PETANQUE POST July 2026
- PT Petanque
- 3 days ago
- 10 min read
PTPA MOVES TO NEW FRONTIERS
Our PTPA Population Boom – welcome new members
Our ranks have now swelled to over 80 members, and you are invited to welcome our four newest members to our special community – Lauren McConnell, Deborah Winter, Doug Lockhart and Carol Anthony-Gartlan.
Here we all are:
Our PTPA Singles Tourney was a ton of fun
We had a record turnout of 31 players and the competition was fierce – and joyful. Under sunny skies all courts were hopping. By day’s end we had a few champions and a good time. Silas Holm won the men’s Championship Singles, and Loretta Hanson won the Club division, with Barbara Phillips the runnerup. Thanks to Tom Challinor, our Sports Director and his support team Terry and Suzie, for running a smooth tournament
PTPA arrives in force at Portland Petanque Open, and earns medals
We are proud of our dynamic dozen participants and especially our medalers - Silas and Becca 4th in mixed doubles, Silas and Joe Cortright won third in men's doubles, Becca and Barbara (Portland) won 2nd in women's doubles and Loretta and Mary (Portland ) won bronze, and Loretta and Peter won mixed doubles.
Gold! Beating a team from LA.
Getting started – our teams are ready!
PTPA Members adopt new Bylaws
Thanks to all of you for taking the time to consider and vote to adopt the new Bylaws. Thanks to Board member Scott Wilson's careful work, we have now in place a clear and efficient way to carry out PTPA business
Are you ready? Here comes the July 16 Low Tide Invitational – bring your friends!
Okay here is a short video Robert Force made of the very first Low Tide event in 2013. With spurting clams and shots of the unique terrain, this short video was made 13 years ago to invite people to the Decatur Street Beach by the Pourhouse. The event has now moved to the next beach west— the other side of the Boat Haven. At the stoplight of the intersection of Safeway, McDonalds, Sunrise Coffee and PT Brewery, Haines Place runs two blocks past the Blue Moose Cafe to the beach and the Larry Scott trail.
Note Club Day on Wednesday July 15 will be at Boathaven Low Tide site, not Fort Worden. Details below:
One of our most unusual events at Boathaven is the annual Low Tide Tournament. Robert Force is in charge of this event. Robert reports: Both Wednesday July 15 and Thursday July 16 are ideal. Wednesday low tide is -3.1 at 11:12 am— just before noon. Thursday is not quite as low at -2.4 but it happens at 11:59 which is ideal— right at noon! A suggestion is to schedule our Wednesday club day there at the boatyard beach— let members experience the fun and the nature of that sauvage environment— then have the tournament the next day. Being at the start of the Larry Scott trail, there are public sanicans there. On the 16th we will have select doubles. Random draw. 40-minute plus one end rounds starting at 10. Registration and set-up the hour before. Swiss draw (winners play winners, etc). Three games before lunch. Lunch at 1 pm. Single elimination games start at two— concurs and consolante. Should be plenty of beach left to finish playing. Donations are welcome and will be passed on to Jefferson County Food Bank.
PTPA Low Tide Open merchandise is now available for you to order!
Zee and George have worked with Candace at Corvus Crafts to develop a range of PTPA Low Tide Open shorts and hoodies with this image:
You can check out the range of cool clothing on our website. Once you decide on what you want, be like Warren and order directly from Candace. Here is her guidance on how to order:
Please let your members know that the site says orders are fulfilled within 2 weeks from purchase date and each piece is custom made. This is our busy time of year and we will prioritize these orders as we do all merch site orders. We do not hold inventory, we do not offer try ons, we do not accept other people’s clothing to put the artwork on, nor do we offer styles and colors outside of what the team agreed upon for the site. When orders are ready, we will call and let the client know it’s ready for pick up during business hours. If a member of the club is not proficient online, they are welcome to call or stop by and place their order with us. It’s highly recommended that they call and make an appt to work with us on a personalized order as we cannot always be free to walk ins, but we will always do our best to help as time allows.
All the best,
Candace Mangold
206-755-4008.
Office Hours: M-F 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. PST.
New Location at 898 E Park Ave, Ste 1.
Winning Strategies and Tactic Guidance researched and presented from our very own expert Zee
When you stop being afraid of losing, you finally start playing your true level.
In game situations, many players don’t lose because of technique…
But because of fear:
Afraid of doing wrong
Afraid of missing out
Afraid to give the lead
Result: They no longer play free. They are playing “small”
And at this point, it’s not their real game anymore.
The truth on the pitch is simple: When you play fearlessly, you make better decisions. And that’s often when the tables turn!
In pétanque, it’s not always the strongest that wins… It’s often the one who dares to play their level at the right time.
And you, what blocks you in a game situation? The technique or the pressure?
Here, pétanque is played intelligently, living, debating and respecting.
One winning strategy is known as “the Nieman” – here it is in action!
PT OPEN is coming August 8- 9
The Fort Worden Boulodrome Saturday, August 8 Select Doubles and Sunday, August 9 Select Doubles "Twist" The twist: all players must have a different partner. Team Entry Fee: $50/day First Place payout: $1500/day Maximum of 38 teams
Event Schedule:
Friday, August 7: practice play, skills competition, pot-luck Saturday, August 8: Select Doubles
Sunday, August 9: Select Doubles Twist. Sunday, August 9 Select Doubles "Twist" The twist: all players must have a different partner. Team Entry Fee: $50/day First Place payout: $1500/day Maximum of 38 teams
Format: 3 rounds of qualifying play followed by elimination rounds For more info, contact the PTPA Sports Director: tomchallinor@hotmail.com
Let Terry know if you would like to help make this a successful Club event.
10 slots are still available – sign up now
When was PTPA born and how did it come to Fort Worden?
Robert Force – our George Washington – has shared with us the presentation he made to Fort Worden to persuade them to allow us to create our Boulodrome – it’s awesome reading.
Watch out! Petanque can kill you! Read on…
Petanque player, 68, was killed by a boule blow from his 81 year old rival
Two men said to have grappled with each other before victim was struck on head with boule
A FRENCH pensioner has died after allegedly being hit with a metal boule during a game of pétanque. The 68-year-old victim is said to have had a “huge rivalry” with the 81-year-old accused, who belonged to a rival group of players in the French seaside town of Mimizan, near Bordeaux. Locals reported a hostile atmosphere between a group of pétanquistes that play on the beach and another group who use the town’s boulodrome. Witnesses said tensions flared when the beach group arrived to play at the boulodrome during a heatwave. They claimed that two men then grappled with each other before the victim was allegedly struck in the head or face with the metal ball. He collapsed and suffered a heart attack before dying. According to local radio, the 68-year-old had thrown punches before being hit by the 81-year-old with the boule. Pétanque, a traditional French game in which players throw heavy metal balls as closely as possible to a small ball called a cochonnet, made of wood or plastic, is often played in the UK under the name boules. The average pétanque ball is made of steel, and weighs from 650g to 800g.
Alexa Dubourg, the public prosecutor in nearby Mont-de-Marsan, said there had been an argument that degenerated into a physical confrontation. ‘There is a mega rivalry between the beach pétanque players and those in the town’. The row was linked “to the use of the boulodrome habitually frequented by one of the groups”, she added.
Ms Dubourg said that investigations were under way to “determine precisely the role played by each person”. The alleged attacker has been arrested and detained in police custody. Daniel Pujos, the deputy mayor, said: “Someone from the town’s club obviously could not accept the fact that those from the beach wanted to benefit from the shade of the boulodrome.” A Mimizan resident said: “There is a mega rivalry between the beach pétanque players and those in the town, but I didn’t think it was at that level.” The pétanque club in Mimizan has suspended operations and offered psychological support to witnesses reportedly left traumatised by what they saw. Pétanque is a traditional French sport associated with friendship and casual drinking, considered the cultural equivalent of village cricket in rural England.
The French Pétanque Federation has made efforts to stamp out drunkenness in the sport, introducing breath tests for players in official tournaments in 2018. The move was prompted by complaints from French umpires, facing a wave of violence linked to inebriated players. Two years ago, umpires in the Gironde department, also in the southwest, threatened to boycott qualifying matches for the national championships after one was attacked by an drunken player. In 2023, a pétanque umpire in Bruges reported that a 58-year-old player had throttled him and threatened him with murder. In 2021, a 52-year-old player received a four-year jail sentence for stabbing and injuring a 25-year-old at the Mimizan boulodrome the previous year. A Dutchman was killed by shrapnel in 2023 after a pétanque ball left near a fire pit exploded during a party.
Here’s what’s up at YOUR PTPA Board – Minutes from our June Board meeting
PTPA Board of Directors Meeting June 17, 2026 11:00am Tayloe Washburn’s Residence
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Tayloe Washburn at 11:00am. Board members in attendance were Tayloe Washburn, Zee Uballe, George Engelbech, Scott Wilson and Terry Cameron-Kling. Also in attendance were Sports Director Tom Challinor and guest Silas Holm.
A Motion was made by Scott to approve the April Minutes and the board members unanimously agreed. PTPA 2026
Finance Update: George reports that currently our Business Checking Account has a balance of $13,874.33 and our Business Savings is $641.71 for a total Club Fund of $14,516.04. Per a suggestion from Silas Holm George will look into the rates for a high yield savings. George will also revisit and propose a club budget at our next Board meeting as we currently do not have one in place.
Waivers: The new FPUSA “Waiverforever” online option is quick and easy and many of our members have successfully used it. This should eliminate the need for us maintain future member hard copies as all of our club members are FPUSA affiliated. The exception would be for non-FPUSA participants in our PTO or other non-FPUSA events to sign digitally or a sign a hard copy. We currently do have a hard copy of the FPUSA Waiver for all club members who signed up before the Waiverforever was available.
Rhody Parade: Zee reported the Rhody parade was successful and it was a fun event for those who participated. It was discussed if this was something that we should plan on doing again. The purpose was mainly to bring awareness and visibility to the sport and encourage new participants. The problem was we couldn’t really demonstrate how the game is played in a parade setting so it wasn’t likely to have achieved that. It was left undecided if we would do it again next year. The question was also brought up about how much expansion of the club do we want or need anyway as we only have so many courts?
Committee Update
Facilities: Tom C says all is ok. He plans to give a reminder to club members to lock the shed and potty if they are the last ones at the courts. Tom requests permission to have a way to honor deceased club members. His thought are brass plaques to place on the wooden borders of the courts. The Board gives approval for Tom to pursue this idea and look into purchasing the plaques. b. Events: The Low Tide Tournament is coming up soon on Thursday, July 16th. Robert Force will be managing and scoring the tournament. The PT Open still has some availability for more teams to sign up and planning is coming along. Tom reports that 27 teams are currently signed up but we have room for 38 teams. Tom is still waiting for the official ok from the State Parks for us to hold the event but doesn’t expect there to be any problems with that. Silas has agreed to run the Shooting and Pointing contests on Friday afternoon. The Cascadia Cup. Silas will be part of the planning and team selection for The Cascadia Cup but has requested help with managing and coaching the team due to his busy schedule. Tayloe said if that if we cannot find someone to manage/coach the team that he would step up and do so. Last year there were seven clubs that competed and Silas thinks there will be eight clubs this year. The Tournament consists of a Singles, Doubles and Triples competition. Silas picks the team based on a Pètanque Rating app and the help of his friend Alben.
New Melee Tournament. Tom C would like to plan a future “Melee” Tournament and will work on designing it.
Indoor Courts For Winter Play: Options for indoor play were discussed. One option is a Fairgrounds building that has a dirt floor. Another option would be the Rec Center in Uptown using soft indoor boules. Scott moves and the Board agrees that we allow Tom N to research these options more and report back to the Board.
Dogs At Boulodrome: The Board received a letter from Tom Niemann voicing concerns about the hazard to our members from dogs leashed to the picnic tables where we all gather. The leashes do cause a tripping factor. After a brief discussion the Board decided this is a valid concern. Scott made a motion that there should be a “no pet zone” around the middle section between the courts where everyone gathers and the Board unanimously agreed. Dogs can be leashed away from the courts in the nearby area under the trees or wherever else their owners choose. This will be announced by Tom C today at Club Play.
Youth Participation in PTPA and Socially Focused Adult Programs: George is looking into this and will report back to the Board.
PTPA Election dates: Will be held in October or November.
New Business: State Workers Picnic this fall. We need to obtain the names of the Fort Worden State grounds workers so we can invite them to a picnic lunch and give them an opportunity to learn the game if they choose to.
There was no other business to discuss and the meeting was adjourned at 12:15pm.
The PTPA Board next meets on August 19
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