PORT TOWNSEND — Petanque, a French game that combines elements of horseshoes, bocce ball, bowling and croquet is coming to Fort Worden State Park.
The 30-member Port Townsend Petanque Alliance, which is most active in summer months at the Pourhouse, 2231 Washington St., has raised about half of the $10,000 needed to construct a multicourt facility on grounds overseen by the Fort Worden Lifelong Learning Center Public Development Authority.
If everything unfolds as to plan, play will begin this fall.
‘Anyone can play’
“This is a game that anyone can play,” said Silas Holm of Port Townsend, who has been active in the game for about three years.
“There is no physical advantage in being tall, strong or fast,” he added.
“This is something that you can grow into with age.”
Holm, who plays Petanque — pronounced pay-tonk — at the Pourhouse, is looking forward to the new field because it will accommodate multiple games and provide the ability to host tournaments.
Out of the bar scene
It also moves the game away from the bar scene.
“I like playing at the Pourhouse but sometimes the crowd can be annoying and the players start to lose focus,” he said.
“This isn’t a drinking game.”
The public development authority board agreed on March 25 to allocate $2,500 to the project after Robert Force of Port Townsend made a presentation to it. Force, a musician, discovered the game while on tour in Ohio about five years ago.
After state approval, plans emerged to construct an area housing 12 to 14 individual petanque courts on a quarter-acre field between the non-commissioned officer’s housing and the upper campground.
The process requires removal of sod, ground leveling and adding a sand and gravel mix that serves as the playing surface.
“The courts need to be level, more or less, with no significant slopes in one direction,” Force said.
“It doesn’t need to be as smooth as a bowling alley.
“A court develops its own anomalies and part of the skill is the ability to play over and around rocks and bumps.”
Force said the court surface also will include ground shells as a tribute to the Northwest setting.
How to play
A game of petanque begins with the throwing of a “jack,” a small wooden sphere the size of a pingpong ball, toward one end of a gravel court. Then, players toss metal balls known as “boules.”
The point is to land the boules close to the jack.
Players stand in a metal ring at the opposite end of the court from the jack, pitching the boules with an underhanded motion.
While the number of balls thrown by each person varies according to whether it is single or team play, points are accumulated with regard to the distance to the jack.
Committed players have their own sets of boules — Force has three — but several sets are on hand at the Pourhouse for people to use
The boules are made of metal, usually aluminum or steel. They have a diameter of about 3 inches; and generally weigh about 720 grams (1½ pounds).
Petanque players often travel with a set of boules so they can participate in games on the road, although it can be a challenge to get them through airport security, Force said.
Once the Fort Worden site is up and running, boules can be checked out from the public development authority, extending the concept that anyone can play with no borders or restrictions.
Force doesn’t expect the course will take reservations. People will just show up and play.
Free, open to public
“This is free, open to the public. It is healthy. It is intergenertional,” Force said.
“We are trying to to promote a healthy outdoor activity in a beautiful location.”
There is also an educational component. Force and Holm have provided petanque demonstrations to French and Spanish classes in Port Townsend and Chimacum.
Science is involved as players learn about mass, energy, trajectory and force and there are few games where someone doesn’t bring out a tape measure and calculate distances.
“This is a game of politeness. You are not allowed to harass or distract or cat-call,” Force said.
“There is a very specific ethic, beginning with handshakes at the beginning and end of every match.”
Port Townsend received a recent prestige boost when residents Gerda Jorgenson and Rebecca Howe earned silver medals at the Federation of Petanque USA national women’s double championships in Portland, Ore., in June.
While contributions of any size are welcome, the fundraising effort establishes some giving levels with an on-site donor plaque installed to honor all the major contributors.
This includes $500 for Carreau (founder), $250 for Tir Au Fer (supporter) and $100 for Bon Homme (contributor).
Checks can be addressed to the Port Townsend Petanque Alliance. Those wishing a tax deduction should make them out to FPUSA.
All checks are to be mailed to Robert Force, 1228 Blaine St., Port Townsend WA 98368.
More information can be found on the Port Townsend Petanque Alliance’s Facebook page.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
