About the Club
MISSION
To support people to play the game of pétanque at all levels.
VISION
To be a leading pétanque club in the Pacific Northwest with a thriving community of players.
2022 Food Bank Tournament players
Guiding Principles
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- All players, all levels: We welcome people of any age, gender, race, nationality, and those with disabilities to play the game of pétanque. We create opportunities that bring people together to learn the game, build skills, and engage in casual and competitive play.
- Friendship and fun: We cultivate camaraderie, inclusion and good sportsmanship. We have fun on and off the court.
- Community: We give back to our local community through fundraising and free activities that introduce people to pétanque. As members of the global petanque community, we celebrate France, where the game originated, and French culture.
- Value to members: We keep members at the center of our club and strive to continuously enhance the value we deliver.
- Growth and sustainability: We ensure prosperity of the club through strategic growth and prudent financial stewardship.
Etiquette Guidelines
The Edmonds Petanque Club welcomes individuals who wish to play the game of petanque at any level. We strive to be friendly and inclusive. Our etiquette guidelines promote sportsmanship and mutual respect, improve our play, and keep our games fun! To learn more about the game and our club, keep navigating our website. Read the full Etiquette Guidelines here.
Governance
Edmonds Petanque Club is a registered not-for-profit organization in the state of Washington and operates using legally approved bylaws.
Club Background
Michelle Martin started the Edmonds Petanque Club. Chris Guitton, a person of exceptional talent, active in many organizations, helped Michelle structure the club in 2011. Chris passed away in 2016. To honor his memory the club awards the Chris Guitton trophy to the winners of its annual League.
Initially comprised of eight members, the club has grown to more than eighty members of diverse backgrounds, making it among the largest in the United States. The club is affiliated with the sport’s national association, the Federation of Petanque U.S.A., Inc., which represents around 50 petanque clubs across the country.
The club organizes casual play during the week, and sponsors leagues and tournaments throughout the year. Club members also participate in tournaments hosted by other clubs in the region, and several have arranged for play in Europe.
Through playing petanque and related activities, the club provides an enjoyable way for people new to Edmonds and long-term residents alike to meet and spend time together. Members often form new friendships that soon extend to other endeavors.
The club enjoys the support of many local merchants, and hosts an annual tournament to benefit the Edmonds Food Bank. It works closely with the City, the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, local schools and other organizations to serve the community while promoting the sport.
Having petanque courts located at 6th and Bell in downtown Edmonds has fueled growth of the club. That will continue after renovation of the site into the City’s new Civic Playfield is completed in June 2023. The club contributed to the design of a new and larger petanque grove within Civic Playfield. Members eagerly await the opportunity to play for both fun and competition at the new and expanded courts.
Michelle Martin
Chris Guitton
Board Members
Jerry Fireman
Director Emeritus
About the Game
The Game of Petanque
Petanque (pronounced “pay-tonk”) is a French game with a long history dating back into the Middle Ages and even further to Roman times. As a cousin to Italian bocce or English lawn bowling, petanque challenges players to toss steel “boules” closer than their opponents to a small wooden ball called the “cochonnet.” The current game was invented in 1910 at a cafe in the Provence region of southern France, where in the local language pieds tanqués means “fixed feet.” As the story goes, good friends adopted a more mobile version of the game, requiring an active run-up, in order to accommodate a good friend whose movement had been restricted by illness. In this way, petanque was born. Indeed, each player in turn must stand inside a marked circle and attempt to throw his or her ball closer to the target cochonnet. That seems simple enough, but every moment of every game is unique. Petanque is played on a gravel surface, and the terrain itself may be uneven. Opponents block one’s best shots or even remove a well-placed ball by “shooting” it away from the target with a strategic arching toss through the air. Luck plays a definite role in any game, but skills of “pointing” close to the target or “shooting” as described may be honed over time. Games are played between two individuals or by teams of two or three players each. The inexpensive game requires only a modest investment in equipment that will last for years. Most important, petanque offers a fun chance to meet with new and old friends, practice one’s skills, and enjoy the day..
Rules of Petanque
The international rules of petanque are determined by the Fédération Internationale de Pétanque et Jeu Provençal. These rules are applicable to all the national federations, the member associations of the FIPJP. In the United States, the governing body for all matters pertaining to the sport is the FPUSA.
Find EPC’s rules, used for local tournament and league play, here.
Etiquette Guidelines
The Edmonds Petanque Club welcomes individuals who wish to play the game of petanque at any level. We strive to be friendly and inclusive. Our etiquette guidelines promote sportsmanship and mutual respect, improve our play, and keep our games fun! To learn more about the game and our club, keep navigating our website.
Read the full Etiquette Guidelines here.
Ask the Umpire
We all go through that moment in which you encounter a situation that you think is totally new and not contemplated in the rules. Or something that is ambiguous and needs somebody to rule a decision.
Ask the Umpire is a series of blog posts Q&A that we have curated to share with everybody in the community. Check it out. The answer to your question might have been asked and answered before, or you might learn something you never thought possible.
Select Ask the Umpire to see past Q&A or email edmondspetanque@gmail.com with a new question.
