March 09, 2020

Before I start my little briefing, I would like to recognize Mike O’Leary, Mark Shirkey, Sandra Shirkey, and Abby Danielson.

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According to my intelligence people, these individuals worked tirelessly to groom our field, particularly Mark and Sandra who were here last Thursday and Saturday. Please give these people a big, very big, round of applause.

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When I woke up Sunday morning, I peeked outside and the first thing I noticed was a white blanket of frost covering the surrounding roofs.
My cat who is a weather authority declined to go outside to do whatever she does every morning. This was telling. I then wondered, that due to the weather conditions and the fear of virus contamination, how many people would show up on our courts.

But Pétanquistas are a hearty breed. I was happily surprised to find out that, braving frost and virus threats, they came. Over 40 of them. Without counting those poor souls who could not find partners.

The temperature on the field that morning was hovering around 40 °F and never rose above 60. It was cold, especially in the early morning and late afternoon, and the minute they were done, most of the people hurriedly left the field. I personally was wearing five layers of clothing and managed fairly well.

Due to various reasons, I abstained to play in this tournament, and concentrate instead on recording this event on film. They say that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop” and since I didn’t have anything else to do, I shot hundreds of pictures. I recorded around 900 shots to be precise.

It took me a tremendous amount of time to correct and whittle this down to a reasonable quantity and that’s why I am late in publishing this report. But you won’t be disappointed. A picture is worth a thousand words and instead of telling you what happened, I will let the images tell the story.

Interestingly enough, none of the favorites came on top. I was very surprised to notice that Peter Mathis’ team after annihilating everybody in the morning was promptly eliminated in the afternoon. Same for Manu, Maggie and Erin. On the other hand, Bleys, George and Teri showed a dogged determination and it paid off.

You will probably also notice that since the threat of contamination is real, most of the people opted to greet their friends with the elbow bump. Some though, could not help themselves and continued to smooch.

But enough with small talk.

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Concours:
 

1st Place: C. Couto, Brigitte Moran, Ken Lee                  $50.00 each
2nd Place: G. Bedrossian, Teri Sirico, Bleys Rose           $42.00 each
3rd Place: Ed Couto, Liza Moran, Louis Toulon              $33.00 each

Consolante:
 

1st Place: Kevin Evoy, Patrick Vaslet, H. Sammons         $25.00 each
2nd Place: Eddy Pay, Beth Lysten, Trish                           $16.00 each

I hope that you will enjoy my pictures and let me know about it. It will do my heart good.

Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com

February 10, 2020

Yesterday was the kind of day when any sane person would have chosen to stay home. It was a blustery, cold day with biting winds approaching 20 mph. Even my cat, a known fitness fanatic, elected to forego her daily tai chi exercises in the garden and stay home.

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When I arrived at the field, around a quarter to nine, there were very few people present and I wondered how many individuals would be crazy enough to show up. But little by little, they came, those magnificent bastards. Braving the elements, they trekked to our field dressed like eskimos.

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Around 9:30 am Noel Marcovecchio and Christine Cragg had cobbled 14 “doublette” teams… 28 brave souls who came from the least expected places.

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The tournament format was “mêlée », and I had the good luck to be paired with Holly Sammons. Everybody knows what a great player she is.

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The weather being what it was, most of the people showed up with winter attires. Personally, I sported five layers of clothing, which probably made me look like the Michelin Man. But I would rather look ridiculous than shivering.

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We played 2 games in the morning and 2 games in the afternoon. As usual, the winners would be determined by the number of victories and the number of points accumulated during these games.

Holly and I did well, winning our 2 morning games. As I always said, it is often the pointer who determines the outcome of the game, and Holly proved it one more time.

The wind that had been blowing full blast in the morning abetted a little bit in the afternoon and allowed us to remove some clothing. After lunch, Holly and I hit a slump and we lost one game against the very good team of Jean-Michel and Max Lofaro.

We won our last game, and around 3:00 pm we were done for the day… with 3 winning games under our belts. Not too bad.

With very little time  to spare between games, I still managed to steal a few photo shots to give you an idea of the ambiance of the tournament.
I hope that you will like them.

Final Results:

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1st place: Mike O’Leary & Richard Bell                   $56.00 ea
2nd place: Jean-Michel Poulnot & Max Lofaro     $42.00 ea
3rd place: Erin McTaggart & Monique Bricca         $28.00 ea
4th place: Alain Efron & Holly Sammons                  $14.00 ea

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Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com

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January 15, 2020

Due to technical difficulties, my site was down for a few days. It is now back up and running. Sorry for the inconvenience.

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So, how cold was it last Sunday, are you going to ask? Well, my friends, it was so cold that squirrels wore fur hats and Alpine insulated jackets.

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But this did not prevent pétanque enthusiasts to answer the call of the cochonnet. They trickled in one by one, and around 9:15 a.m. I counted 16 hearty souls ready to rumble; 8 plucky women and 8 macho men, to be precise.

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Two games were played in the morning and two more games in the afternoon. The winners of this tournament would be decided by the number of games won and by the lowest amount of points accumulated.

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The morning games proved a little challenging due to the biting cold. I caught myself saying “My balls are cold and difficult to hold”. (sic) I haste to say that it sounded extremely funny to the people around me.

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It was difficult to play due to the multiple layers of clothing we had to wear. We had to choose between keeping warm and hampered, or being free to move and exposed to hypothermia. I chose to keep warm.

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In this tournament, I had the good luck to be paired with Francois Moser, my old partner in crime. He pointed so amazingly well, that I immediately dubbed him “Bras d’Or” (Golden Arm). Due to his prowess, we managed to win four games out of four, and be in a good position to snag First Place, and a heavy pot of gold.

But it was not to be. Our setback was due to our last game where we faced 2 determined ladies. A certain Tamara and a ringer called Liza Moran gave us a hard time and we barely managed to win the game 13/12.

Mark Shirkey and Noel Marcovecchio also won four games and beat us to the finish line by a few points.

Regardless… In spite of the uncharitable weather, it was a great day and I am pretty sure that some chilly fun was had by all.

Final results

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1st place: Mark Shirkey & Noel Marcovecchio
2nd place: Alain Efron & François Moser
3rd place: Tamara Efron & Liza Moran

Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com

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PS: I also had a problem with one of my cameras and I had to delete all the defective shots. What you will see on SmugMug was taken exclusively with my iPhone 11.

November 11, 2019

Yesterday was a lovely Fall day and the perfect time to have a tournament. And so, we did. When I say we, I am using poetic license because I did not play. A back attack sidelined me, and I opted instead to photograph this event instead of playing.

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Thirty-two people from all over the Bay Area came to San Rafael, ready to rumble. Teams were then assembled by Christine and Sandra in a transparent, random fashion. And it turned out that most of the teams were evenly balanced.
 

No superstars were present and everybody had a fair chance to snap some prizes.

The weather was a little foggy (and chilly) in the morning, but it improved in the afternoon and very soon sweaters and jackets were discarded.

Three games were played before lunch and two more after that. The winners of the tournament were determined by a combination of games won and points acquired.

I felt a little frustrated about not being able to play, but I quickly forgot about it while going on the hunt. Because yes, a photographer hunts… and at the end of the day I shot so many people that my lens started to smoke.

I shot over 600 frames which I eventually reduced to around 200. It is a very time-consuming operation and I probably spent at least 6 hours preparing to publish my work.

When I shoot an event, I try to include all the participants, but let’s face it, some people are more photogenic than some others and they probably get more coverage. Sometimes, a person does not photograph well and it is my policy to avoid publishing unflattering pictures.
Yes, it is unfair, but you ought to know by now that life is patently unfair.

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The tournament was over around 2:30 pm and the winners were announced, acclaimed, presented with their prizes and photographed.

It was time for me, to reholster Big Bertha and go home.

Final results:

1st place: Bernard Passemar & Richard Bell
2nd place: Donna Von Edelkrantz & Caitlin Woodbury
3rd place: Sandra Shirkey & Albert Woodbury
4th place: Minette Etallaz & Peter Wellington

Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com

November 04, 2019

Last night I attended La Pétanque Marinière’s Annual Business Meeting at the Villa Inn (courtesy of Mireille Di Maio) … with mixed emotions. I was pleased and disappointed at the same time.

I was pleased by the smooth organization of the event and disappointed by the low attendance. A club is only thriving if all the members pull in the same direction. In our group, we seem to have too many passive individuals. One way or the other (and according to their ability) every member should strive to help our association and attend this particular meeting. If you have grievances or suggestions, this is the place to voice your concerns.

On the plus side, a very nice cold spread was offered by Donna Von Edelkrantz. She has a cooking background and did an excellent job of showcasing her talents.

Mark Shirkey operated behind the bar and Sandra and Lynn McCloskey acted as usherettes.

After everybody had their fill of goodies, perennial president Christine Cragg offered a summary of what happened in the club, and what to expect.

First of all, I was very pleased to hear that Lynn McCloskey joined the Board of Directors. She is pleasant and looks like a very capable person; I am sure that she will do a good job.

Christine then recognized the people who contributed their time and labor to benefit the club. Mark and Sandra are at the forefront of this group. Without fanfare, they do a lot to benefit our club. Then there is Mike O’Leary who quietly does some heavy lifting. A real asset for our organization.

Lately, our field has been spruced regularly by indefatigable Charlie D, Jacques Gautier, and Mark and Sandra. I tip my hats to these dedicated workers.

Recently Martin Ressinger (who just came back from his French “chateau”) joined the crew and helped to collect the innumerable quantity of dead leaves inundating our ground.

Christine will remain president for another year or until a worthwhile candidate applies for the job. The club’s membership fees were increased to $40.00 a year. Still a bargain.

There was a small contentious exchange about the Federation, but frankly, I don’t think that too many people care about this. We should be more concerned about the club than far away Federation. One of our main challenges is to attract new members and everybody should give a thought to this issue.
My suggestion is to offer a bounty fee for each new catch… and a bonus for an exceptional haul.

At the end of the evening, there was a little raffle and a few lucky people took home a little gift offered by the house.

I took a few pictures of the event with my iPhone, but due to the poor lighting conditions, the results were not very successful. Sorry, but still worth looking at.

See you soon in the trenches.

Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com

August 12, 2019

Where are the women?

When there is a tournament, weather conditions are important; if it is too hot or too wet, things can get sticky and affect the outcomes of the games.

Yesterday though, we were blessed with almost perfect atmospheric conditions; I am pretty sure that this happy set of circumstances was due to Mark and Sandra Shirkey’s organization and diligence. Without fanfare, this power couple is doing a heck of a job and has to be recognized for their hard work… I petitioned the French government for a medal.

The only grousing I heard on the field had something to do with the lack of available women. I saw a few haggard-looking men (with a wad of dollars in their hands) desperately trying to book a partner for the tournament, to no avail alas.

I believe that we need to address the Board about importing some women from the former Soviet Union where there is a surplus of women.

“The gender ratio in Russia is currently 86.8 men per 100 women, and the ratios in Latvia (84.8), Ukraine (86.3), Armenia (86.5), Belarus (86.8) and other former Soviet nations are similarly low.”

Fifty players  answered the call and showed up on our beautifully groomed field eager to rumble. As usual, 3 timed games were played in the morning to separate the Big Boys from the small fry.

I always believed that my aptitude to function has something to do with the stars’ position and yesterday something was definitely out of alignment. Tamara and I lost our 3 starting games 3/13, 12/13 and 11/13 and were relegated to the Consolante. I felt totally out of sync and unable to concentrate. Despite some Ibuprofen, my left heel hurt like hell and I almost threw in the towel.

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Around noon we were graced by the presence of Calvert Barron and her sister Sally. It was good to see Calvert smile and hear her laugh again. We all miss her and hope that she will soon come back to our field.

In the afternoon, despite my lack of enthusiasm to persevere, the gods took pity on me and lent me a helping hand. I found my mojo back and suddenly everything seemed to click; due to Tamara’s superb pointing, we won every game in the afternoon… and the Consolante.

During our crossing of the desert, a lot of things happened and I was unable to catch any of it. It is only around 3:00 pm that I was able to grab my camera and take a few shots.

In the Concours finals, Tom Lee (the Cobra) and Suzie Lee faced Christophe(freshly inked) Sarafian and Michelle Dang. All excellent players.

Both men and women played very well, but in the end, Christophe and Michelle prevailed 13/7.

Christophe Sarafian & Michelle Dang

Concours:
1stplace: Christophe Sarafian and Michelle Dang
2ndplace: Tom Lee and Suzie Lee
3rdplace: Toy Vorachak and Cindy Vorachak

Consolante:
1stplace: Alain Efron & Tamara Efron
2ndplace: Jean-Claude Etallaz & Liliane Sebban

By 6:00 pm it was all over and we drove back home to collapse on our bed.

By Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com

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Due to weather conditions (too much shade) the pictures are not outstanding but still pleasant to look at.

July 22, 2019

Durs a cuire

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My champion wife (soon to be featured on a box of Wheaties) opted out of yesterday’s tournament and offered to take some pictures while I was battling the enemy on the frontier. So, about the first 30 photos of this album were taken by her.
I cannot guaranty her work and there will be absolutely no refunds.

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Now about yesterday’s affair. There was not a large number of players, but this detail was compensated by the fact that instead of quantity (28 players) we got quality.

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Most of the players were what we call in France “des durs à cuire” (hard to cook). In other words, tough cookies. There were quite a few people that I never saw before and there were no easy wins.

For this tournament, I enticed Antoine Lofaro to play with me and I assured him that as his wingman I would stake my life to guard his flanks. Antoine, as everybody knows, is a versatile, outstanding player and I felt honored to play with him. In the morning, mainly thanks to Antoine,  we won 2 out of our 3 games and were inducted in the Concours.

In the afternoon we faced “unheard of” Toy and Cindy Vorachak. Antoine opted to play in a sandy area, and this proved to be my undoing. Hampered by the sand trap, I could not point accurately enough and each time I succeeded, I was blown off by Toy’s murderous shooting accuracy. Cindy also proved to be a very good player in her own right and these “unknowns” kicked us off unceremoniously from the Concours.

This was not a neophyte’s tournament. It was stuffed with outstanding players and you ventured on the field at your own risk. Among the certified “shooters” there was Antoine Lofaro, Max Lofaro (Antoine’s son), Manu Le Bihan, Nicolas Humbert, Wolfie Kurz, Ed Porto, and Toy Vorachak. All tough competitors… and as stated before, des durs a cuire!

I mentioned young Frenchman Nicolas Humbert who, with his sidekick Maxime Kehon, were unknown to me and just about anybody else. They proved to be terrific competitors who, ultimately defeated Wolfie and Holly to win La Consolante 13/12.

In the Concours finales, Manu Le Bihan and George Bedrossian were pitted against Ed Porto and Brian Williams (never saw or heard of this guy before). He proved to be a fantastic pointer and of great help to Ed Porto.

I have a theory by the way, about A players. Unknown to lowly rated competitors, there exists a secret network that will provide “callgirls” on demand. Before a tournament, an A player calls a confidential number and ask the organization to send him a good partner. The quality of the player, of course, depends on the fee disbursed.

Ed and Brian proved to be an unbeatable winning combination. With Brian pointing extremely well and Ed blowing everything in his path, they could not be beat. Despite fierce resistance by Manu and George, the Dynamic Duo could not be stopped. They won the tournament 13/7.

Concours
1st place: Ed Porto and Brian Williams
2nd place: Manu le Bihan and George Bedrossian
3rd place: Max Lofaro and Jacques Gautier

Consolante
1st place: Nicolas Humbert and Maxime Kehon
2nd place: Wolfie Kurz and Holly Sammons

By Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com

April 08, 2019

« Les jours se suivent mais ne se ressemblent pas. »

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 Roughly translated this means “Days go by, yet each one is different.”

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Unlike previous days, yesterday was a rather odd event for me. I arrived at the field around 8:30 am, and while trying to pay the entry fee to the tournament, I suddenly realized that I had left my wallet at home. This should have told me right away that the stars were out of alignment.

The command bunker by the way, was manned by our bionic president Christine Cragg and lieutenant Mike O’Leary.

The day was a little overcast and the field rather on the damp side; experienced players know that playing on a spongy field can be rather unforgiving. If you are not mindful, your boule will bounce and jump over its target… and as predicted it happened quite a few times.
If you want to win, you absolutely need to know how to “plomber”.

Eighteen (18) select doubles signed up for the tournament, some heavyweight among them.

Around 9:30 Christine gave us the customary briefing: 3 timed games in the morning and Concours and Consolante in the afternoon.

My battle plan was as usual, to play the best I could in the morning, end up in the Consolante in the afternoon and spend the rest of day recording the action. I am realistic enough to know that I don’t stand a chance playing against the Big Boys in the Concours.

My teammate by the way, was renown pointer Tamara Simeonovna (also known as my better half). As luck would have it, Tamara played too well (we won 2 games – 13/7 and 13/7 – out of 3) and we ended up in the Concours.

After lunch, we donned our bulletproof vests again and looked for our opponents. They turned out to be Kevin Evoy and Christophe Sarafian, two tough customers who would eventually end up in the Finals. While not really wishing to remain in the Concours, we also did not want to give away the game. We battled hard, and until the end, the outcome remained in the balance. Kevin and Christophe finally won 13/10, but had to fight hard to subdue us.

OK, I was then free to indulge in another of my favorite pastime, photography. When shooting tournaments, I usually carry two cameras. One small one for proximity shots, and another heavier, more sophisticated apparel for discreet long-distance shots.

I pulled out Big Bertha out of my bag and I suddenly realized that the battery was dead… and that I forgot to pack a spare. I would have to continue shooting with Sneaky Pete, not my favorite option for action shots.

The games went on all afternoon and we finally reached the Concours Finals.

In this decisive game, Peter Mathis and Dave Lanter faced Christophe Sarafian and Kevin Evoy, a fairly even matched game.
Again, while playing on a wet field, it is essential to know how to “plomber” and both Peter and Christophe were good at it.

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Peter proved to be a more versatile player than his opponents. He could point, shoot and “plomber” whenever the situation demanded it, while his opponents could not.
Christophe also did a very good job, but Kevin proved erratic.

After a rather uneventful match, Peter and Dave finally defeated Christophe and Kevin 13/5.

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Concours
1st place: Peter Mathis and Dave Lanter
2nd place: Christophe Sarafian and Kevin Evoy
3rd place: Wolfie Kurz and Wetzel

Consolante
1st place: Maryanne Curley and Sandra Shirkey
2nd place: Noel Marcovecchio and Brigitte Davantes

By Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com

PS: Pether Mathis gave back his prize money to the club. A classy move. Thank you champ!

March 11, 2019

Les boules mouillées

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These last few days I have been wondering whether or not I would play in the Sunday tournament. It rained intermittently almost every day of the week and especially on Saturday when the rain pounded my roof all night.

I was convinced that soon or later I would get a “texto” canceling this event. But this message never materialized, meaning that the tournament was on.

I eventually opted not to play, but I was really curious to see who would. So on Sunday morning, around 10:00 am I ventured to the field to find out who the mad dogs of pétanque were.

I marched to the command post manned by (gloriously resuscitated) Christine Cragg and Mike O’Leary.
So how many crazies showed up this morning? I politely enquired.
We have 6 teams they told me. Being a math wizard, I quickly concluded that a total of 18 peoplewould compete in this tournament. And they were:

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1. Doug Coleville/ Les Stone/ Kathy Stone

2. Mark Shirkey/Sandra Shirkey/J-M Poulnot

3. Beth Lysten/J-C Etallaz/Serge Hanne

4. Kevin Evoy/Tim Wetzel/Holly Sammons

5. Mone Lee/Tom Lee/Michelle Dang

6. Phomenick Lee/Pao Lee/Maryanne Curley

I tip my hat to those devotees, especially the Sacramento crowd. They must have gotten up at six this morning to show up on time. You must really love the game to do this, particularly on a questionable day.

So, was the field playable? It depends on who you are talking to. It was definitely muddy and not to everybody’s liking… certainly not to mine.

Three 45 minutes games were played in the morning and everybody would play in the Concours.

I spent just one hour on the field shooting pictures and went back home  to process what I gathered.

I came back around 1:00 pm and was greeted by a surprising ray of sunshine. But it was just a teaser. Half an hour later the players were soaked by a sneaky shower. Nobody took cover and everybody kept playing.

Being averse to cold, I packed my gears and went home again.

Last minute (per Mark Shirkey) the top dogs are:

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1st place: Phomenick Lee/Pao Lee/Maryanne Curley
2nd place: Kevin Evoy/Tim Wetzel/Holly Sammons

3rd place: Doug Coleville/ Les Stone/ Kathy Stone
4th place: Beth Lysten/J-C Etallaz/Serge Hanne

Enjoy the pictures.

By Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com

January 13, 2019

So, how was it? you might ask. Well, the ground was a bit soggy but playable, especially for people who can plomber* properly.

In this so-called “Home and Home” tournament, 8 doublettes from Sonoma met 8 doublettes from Marin on the San Rafael court. On Saturday, February 2nd, the same Marin players will go to Sonoma to compete for the second half of this tournament.

The weather was cool in the morning, and partly sunny in the afternoon. Two games were played in the morning and two in the afternoon. One more time alas, the Sonoma youngsters bested the Marin old timers.

Feeling that the ground was a little too wet for my taste, I opted not to play and concentrated instead on photographing this event. For me, it is as much fun and as much challenging as playing.

Taking decent pictures is demanding, requires a lot of work, and nobody is more critical than the photographer himself. The light, the shooting angles, the shades, as well as the right moments, everything is important.

When I take pictures, it feels like using a submachine gun. I shoot in bursts, hoping that just like in a volley of bullets, one of my shots is going to hit the target properly.
And let’s face it, some subjects are definitely more photogenic than some others.

While playing, some competitors always remain cool and composed; those are not my favorite subjects. Besides good form, I am looking for passion, even some suffering. To me, a grimacing player is like the Mother Lode.

Yesterday, I liked the form of Erin McTaggart, the unorthodoxy of September Deignan, the passion of Steve Jones, the star quality of Jean-Michel and the composure of Bernard Passemar.
I also liked the photogenic form of Mark (Indiana) Shirkey. He always looks like he is giving it his best.

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Everything was over by 4:00 pm and just about everybody left the field at that time.

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I hope that you will like some of my pictures and let me know about it.

By Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com/

*Plomber: To throw your boule high enough in the air to get it to fall close to the cochonnet, and making it stop through its heavy impact on the ground.

December 16, 2018

I suspect that the Villa Inn in San Rafael will be remembered someday as a historical site. It is the venue that, through Mireille Di Maio, has frequently been the site of our club’s reunions.

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On Saturday, December 15, 2018 the club met again at this site for its Annual Business Meeting. About 30 of our staunchest club members turned up to show their interest and support.

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In the absence of our president, Mark Shirkey, the club’s vice-president, chaired the meeting. He started by recognizing and praising the leadership of Christine Cragg, our actual President. Then Monique Bricca read a message from Christine, who due to medical complications and impending surgery, could not attend that meeting.

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Mark took over again to mention what has been accomplished, what remains to be done and the need to revitalize our aging membership. Every effort should be made to attract a younger crowd, and in my opinion, monetarily rewarded for signing in anybody under the age of 30.

Mark mentioned the state of our finances and the very helpful newfound cooperation with the county. He then recognized the movers and shakers of our club and gave them a verbal accolade.

He mentioned by name Sandra Shirkey, Mike O’Leary, Charlie Davantes, Jacques Gautier, Brigitte Moran, Noel Marcovecchio, Akira Okawa, Mireille Di Maio and little old me for my photographic contribution.  In addition, Henry and Calvert were also alluded for their hard work and devotion to the club.

Pressed by the audience, Mark reiterated that he did not wish to be president and was happy with his current status.

Finally, for 2019, the Board will remain as is with the following people:

Christine Cragg – President
Mark Shirkey     – Vice President
Noel Marcovecchio – Secretary
Mike O’Leary – Facilities Director
Evan Falcone – Public Relations Officer
Bart Zachofsky

Mark did an excellent presentation and deserves to be praised for his efforts and valuable leadership.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all!

By Alain Efron

December 10, 2018

Yesterday, in the waning days of 2018, La Pétanque Marinière hosted its last Concours of the season. Such an event held in December is always iffy, but fortunately, it did not rain and we were able to proceed as planned.

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It did not rain but the entire area was saturated by a dense blanket of fog that lingered for the entire day. It was not extremely cold, but the humidity in the air made the temperature seem much colder than it really was. Confined under a few layers of clothing, I played under par.
The ground was still very mushy and it took an extra effort to position one’s boule properly.

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This situation did not prevent 28 players from all over the Bay Area to come to Marin to strut their stuff.

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Mark and Sandra Shirkey, assisted by Noel Marcovecchio, oversaw the tournament and by 9:30 am, 14 doublettes were assembled and ready to compete.

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The format of this contest was “a la mêlée” and I was extremely lucky (this time) to be paired with Nancy Jencks, the Petaluma southpaw wonder. Her pointing accuracy was remarkable and she contributed mightily to the outcome of this contest.

Three (1 hour) timed games were played in the morning to determine who would end up in the Concours or the Consolante. After winning 2 out of 3 games in the morning we qualified for the Concours.

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Due mainly to Nancy’s supernatural pointing accuracy, we defeated all of our opponents in the afternoon and finally faced Donna Von Edelkrantz and young Steve Dudgeon in the Finals. Again, Nancy overwhelmed them with her magic touch and we emerged the winners of that concours.
A nice Christmas present for both of us.

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Between games, I managed to take some pictures which reflect pretty accurately the mood and atmosphere of this contest; I certainly hope that you will like them.

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While playing in the finals, I asked Noel to take a few pictures of me and you might notice a few seldom-seen shots of the photographer been photographed.

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In the accompanying photo album, you will also see the winners of the Fall League, namely Liza Moran and Shannon Tracy for the first place, and Mark and Sandra Shirkey for the second place.
Jacques Gautier and Charlie Davantes took 1st place in la Consolante.

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In the Concours:
1st place: Nancy Jencks & Alain Efron
2nd place: Donna Von Edelkrantz & Steve Dudgeon
3rd place: Mark Shirkey & Susan Wyatt

In the Consolante:
1st place: Tim & Larry

2nd place: Martin & Albert

By Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com/

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October 15, 2018

Yesterday we experienced an outpouring of love the like of which I have seldom witnessed. This heartfelt outflow of emotion was a tribute to a man who was much too briefly a member of our small community.

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You get to know a person over time and unfortunately some of us ran short of that commodity. Henry was like a shooting star that appeared and disappeared too quickly. He was a private and modest man who seldom talked about himself, but who cast a giant shadow. I always appreciated his good sense of humor and his quick wit. He was also a hard worker who did a lot to beautify our field.

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He also struck me as a person eager to learn. When he first appeared on our field, he asked a lot of questions about the game and took a lot of video clips. He sought everybody’s advice and in a very short time, he became one of our best players.

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Whenever he heard a French word or a French expression, he was always keen to learn its exact meaning. What does it mean? How do you spell it? How do you pronounce it? I was always pleased to oblige.

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Yesterday, many people paid tribute to Henry. Mark Shirley, Tiaré Ferrari, Noel Marcovecchio, Sandra Shirkey, Doug Coleville, John-Philippe Wyek, Larry Cragg, Evan Falcone, and Bleys Rose were the voices of our various clubs.

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We, of course, missed our Christine, but some tears were shed on her behalf. A few speakers (e.g. plucky Sandra) choked and could barely hold their tears while talking.

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I was personally heartened to see Calvert again. We all missed her and it was a pleasure to have her on our field again. This Southern Belle is a resilient person and I am convinced that in due time she will be her old happy-go-lucky individual again. Her gracious sister Sally is helping her to remain seaworthy.

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Mark Shirkey, Larry Cragg, and Tiaré did a great job putting this presentation together and ought to be warmly congratulated for their efforts.

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After a potluck lunch, casual games sprouted spontaneously and a good time was held by all.

Henry left a huge void. He will be missed and will remain in our hearts “pour toujours” forever and a day.

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By Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com

September 10, 2018

Sixteen teams (with a strong contingent from Sacramento) showed up yesterday at the Pierre Joske pétanque field in Marin County.

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They were:

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1. Doug Coleville & Shellee Davis

2. Tom Lee & Carmen Ellis

3. JC Etallaz & Beth Lysten

4. Hans Kurz & Sandra Shirkey

5. Jacques Gautier & Emily Etcheverry

6. Kevin Evoy & Barbara Hall

7. Alain Efron & Tamara Efron

8. Noel Marcovecchio & Robin Kehoe

9. Peter Wellington & Teri Sirico

10. Albert Woodbury & Caitlin Woodbury

11. Brendan Cohen & Lisa Vaughn

12. Phominick Lee & Michelle Dang

13. Charlie Davantes & Liv Kraft

14. Mike Lee & Maryanne Curley

15. Wolfie Kurz & Holly Sammons

16. Christophe Sarafian & Genevieve Etallaz

The day started rather well with an offering of coffee and pastries. But things seldom go as planned. My scheme for this event was to play 4 games, and spend the rest of the day taking pictures.

It did not exactly work that way. On our first game of the day we faced Wolfie and Holly who quickly dispatched us with a score of 13-4.
On our second game, we came against Albert and Caitlin Woodbury and due to Tamara’s superb pointing we won 13-3.
We met Phominick and Michelle Dang on our third game. It turned out to be a duel between Tamara and Phominick. Tamara pointed like a queen but Phominick’s murderous shots got the best of us and we went down in flames 5-13.
I was very impressed by the way by the shooting capabilities of the Sacramento’s formation.

So we ended up in Consolante.

On our fourth game of the day, strangely enough we faced Albert and Caitlin Woodbury again and we were successful again.
On our fifth (and unexpected) game we encountered Mike Lee and Maryanne Curley. After a rather lengthy match they overcame us 13-8.

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When that game ended, it was already around 3:00 pm. Tamara who was already chomping at the bit, decamped in a hurry and I suited up for my second job as photographer.

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I came just in time to witness Mike Lee and Maryanne Curley defeat (13-11) plucky Hans and Sandra in the Consolante’s finals.

Then I turned my attention to the Concours’ finals. It was strictly a (Sonoma) family fight.
Wolfie and Holly faced Kevin Evoy and Barbara Hall. After being led 10-1, Kevin and Barbara managed to close the gap but finally succumbed 8-13.
A deserved victory for Wolfie and especially Holly who can shoot like a pro when the situation demands it.

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Final scores:

Concours
1st place: Wolfie Kurz & Holly Sammons   $58.00 ea
2nd place: Kevin Evoy & Barbara Hall           $48.00 ea
3rd place: Phominick & Michelle Dang       $38.00 ea

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Consolante
1st place: Mike Lee & Maryanne Curley       $29.00 ea
2nd place: Hans Kurz & Sandra Shirkey       $19.00 ea

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By Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com

August 13, 2018

Our pétanque field, formerly known as the “Marin pétanque field”, was just officially re-christened the “Pierre Joske Pétanque Park.

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This happened yesterday in front of a sizable crowd, some county officials and the surviving members of the Pierre Joske family.

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Pierre who passed away in 2011 was the Parks and Recreation Director for Marin County for many years and did much to promote parks and open spaces. His wife Maryse, and 3 children and grandchildren survive him.

It was a late but well deserved homage for a French immigrant who did so much to develop many parks and promote our sport. I did not know this Pierre personally, but by all accounts he was true gentleman.

“Pierre Joske, a brilliant civic leader who spearheaded formation of the Marin County Open Space District and launched a string of regional parks during his 17 years as Marin’s parks and recreation chief, died at 83.”

The Board of Directors of la Pétanque Marinière deserves high praise for this affair. They provided tables and chairs for the picnic as well as a tasty catered lunch.

They also organized a raffle to benefit our club and a Shooting and Pointing contest for some our macho players.
 

Mark Shirkey by the way is the winner of the pointing contest, and Joe la Torre took first place for the shooting.
Congratulations lads!

Incidentally, I think that being on the mark is swell, but as a photographer I am partial to style, and some of our members have got it.

I will let you be the judges, but personally I think that Liza Moran, BrigitteMoran, Louis Toulon and Mark Shirkey (Travolta style) are among our most photogenic players. I don’t know about winning, but they have got style, and for me this supersedes a few measly wins.

Everybody will agree that it was a fun and busy day, particularly for me who shot over 600 pictures with 3 different cameras. Results vary but I think that I scored a few good shots.

If you like (some of) the pictures, drop me a line. I could live for two months on a good compliment.

Au revoir et a bientôt!

By Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com

July 09, 2019

The Commemorative Cup is a special tournament where people compete for glory instead of cash. The competitors fight for the privilege of having their names engraved on the cup… for eternity. Something worth fighting for.

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Last Sunday turned out to be a sunny day with mild temperatures hovering around 74 degrees. It was an ideal weather for playing pétanque but inappropriate (because of the harsh light) for taking photographs.

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Upon arriving on the field, I could not help but notice the yellow numbers identifying each playing areas. If you want to know, Mike O’Leary (a heck of a hard worker) did it.

The tournament was managed by Christine Cragg, and 20 mixed doublettes signed up to play.

As usual, 3 timed-games were played before lunch to determine who would compete in the Concours and who would play in the Consolante.

My partner (Tamara) and I did well in the morning, winning our 3 first games and qualifying (sigh…) for the Concours.

12 teams qualified for the Concours and 8 for the Consolante.

After lunch, things got a little stickier when we encountered Brendan and MaryAnn. I was secretly hoping to send him back to Machu Picchu, but it did not work that way. Brendan demolished us 13/5. Curse you, Red Baron!

After being eliminated from the Concours, I spent the rest of the day taking pictures with Sneaky Pete my small Canon camera. Unfortunately, my camera’s spare battery ran out of juice unexpectedly and I had to shoot the finals with my iPhone. It is not as convenient as a true camera, but I managed fairly well.

Sandra and Mark had a good run but were ultimately defeated 4/13 in the semi-finals by Brendan and MaryAnn.

In the finals, Brendan and MaryAnn faced Hans and Maggie. The game started well for Hans’ team with Maggie pointing well and Hans shooting extremely well.
But little by little the Great Brendini and Fair Maiden MaryAnn caught up with them, passed them and finally overpowered them 13/5.

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I felt (a little) sorry for the losers but at the same time comforted by the fact that our team was eliminated by the same mighty ruffians who won the tournament.

The names that will be engraved on the Commemorative Cup are Brendan Cohen and MaryAnn Curley.

Concours:

1st place: Brendan Cohen and MaryAnn Curley
2nd place: Hans Kurz and Maggie lane
3rd place: Patrick Vaslet and Shannon Bowman

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Consolante:

1st place: Erin McTaggart and Mike
2nd place: Peter Wellington and Lynda Evans

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By Alain Efron

cochonnetmarin.com