Thursday, June 26, 2008

A bowling interlude

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Last Saturday, LaBouleNY sponsored the 2008 Hery Open petanque tournament in Manhattan's Bryant Park. I don't know a thing about the game, also called boule, (it's a French import vaguely related to bowling or bocce) but my New York host is an enthusiast, so we watched these master athletes and I took photos.

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The point is to throw or roll metal balls as close as possible to a little wooden ball (here red) on a hard dirt surface.

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Players size up their shots.

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Team mates offer coaching about placement.

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Sometime the best shot flies through the air, often knocking away an opponent's ball. (By the way, this gentleman was one of the tournament winners. )

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There can be a good deal of body-English in the delivery ...

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... as well as careful study of the slightly uneven surface of the court.

The sponsoring organization summarized: "A perfect day for petanque."

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