Amelia Island Petanque
By: Leah Cirelli
Photo Credits: Leah Cirelli
Petanque, pronounced "pay-tonk", is a leisure sport similar to bocce ball. Teams of two play on a sand or gravel court and take turns tossing boules. Like bocce ball, points are earned by whoever can get their boule closest to a smaller metal ball called a cochonnet. Taking turns, each player must stand within a flat ring laid out on the court. The player tossing the boule must not step out of the ring. The team with the closest boule to the cochonnet will earn one point and the first to thirteen points wins.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.---Forty-five minutes north of Jacksonville is an island called Amelia Island, home to the annual Petanque Amelia Island Open. It is a three-day international tournament during November. Some countries involved in the 2019 tournament included France, Canada, Israel, Mexico, and Germany. A purse prize of $12,500 may be what drives teams from around the world to come and play.
Hundreds of players flock to the water-front courts of Amelia Island. Although there is a cash prize, players seem to come for the socialization. Many seem to know one another and chatted during and between games.
There are teams in matching outfits and custom shirts. Some with clever names like "Raging Boules" and "Red Boule". Other team shirts say where they've traveled from such as New York, San Antonio, Mexico, and Switzerland. Multiple teams play at once since this tournament holds seventy courts. There is no gender or age grouping for this sport; any person can play.
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One team observed played a quiet game with not much talking or excitement. Each player came with their own technique in the way they stood or crouched and how they tossed the ball. This team match did not play by trying to knock the other team's boules further away, but more so playing to the offense. It was a slow game and each player took their time in calculating the perfect toss. This match was hard to tell who won since there was only a sturdy handshake between the players afterward.
Petanque may be more fun to play than it is to watch, however, some teams are more excitable than others. The next court over with players wearing Mexico team shirts held chants of "Si" and "Yes Papi". The Mexico players were so joyous I received a random high-five from the player as he walked off the court.
"How was the game?"
"Very good," he said as he walked away with a smile.
Husband and wife team, Ray and Lucette Fecteau, traveled from Augusta, Maine to play in the tournament.
"We've been coming to this tournament for the past seven years," said Ray, "It's family when you come here, even though the people are from everywhere."
"We did a lot better than last year, and hopefully we'll be back to play again next year," said Lucette.
Petanque may not be a well-known sport, but for those who do know it, love it. The thirteen-mile long island may be small but each year is home to a large event full of competition but mostly companionship.