Pulling the Plug Part Two: $750,000/Year for Baseball & Soccer Field Maintenance
This post is a quick followup to summarize the city’s role in my decision to pull the plug.
Lake Oswego is my summer home. It’s an upscale Portland, Oregon bedroom community with a population of about 37K. Foothills Park, located on the Willamette River, has a large D.G. area . It’s not dedicated to Petanque, there aren’t any back boards to stop errant shots and the surface gets torn up by other users, but it’s still an attractive and interesting terrain and the riverside venue is breathtaking.
Taken from the Five Spice restaurant balcony, the photograph shows our second terrain at Millennium Park adjacent to Lakewood Bay on Oswego Lake. Located in the heart of Downtown Lake Oswego, the Millennium Park terrain was never intended to host Petanque – but we love the European-like village atmosphere, surrounded by outdoor cafes and adjacent to a French boulangerie. The modest lighting enables night play, but it’s primary asset is that late afternoon and evening play exposes hundreds of residents and visitors to the game. 
As I discussed in my book and several blog entries, starting a Petanque group with the intent of creating an egalitarian community resource is a sequential process:
- In the beginning, you’re on your own. Don’t solicit help from the local municipality until your group has established a track record and earned credibility with the public.
- You don’t need a dedicated terrain. Play on any reasonable surface: baseball diamond dirt infields, dirt/gravel walking paths or even gravel parking lots.
- Be open and courteous to everyone. At first you’re desperate to recruit anyone into your group, but then the strangest thing happens; you discover that even the kind of people with whom you’d probably never choose to socialize with, still make damn fine throwing partners and equally entertaining opponents. Playing this ageless game on a simple dirt terrain with nothing but three baseball-sized ball bearing for props is a distinctively humbling and humanizing experience.
- Always find the time, even in the middle of a game, to spend a few minutes with interested spectators. Be sure to have several sets of loner boules, Two-minute Quick Start Guides and business card handouts so people can find your website and schedule.
- Cultivate public approval. Don’t just pick up after your own group; clean up the entire terrain. Show your appreciation for public facilities and leave the area in better shape than you found it.
- After you’ve completed a successful season and established community goodwill, you’re in a position to request support from the local parks department or municipality – which includes exploring the possibility of a dedicated terrain or perhaps modifications such as adding backboards in critical areas or staking out string to mark O.B. (Out-of-Bounds areas.)
In Lake Oswego we had a great summer and fall season.
In addition to throwing in two very public terrains we threw at over a dozen summer music concerts and several special events (including the 4th of July celebration), handed out hundreds of flyers and business cards, and posted dozens of tear-off sheets in local business and city buildings. By late fall I had grown fatigued with constantly stopping practice and play to accommodate interested spectators with Petanque information and instruction. It was particularly annoying because less than 10% of those people ever returned to throw with the group.
It was obvious that we needed a more effective means of recruiting players who had a sincere interest in learning the game. Since I had already invested dozens of hours and hundreds of dollars promoting the group I felt that it was time for the city to step-up and help us legitimize the sport. I submitted a request to the Lake Oswego Parks and Recreation Department to include two Petanque classes in their 2012 Summer Catalog. Their reaction to my class proposal was one of the major factors that lead me to terminate the group:
- The city determined that they would only schedule the classes if I taught them on an unpaid, voluntary basis.
- However, the city was so impressed with my group’s success that they indicated in the future we may be charged to use the virtually maintenance free, non-dedicated dirt and gravel terrains.
So there you have it. The world’s most ecologically responsible sport, accessible to every citizen regardless of age or physical capabilities, played on maintenance-free dirt and gravel and the city says we’re not interested, but by the way, don’t be too successful or we’ll charge you and probably use the money to subsidize our belly dancing classes.
The photo on the right was taken two weeks ago at one of Lake Oswego’s baseball fields. To protect the turf during wet winters the fields are locked until mid-March. Note that this city of 37,000 residents has spent $7.3 million dollars in the past decade, not to construct new baseball/soccer fields but to upgrade and maintain existing ones. That’s about $200/citizen!
$7.3 Million dollars and they aren’t willing to drop a few hundred dollars to support Petanque classes for an established group. And that was the final nail in the Lake Oswego Pig Iron Petanque coffin.
Pulling the Plug on the Lake Oswego Pig Iron Petanque Club
I’m shutting down my Pig Iron Petanque Club in Lake Oswego. Our goal was as simple as it was naive:
To provide a supportive, egalitarian environment in which people could get to know fellow residents by throwing a few ends of Petanque while enjoying comradely competition and a cold beer.
Alas, we live in a time when most Americans crave the vicarious life of voyeurs, breathlessly following the lives of hideous “Reality T.V. personalities” rather than acknowledging the existence of the family that lives next-door. “Sport” to most Americans is confined to the role of passive spectator rather than active participant. The upwardly mobile (and wannabes) pursue prestigious, money hungry, silver-bullet laden activities such as golf – where the cure to a bad swing is a new $300 club rather than enduring the torture and indignity of practice.
Tennis is my primary competitive sport. Mainstream America has rejected tennis because it takes years of practice just to develop the basic strokes and skills to implement the fundamental singles cross-court rally to down-the-line winner strategy. According to Oscar Wegner in the Introduction of Play Better Tennis in 2 Hours, per capita United States tennis participation is near an all time low – down over 65% since the halcyon days of the last American bad boys, McEnroe and Connors. It’s great that I never have trouble finding an open public court these days, but the damn shame is that it’s often just me and my ball machine – the biggest problem for most U.S. tennis players is finding someone to hit with!
Like any bull headed individualist, “I’d rather rule in hell, than to serve in heaven” (No tennis pun intended.)
I’d rather spend the day throwing Petanque on a modest patch of packed dirt and crushed rock (or participating in any sport), than have a fifty-yard line seat at the Superbowl. I’m not implying that being a college/professional sports fan, and also an enthusiastic, active participant in mainstream adult sports are mutually exclusive – but statistics clearly support the tenancy to plant oneself in an E-Z Boy and relinquish one’s sporting aspirations to the Pros. Numbers can mislead, but America’s ever expanding gut is irrefutable evidence.
In this environment of passive sports spectators and reality show junkies, it’s painfully obvious that Petanque’s traditional “club” format is an ineffective fit for America. I don’t mean pulling a Portland Petanque Club style con job in which they have a whopping 100 members, but in reality only a handful of players regularly grace their locked and hyper-secure, private terrain. My goal is a create Petanque groups where everyone throws; where membership is predicated on frequent participation.
My analysis of successful adult participation sports (particularly bowling, soft ball and volleyball) has lead me to the conclusion that, unlike Europe where because of limited public facilities sports clubs are the norm, U.S. sports clubs are based on either social status or exclusive-use facilities (such as golf and tennis clubs whose members avoid the unwashed masses on the public courts/courses.) The only successful mainstream American adult participation sports are based on leagues and scheduled, committed matches.
I contend that most American Petanque players don’t give a damn about what happens at the International Competition level and even the World Championships! The majority of Americans have their spectator sports passions fulfilled by the all-American sports triplets: baseball, football and basketball. I can’t even turn on NPR without hearing talk about professional sports teams; not only in news segments, but also scattered throughout their “highbrow” commentaries. Scott Simon, the host of NPR’s Saturday ”Weakened Edition”, can’t keep his mouth shut about the wonders and infinite subtleties of professional baseball. (Spending a few minutes in a major league dugout watching those filthy chewing spiting pigs dispels any thoughts of baseball’s inherent sophistication.) Some suggest that this is NPR’s way of proving that they are just a bunch of “regular guys”; but I think its a primary example of the dark side of spectator sports which is best expressed in the Roman strategy of appeasing the masses with “Bread and Circuses.”
I was laboring under the misapprehension that I had to sell the concept of Petanque to America, when it just really had to be repackaged in a familiar league format.
The peer pressure inflicted by team members and a fixed schedule is a great motivator! Being a self-starter and thick-skulled I would have never reached that conclusion without the help of the West Central Suburban Boules League who bypassed the conventional club route and embraced the league play concept from day one.
Thanks guys – I think I’ve finally got it!
From the Lonely “33″ to the FPUSA – You’re Doing a Heck of a Job!
I’m still working up to addressing independent Petanque leagues. As part of the research I needed to take a quick look at how well the FPUSA is doing at supporting its primary mission statement:
“To grow the sport of Petanque in America and raise the awareness of the American public to the sport, and to stimulate creation of new FPUSA clubs, individuals and independent members.”
FPUSA Growth is our #1 Objective!
The only independent means to evaluate an organization’s effectiveness is to examine its Mission Statement Objectives. Assuming that the FPUSA is sincere there’s only one conclusion to derive from the graph:
The FPUSA may be one of the most inept and ineffective organizations on the face of the earth. Perhaps right up there with FEMA!
My concern is simple, how do we spend the good word of Petanque when 33 out 51 (including D.C.) states have zero Petanque clubs and 13 states only have a single Petanque club which is often a thinly disguised French culture club. (See the Arizona and Texas clubs as prime examples of this genre.) The pathetic fact is that only three states (CA, FL and NY) have five or more FPUSA clubs.
But what about the number of members in each club? I have it on good authority, although I have no citations to prove it, that the FPUSA membership is down about 40% from its high of twenty years ago. (Can anyone provide authentic archived FPUSA membership statistics for the last twenty years?)
- The FPUSA refuses to publish membership numbers. However according to the FIPJP, based on per capita membership, at less than 1,500 members the FPUSA lags behind every major country by an astounding and embarrassing margin!
- It’s my observation at the club level that only a small percentage of FPUSA members throw on a regular basis. A majority of the 1,500 FPUSA members are spouses and Petanque groupies who only show up for the potluck dinners and throw less than three times each year.
Of course there’s every reason to believe that the FPUSA is an incredibly effective organization when measured against what many believe is its true mission – i.e. to keep control of American Petanque in the hands of a select few and ensure that it never enters the mainstream.
Regardless of which assertion is factually correct the bottom line is:
What additional evidence is required before any reasonable person accepts the obvious fact that the FPUSA and conventional Petanque club membership is not a means by which Petanque will be embraced by mainstream America?
Thanks for the Great Mini-Book Review from the Wellington Pétanque Association
New Pétanque book
6 January 2012
“Pétanque: The Greatest Game You have Never Heard Of!” by Byron Putman may simply be the best English language book ever published! In 140 pages Putman provides a brief history of the game, the equipment needed, and an explanation of the rules. So far, just like every other book.
What makes this one different is that Putman then goes on to explain the fundamentals in greater depth:
- how to select a boule and the differences between the various types;
- the different methods of throwing the boule;
- the all-important strategy.
All clubs are encouraged to purchase at least one copy of the book for their members to read. Any player who is serious about improving their game should also purchase a copy for their own study. Anyone involved in coaching should definitely purchase a copy.
The book can be ordered online from the Pétanque America website. The cost is $18.95 US with $13.95 shipping. This works out at approximately $45 NZ. (Note: The shopping cart shows a higher charge for shipping to New Zealand. However, if you are ordering just the book, the shipping charge is reduced before your credit card is charged.)
Putman also writes a blog at petanqueblog.com where you can find additional material since the book was published. Note that the blog is defined as Polemic, so be prepared for some strong feelings regarding the state of the game in the USA.
**********************
Thanks to the reviewer from the Wellington Pétanque Association. The book has garnered many positive reviews; the reason this review is so personally gratifying is that I’ve always admired both the quality and quantity of training material developed in New Zealand and the emphasis they place on the value of coaching and proper throwing techniques. I’ve sent an additional two review copies to a gentleman in New Zealand who follows this blog and appears to have equally strong opinions regarding the current state of this fine sport. In about six weeks I’ll be looking forward to another objective review from New Zealand. -Cheers
The Very Last (I Promise) Post Where the Portland Petanque Club is Mentioned in Any Form
Local feuds are boring. Clubs like Portland Petanque are only interesting as object lessons on how NOT to create a local Petanque group. The fact that (to the best of my knowledge) they are the only Petanque club on the West Coast which is fenced-in and has a locked gate is a perfect metaphor of their community relations policy. The public is warmly invited to Portland Petanque, but only during the two weekly mid-day throws – the rest of the time their terrain is clearly posted as No Trespassing. [Dirt and gravel thefts are rampant in the Portland Metro area.] Consider them a club whose world view is informed through an OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) prism.
Many people feel that my descriptions of Portland Petanque as inbred, insular and provincial (in addition to being redundant) are merely ad hominem attacks – unworthy of serious consideration. I wish to quote a portion of a comment ostensibly made by the current President of Portland Petanque regarding Portland Petanque’s support of other local clubs to a post regarding that club’s rejection of a partnership with Underdog Sports :
“… As for the club we encourage potential members to try out all of the clubs in the area and pick the one that is best for them. If they choose to be a part of your club then so be it but those players will always be welcome at the Portland Petanque Club. “
Proposed Portland Petanque Terrain Improvements
Is this an invitation for the public to climb over the fence (Portland Petanque policy currently prohibits Concertina wire) and play at will?
“Look Officer, please lower your weapon … really, I can explain. The President of Portland Petanque assured me that I was always welcome at his club. I get off of work at 5:00PM. By the time I hustle over here everyone is gone and the damn gate is always locked… so you see, I really do have implicit permission to climb over the fence!”
I was a member of Portland Petanque during the 2011 calender year. In the summer of 2011 I started a Petanque group in Lake Oswego which is five miles from the Portland Petanque terrain. Portland Petanque did not provide one iota of support for, or recognition of our new organization, nor, contrary to the President’s assertion, did they make a single referral to our new, successful group that hosted throwing events weekdays in the late afternoon after work hours, with the sole intent to ensure that working people could attend. We were completely ignored - it was as if we didn’t exist or weren’t legitimate. I originally interpreted that as a sophomoric snub and assumed that Portland Petanque was brooding because I had started a competing local group.
I now realize that anything that happens outside of their locked gates simply does not register on their radar.
As an organization they were unaware that another local Petanque group even existed; as they were completely ignorant that one of their members had published a Petanque book that debuted at the Petanque America Open and has enjoyed significant coverage and sales throughout the international Petanque world. That’s what I mean by “inbred, insular and provincial.” If it doesn’t happen to an anointed member of their exclusive “inner circle”, then it’s unworthy of attention or consideration.
That attitude is the antithesis of my approach to grassroots, community-based Petanque. I’ve often written that one of the great features of Petanque is that is can be all things to all people; it’s inevitable that American Petanque will evolve beyond the constricting and myopic club structure to embrace formats that parallel those employed by the most successful American adult participation sports such as softball, soccer, bowling and ultimate frisbee (my favorite).
I believe that the league format is the means by which Petanque enters mainstream America. Perhaps Portland Petanque unconsciously recognized this potential which motivated its members to reject the Underdog Sports proposal!
Having a grassroots community-based vision I am very impressed by the West Central Suburban Bowls League which has created a committed, competitive format that embodies the essence of American sport. We’ll examine how they’ve done it in my next post.
As I said in a previous post (but mean it this time):
“Adieu to the Portland Petanque Club & I won’t let your locked gate hit me in the ass on my way out!”
Saratoga Petanque With Those $20K “Courts” – Where are You?
It’s been almost two weeks since my original post regarding how the city of Saratoga squandered $20K on Petanque “courts” for a handful of feckless, clueless, uncommitted players.
Email to the Saratoga Sports and Recreation department remains unanswered. I’ve exhausted every possible web search and yet, I haven’t received any information about How, When and If organized Petanque is being pursued in Saratoga. Why hasn’t an established Bay Area Club stepped in to give these guys a hand? My guess is that Saratoga simply doesn’t have enough French speaking residents to warrant help from any of the three French dominated Bay Area FPUSA clubs.
Devin Utter, if you are truly committed to Petanque and giving the tax payers a return on investment, then drop me a line. I’m confident that working together you and I can establish a functioning, community-based group which will be a valuable asset to the citizens of Saratoga.
Ms. Whitney Mountain (reporter), how about writing a six month after the dedication follow-up story?
Let’s pull this train wreck from the fire. (I love mixed metaphors.)
Petanque’s Image Problem
And you thought I was offensive! Unless you are completely deluded, you’re aware that Petanque has a major image problem.
Few Americans have heard of Petanque; and sadly for the majority of that rare minority, their image of the typical Petanque player is probably very close to the caricature in the illustration. Here’s a lesson on how to guarantee that your Petanque start-up group will be an instant failure. However, as in all things offensive, it reveals certain uncomfortable truths.
One of the first attempts at Petanque in Lake Oswego was a group called, The Lake Oswego Petanque Society (LOPS).
Here was the charming way in which their Facebook Page described the French Game of Boules:
(my emphasis)- Name: LOPS (Lake Oswego Petanque Society)
- Category: Sports & Recreation – Extreme Sports
- Description:
-
Ever played Petanque? If you answered yes, take a moment to reflect on how awesome you are. If you answered no, allow me to explain:Forget golf. Forget fishing. Forget croquet, horseshoes, polo, power walking, etcetera: petanque is THE ultimate old-man sport. And it’s french, too, which makes it all the more old-man-esque. It’s got everything that makes for a perfect retirement home hobby: an outdoor setting, simple rules, minimal body movement, opportunities for conversation, absolutely zero spectator-sport potential, and a tendency to addict unwitting novices. You should/must try it. Now. Mlle Watson’s French 5 class will be the core of this revolutionary Facebook group/sports league. And everyone else had better be ready. Move over dodgeball, move over ultimate frisbee; there’s a *new* cult sport in town.********************************How they got it wrong:
- In modern America, Petanque clubs founded by French language and culture groups quickly fail because (as I said on page 13 in my book) “The reality sets in that hanging out in dirt and gravel fields tossing heavy metal balls doesn’t seem nearly as French as wearing berets and smoking unfiltered cigarettes while sipping Café au laits at the local bistro.“
- Playing up the Old Fat Man aspect can be defended as wit or satire by those laboring under the misfortune of a public school education, but in reality only reinforces negative stereotypes. However, it’s an excellent tactic employed by the majority of FPUSA clubs whose mediocre players live in constant fear that intense, competitive athletes might get interested in the sport, invade their terrain and within mere months saunter (those damn French words!) off with the club championship. Here’s the self-deluded logic: Let’s play up the old, fat guy stereotype; what accomplished, self-respecting athlete would bother with a sport dominated by the obese, aged and argumentative?
- Stating that it has “zero spectator-sport potential” makes one wonder if this pathetic group knows anything about the esthetic of a beautiful plombée or the tuning-fork tingle that occurs when witnessing a devastating carreau!
The bottom line is that, typical of its ilk, the LOPS hosted just a handful of events and then faded into oblivion leaving nothing but an idiotic Facebook page as a reminder of how not to market a Petanque group in modern America.
Addressing the “Weasel” Words Defending the Portland Petanque/Underdog Sports Fiasco
I received a couple of emails from Portland Petanque members who wish to remain anonymous, but insist that I never divulged the “true” reasons that the Underdog Sports proposal was rejected:
- alcohol issues
- liability insurance
These arguments are nothing but what debaters and politicians call Weasel words – half-truths intended to to hide a greater lie.
- For once I choose not to embarrasses Portland Petanque by exposing the extent of their hypocrisy; suffice it to say even if these issues had merit, Portland Petanque had an easy out that would let them off the hook and still provide Underdog Sports with Petanque training, supervision and beautiful public terrains.
- Last summer I ran the amazingly successful Pig Iron Petanque Club just up river from Portland Petanque. Johnny Prince managed the Lake Oswego Petanque club. Both of our clubs shared the same Foothills Park terrain which can host over a dozen simultaneous games, with an overflow terrain just up the hill in Millennium Park.
- Johnny and I have both developed extensive training materials and are experienced Petanque coaches.
If Portland Petanque was sincerely committed to advancing the popularity of the sport, especially among a rarely exploited and critical demographic, they would have simply referred Underdog Sports to Johnny or myself.
The fact that they gave no such referral speaks to the true nature of their commitment.
How the Portland Petanque Club Made Bocce an “Awesome” Sport
Enter the Underdog
According to their mission statement the Underdog Sports League is:
” … an adult co-rec sports league that was started with a simple idea: provide laid back leagues for everyday players that are safe, fair, and fun.”
Obviously they are a nefarious organization bent on world domination! These “evil doers” decided that Petanque would be an ideal adult league sport, so in the summer of 2011 they contacted the Petanque Portland Club. This was a tremendous opportunity for Petanque to jettison its “Fat-Old-French-Fart” stigma by marketing the under 35 year demographic – great exposure, not only for Petanque in Portland, but a demonstration that Petanque was truly a sport which could be pursued in a traditional American league play format, rather than the stuffy, claustrophobic and inbred confines of traditional club membership.
But the Portland Petanque Club was not to be fooled! Ever vigilant against all threats to the French way of life they unambiguously rejected Underdog’s advances. Horrified, I read emails fired off by Portland Petanque members with the ferocity and random targeting of Triple-A (Anti-Aircraft Artillery) — outraged by this invasion of the great unwashed masses storming the gates of their beloved and pristine pastime. The tone was clear and uncompromising – any partnership with Underdog Sports would encourage the “wrong kind of people” and forever taint the purity of the French Game of Boules!
As usual, the Portland Petanque Club demonstrated the effectiveness of a circular firing squad. They gave Bocce (a sport that already dominates Petanque by a 1,000-to-1 ratio) the uncontested opportunity to seize the entire under 35 Portland outdoor bowls sports scene and in doing so, drove yet another nail into their own coffin! If you think I’m exaggerating take a look at the fate of La Boule d’Or, America’s oldest Petanque club, which is on the verge of collapse due to its refusal to appeal to the under 35 and non-Francophile demographics – Portland Petanque, you’re next and the clock is ticking.
(Original link) Here’s a small part of Underdog’s Summer 2012 Bocce webpage:
Sunday League in Downtown Portland.
We get asked all the time, “Hey Underdog, what’s the next big sport?” Please welcome our 8th sport to the list of awesome leagues, Bocce Ball. This is the game you know and love from backyard BBQ’s and believe it or not, we’ve even drafted the definitive rules so that you’re [sic] buddies can no longer make up those crazy mid-game rules.
Let it forever be known that when the Portland Petanque Club was informed that “the peasants wanted a cheap, fun, egalitarian sport” in the great French tradition, they proclaimed in a clear and resounding voice:
“Then Let Them Play Bocce!”
Marie Antoinette would have been proud!
But All is not lost, Enter the WCSBL
More than five years ago in Colorado, which like 65% of the states boasts zero (i.e. none, nil, nada, ought, zilch, zip) FPUSA clubs, emerged a small group of home-grown, Petanque fanatics with the temerity to merge the American propensity for sports leagues, do-it-yourself bravado and a taste for one-on-one, no holds barred competition. The West Central Suburban Bowls League may be the grassroots model by which Petanque finds its way into America’s heart. More to follow in my next post.
When Revolver Becomes a Three-Way Gunfight
- Byron, Christa & David are playing a game of Revolver to 13 points.
- The current score is: David 10, Byron 7 & Christa 5
- Christa is the current Revolver, making David and Byron the Doubles team for that end.
- David is only 3 points from victory. If the Doubles team wins the end, either David will have won the game (with 3 points) or be very close at 11 or 12 points.
- Consequently, Byron wants to lose the end – the best case scenario with Christa (the Revolver) scoring only one point.
- David is aware that Byron is only his teammate in title – that Byron is really his enemy.
The important procedural question that must be addressed is:
What happens when it’s the Doubles team’s turn to throw and neither Byron or David will throw because they are waiting to see what their respective Doubles “partner” is going to do?
The rule we created is that the doubles partner (Byron in this example) must formally announce his hostile intentions, making it clear that his goal is to lose the end. Even if that requires shooting his own teammate’s boules!
Now that hostilities have been declared, when it is the Double Team’s turn to throw they must rotate throws. If need be, the first thrower can be established by coin flip.
- In this particular game, after Christa pointed to start the end and I declared my hostile intent, David and I tossed a coin and he lost – meaning he had to throw first for our doubles team.
- During the end I shot one of his boules, promoted one of Christa’s boules to hold the point for her, and finally shot one of my own boules which had been bumped in to hold the point. Christa won the end with a single point.
Buy the Book at Amazon or Petanque-America.com
Petanque America Certified Boules, Great Prices & Outstanding Service!
Visit Our Grassroots Petanque Startup
