Pétanque

Yes, that is right we have taken up another “old person” sport. Pétanque much like curling seems to be dominated by an older demographic. Both are games of strategy and involved just as much thought process as technical skill. As well, both are easy to learn, but difficult to master. I don’t really know why we are attracted to these types of games, but I find the same trends hold in the types of board games we tend to play regularly.

Last weekend was our second experience with the game and now that we have a grasp of the rules, we are beginning to work on technique and strategy. The goal of the game is to get as many of your balls as close as possible to the buton (the smaller orange ball in the picture below). This can be a bit confusing at times because you have to remember the small differences between your balls and those of the other players, add to this the interesting factor that the buton itself may be moved by being hit by a ball, and you have a game which involves just as much haggling and conversation, as it does actual throwing.

Pétanque can be played almost anywhere there is a somewhat flat surface. Unlike curlers who are fastidious about knowing the ice conditions and develop strategies that take advantage of this knowledge, the ground for Pétanque is continually changing. Each time the buton is thrown it can be in a different direction; therefore, players must be able to quickly adapt to different terrain. It took me a while to figure it out, but always rolling your ball over unknown ground is not the best way to obtain accuracy. Most players toss the ball underhanded so that it is airborne for much of its journey towards the buton and then rolls only for a meter or two before closing in on the buton. This way it is less exposed to the slops and dips of the pitch that may lead it off track. The underhanded toss is also useful if you are trying to get rid of the other team’s balls from their positioning near the buton.

Throwing must be done from within a circle that you scratch into the ground and you cannot move your feat. The order of throw is determined by who is farthest from the buton. Unfortunately for Keith and myself, as beginners, this plays a bit to our disadvantage. We often found ourselves using up all of our balls to try to get rid of the one ball of our opponents, leaving Pascale and Jacqueline the leisure to use all of their balls to get closer to the buton instead of having to defend against us.  By the end of the afternoon things were improving, but we still have a long way to go.

As the curling season comes towards an end in Canada, we have indulged a bit and watched some of the Soctties and Briar matches through TSN’s video on demand. Who would think you could get so addicted to a game involving cold ice, granite and sweeping? We have been told they have televised matches of Pétanque here; perhaps we will also develop an addiction for this provençal game?