Top Finishers: Tu, Keogh, and La
The 2025 Edmonds Food Bank petanque tournament on August 23 was just excellent. The day was perfect. The competition was first-class; and the community of friends and teammates at the Edmonds petanque courts was as good as it gets.
60 petanque players turned out to support the Edmonds Food Bank in the 14th annual tournament.
At the end of the day, the outstanding team of Keogh Singkeo, La Singkeo, and Tu Hoang took first place honors. Philippe Geraud, Bill Laprade, and Joan Poor came in second; and Port Townsend visitors Silas Holm, Bekah Howe, and Theo Snyder finished third. Financial results are still being tabulated, but the club is confident of making another significant contribution this year to help fight food insecurity through the Food Bank. Since the inception of the tournament in 2011, the Edmonds Petanque Club has contributed $89,000 to this important community organization.
An event does not happen without a lot of support from the whole club. Cris Dreher was out early to rake the grounds. Doug Lockhart, Jack McHenry, and Larry Thomas laid out and nailed in the temporary court boundaries. Nancy and David Rockwell arranged all sign-in materials, while Jeanna Holtz, Keogh Singkeo readied croissants and coffee. Ron Stires fired up his computer scoring terminal; and the games were ready to begin.
The tournament was designed for mixed triples. Each team of three played three timed matches in the morning. Lunch provided not only time for refreshments but also opportunity to contribute to the fundraising totals of the day. Michelle and Mike Martin generously offered not one, but two, five-course French dinners for six guests. Rick Steves Europe contributed a number of travel items, and individuals added items of interest such as Jan Pruatt’s valuable passes to the Museum of Flight.
After lunch, the teams with the best records from the morning games played off to determine the winners for the day. All other teams were matched with teams of similar morning outcomes and played an additional two matches for the love of the game. The afternoon concluded with a shooting contest, won by Bekah Howe, who is ranked second in the world in this event.
Joan Neuhaus and Joan Poor prepare for a day of fun petanque
David Sundquist and Rich Tribiano welcome Hugh Guthrie back to town from his new home in Australia
Silas Holm, Bekah Howe, and Theo Snyder took third place. Tu Hoang, La Singkeo, and Keogh Singkeo finished in first. Bill Laprade, Joan Poor, and Philippe Geraud came in second
The club extends special thanks to Howard Heflin for his photography through the day and to new friends Paul and Janice Baron, who contributed a case of wine, which was shared among winning teams as one of their prizes. Thank you, Howard, Paul, and Janice.