good conditions. JPS beat Charles Kossi and Thierry beat Ernesto Santos in the semi.

Finally Jean-Pierre won the final against Thierry. This was a good training for the upcoming FPUSA Singles & Doubles tournament that NYPC will host on September 19 & 20, 2009.

Jean-Pierre Subrenat
Thierry Julliard
Charles Kossi, Ernesto Santos

NYPC Opening Tournament

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:47:44 -0400

What a great start! More than 30 players showed up on Saturday, August 22, for our first tournament. Although the weather forecast was pretty bad, we had a hot and sunny day.

Everybody was anxious about the weather forecast for this important event. No matter what, we were determined to host our first tournament. Members of NYPC came early to clean the courts and be ready to welcome brave players. (Even Peter C. drove from Boston)

This carousel tournament was free to all and everybody knew that they will get back home with a prize. After the 3 morning games, 16 players qualified for the finals.

Jeannot & Francis vs Xavier & Duncan
JPS & Tracy vs Keita & Pierre B

Joseph Hass & Thierry J vs Eric B & Steve G
Peter Crowley & Joseph S vs Joel S & Mc Ray

Xavier & Duncan beat JPS & Tracy in semi, while Eric B & Steve G beat Peter Crowley & Joseph S. During the final both teams played well under a challenging court. Eric and Steve finally beat Xavier and Duncan.

Concerning the consolante:

Gilles & Pierre vs Wilfried & Jacky
Thiam & Mathieu vs Harveen & Christophe.

The final opposed Jacky’s team to Christophe’s. Christophe and Harveen won after almost an hour and half game.

This first tournament was successful, everybody went home with a good Bordeaux wine from Baron Francois . We look forward to seeing you again soon. Thanks again for coming!

It’s Pétanque Practice Time!!

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:27:29 -0400

We are proud to announce that an authentic “Provencal Boulodrome” has just been built in Parade Ground, Brooklyn.
Come play with us and hone your pétanque skills under the magnificent bicentennial trees, comfortable benches and tables ready to host many, memorable picnics.
The only thing missing are cicadas, but don’t worry, we are working on it!
After almost two weeks of diligent construction, 16 brand new pétanque courts are ready for play! Many members of the NYPC assisted in this effort to contribute their “tender love and care” to these beautiful, new courts.
Let’s talk numbers: 300 tons of mixed gravels, stone dust and pea gravel were necessary to fill out the 165 feet by 120 soil free area. 1 Bobcat, 2 compactors and a couple of shovels and rakes were used to mold the professional courts. Not to mention, we decided to make them as hard as possible to enhance the pétanque skills of our members; so be ready to play on the toughest playing surface in the world! In a few months and after a few more heavy rains the courts will be molded to perfection!
Email us at info@newyorkpetanque.com to let us know when you’d like to play. Note that you need to be with someone who has a grounds permit.
Easiest subway access from Manhattan : F line downtown Brooklyn , exit at Fort Hamilton then walk along the highway toward the police offices , pétanque courts are behind.
Watch our “making of” video to give you an idea of the hard work that was involved in building these pétanque courts. Enjoy and we look forward to seeing you out on the courts very soon!

Bastille Day at Cercle Rouge

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:18:41 -0400

This year Georges Forgeois decided to celebrate Bastille Day in front its Tribeca restaurant, Cercle Rouge. On the same model as its Bar-tabac event who took place two days earlier in Brooklyn, a pétanque tournament was about to take place.

Again Bernard Decanali, owner of Robin des Bois was in charge of the tournament. A truck loaded with tons of sand back packed was necessary to cover the block on 241West Broadway between Beach & White street.

Thousands of people gathered to enjoy the French atmosphere for this first edition. More than fourty triplette teams showed up. At the end of the day, Alexis-Gilbert-Lucien lost against Thierry (NYPC)-Robert-Georges in a tight game. Another NYPC team came in third: JPS-Jeannot Ruperti-Gerard Donato. Another great result for New York Pétanque Club.

When Smith Street Goes French

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:54:44 -0400

Every year the biggest pétanque tournament in the United States takes place in Brooklyn during Bar-Tabac’s Bastille Day celebration. This year the New York Pétanque Club took over its organization with Bernard Decanali owner of Robins des Bois.

9am Sunday July 12th, Smith Street is closed between Pacific and Wyckoff St. The Quadrozzi concrete company starts pouring tons of sand on the ground to set up pétanque courts where 80 triplettes teams where about to compete.

This major event gets bigger and bigger every year. Along with the pétanque tournament there is a skateboard competition and of course French food, drinks (mainly from our sponsor RICARD) and music. More than 10,000 people gathered to enjoy a successful celebration.

At the end of the day two NYPC teams were about to play in the final. Gilles Ray-Xavier Thibaud- Bernard Decanali against Jean-Pierre Subrenat- Jeannot Ruperti- Thierry Julliard. The game went on pretty tightly point by point for more than an hour. The score was 9-9 when Xavier shot the cochonet allowing his team to win the tournament for the second year in a row.

View more photos of this event at Bar Tabac 2009