Mollie Hagen
When you combine the fun a kid has playing field hockey, baseball, football, badminton, and climbing trees with a thirst for knowledge you find retired Librarian Mollie Hagen enjoying the game of Petanque on many levels.
Mollie’s introduction to Petanque began last August on a walk through the park. She observed people using unique throwing techniques. She got a kick out of watching players measure how far from the boule to the cochonnet and noted how everyone was involved in judging each other’s judgment. She noted that every end of Petanque is a new problem to be solved; so everyone, seasoned and new, has fun playing. She practices on her own. And she enjoys it when someone joins her, as Leon did one day. Keogh encouraged her to check out a YouTube demonstration of players. She loves learning from others.
Mollie also bought a book called Winning Petanque by Harwell Thrasher which is a great reference for those interested in the finer points of the game.
The Edmonds Petanque Club annual meeting last January at the Innis Arden Clubhouse was a great way, she said, to meet and get to know our community of Petanquers. Sharing a meal with others, laughing, and having fun is the perfect way to take that relationship with others to the next level.
She loves club days which are Saturdays at 10, and Wednesdays and Sundays at one. She appreciated Iyla’s Petanque Academy and is so thankful for advice and help.
She was delighted to play the Pro-Am with President Jack McHenry. She decided not to do the league because she has a couple of grandkids, Elliott, 6 and Hannah, 8 who live close-by. She adores her gramma days hanging out with them and they with her. She also likes to volunteer – at her grandkids’ school, and she is a Farmer’s Market Ambassador. Mollie is also a member of the Edmonds Petanque Club Marketing Squad.
Niall McShane
Hospitable. The man named Niall suggested we meet at his home located on the south shore of Lake Ballinger. He offered me coffee and the option of sitting indoors or outside on the deck. A breeze blew in off the water, and I learned that it didn’t take long for Niall who had lived in several cities in the world to know he wanted to call Seattle home. It reminded him of his native Northern Ireland.
Family guy. Niall, recently retired from IBM, and wife, Fritzie, a professor at the UW, bought a home on Lake Ballinger in August of 2022. They have a daughter, Jennie, her husband, Byron, and grandson, Charlie, who reside in Kentucky. Niall and family are soon off to a wedding in Ireland.
Curious. As Niall got to know the Edmonds area he drove around and saw Rich T., Forest, and a guy named Tom Delaney playing Petanque. He’d seen the game played in Germany and didn’t yet know its name. Before long (like the following Wednesday at 1 pm) he was back, playing with leisure boules loaned by Mari. He began sleuthing the internet to learn that boules used for shooting are larger and lighter than the others. He met Leon who owns a purposely mismatched set of the same size and weight of boules nearly 90 years old. Indeed, Niall is on a roll.
Home Petanque. A gravel strip tucked away in greenery between the road and the house serves as a mini-Petanque court. Niall is of a mind to get pipes like those used for building additional courts at Civic Park to reinforce this space, so the boules don’t roll downhill.
Petanque Experience. Niall and Petanque-playing are a good match. He and partner Michelle did well at EPC’s recent Pro-Am tournament. He is missing league play right now due to a back injury caused by picking up a bag of grass clippings. “It wasn’t heavy”, says he. Yet a twinge that began in his back was reminiscent of a previous back experience. So, he is being cautious in prep for an upcoming trip to his homeland and confident his back will improve. Niall looks forward to getting back into playing, appreciates the subs who have him covered during league, and anticipates the fun of Bastille Day.
Hobbies. Niall loves to garden (as evidenced by his beautifully landscaped yard) and boat (with a sailboat tied up at the dock), is a consummate photographer (lovingly framed pictures of places in the world adorn the walls) and enjoys watching eagles, herons and otters that inhabit the welcoming lake environment. He gets excited over home design projects and has several ideas just waiting to be hatched.
Camaraderie. Niall is into getting to know fellow Petanque players. Be prepared to hear how much he loves this corner of the world and how and why this newbie-to-the-game already has two sets of boules. You will soon understand he loves what the game can do for a kindred spirit.