LAPC Reporter - Los Angeles Petanque Club

VOLUME XII
NUMBER 4
Official Publication of the Los Angeles Pétanque Club
JULY 2008
NEW ZEALAND AND THE OVER-60 CHALLENGE
By Tiaré Ferrari
“The Kiwis are coming! The Kiwis are coming!” had been Carol
Marcus’s solitary mantra for months it seemed, and now they
were finally here. The New Zealand pétanque teams had arrived
from “down under” to challenge and beat the west coast
pétanque teams in Sonoma, Oakhurst, and Los Angeles.
These “over 60s” sets from New Zealand were no wimps,
they were able and feisty, and won their matches and over all
competitions in both Sonoma and Oakhurst. When they arrived
here in L.A., they were reveling in their wins and were ready
to take on the Los Angeles teams. On Saturday the 19th of July,
the Panache Mixed Kiwi and Angelino Triplettes for All Ages took
place with LAPC newcomer, William Widmaier, taking first
place. The other winners, in top ten ranking (2-10), were: Felix
Legrand, Karen-Michele Yates, Elena Chardonnay, Bruce Marcus, Michel Cardon, Ben Bull, Chuck Rapoport, Sue Neilson,
Thierry Montiel.
The Tournament for “Over 60 year olds” on Sunday the
20th, was a structured mixed triplette, mixed doublette, and
male and female doublette consisting of 3 games in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. The competition was tough (Did
I mention those kiwis were feisty?). The winning team was not
decided until late in the day when it was Continued on page two
Inquiries: Max Legrand 310/479-5230
Kiwis
See more photos on the website
www.losangelespetanque.com
, from page one
announced that Los Angeles had won! LAPC prevailed by 9
points, 57 to 48, with individual round scores of NZ/US = 8/13,
6/15, 15/6, 10/11, and 9/12. Bruce Marcus summed thing up
nicely: “Following the games, we had a veritable ‘love-in’ with
everyone exchanging hugs and gifts and appreciation for all who
organized and participated in the events of the weekend.”
Fun was had by all with delicious home treats brought in
by various members, French style sandwiches, croissants and
pastries, culminating with a wonderful spicy fiesta dinner
cooked by our own Rudi Vallee.
The New Zealanders brought gifts and had prepared a song
of Maori origins with which they serenaded the group.
Special “Thank Yous” go out to all those New Zealanders
that made the trip; we hope to see them again next year. To the
“Legrand wives” for all their work in food preparations and
other assorted details that are too many to name. Let’s not forget Dolores Bush, for filling in wherever she was needed, always
ready to help, and all of the members that took the time to either
cook or bring treats to liven up the meals.
LAPC Takes Three of Four Top Spots in
FPUSA Southwest Doubles and Mixed
Doubles Tournaments
By Carol Marcus
The FPUSA Southwest Regional Doubles and Mixed Doubles Tournaments were
held on June 7th and 8th, respectively, and our club did very well indeed, winning three of the four top places in each tournament.
Fourteen teams competed in the Doubles on Saturday, of which eight were from
the LAPC. Three teams came from Oakhurst, two from San Diego, and one from Palm
Desert. First place went to Georges Rouveyrol and Artem
Zuev, second place to Gerard Canabou and Thom Van Thai,
third place to Ly Nguyen and Mai Nguyen, and fourth place
to Felix Legrand and Michel Cardon. First place in the consolante went to Max Legrand and Gerard Cohen, and second place to John Harris and Tish Harris. We had legendary
Southern California weather, with blue sky, sunshine, and
a high in the mid-seventies. Giselle and Nancy made delicious sandwiches, Felix made
his special Caesar salad, and desserts were brought by Carol, Steve, and others. It
was a long day, with play ending around 7:30 p.m., but all of it was fun with some
really terrific pétanque played.
Nine mixed doubles teams competed on Sunday, three from Oakhurst, one from
Fresno, and five from the LAPC. First place went to John Harris and Tish Harris, second place to Felix Legrand and Sandra Bonneville, third place to Gerard Cohen and
Carol Marcus, and fourth place to Ly Nguyen and Lucy Nguyen. The weather was
again gorgeous, Giselle and Nancy made great sandwiches, Felix made another great
Caesar salad, and desserts were brought by Diana, Dolores, and others. Great fun!
We ought not to desire victory if we only have to win by a hair’s breadth. A good victory makes
the vanquished rejoice, and must have about it something divine which spares humiliation.
— Nietzche
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LAPC Reporter
Transitions
Best wishes go to Elisabeth Peters for
a speedy and full recovery from her
detached retina, and related surgery.
LAPC COMMITTEE
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Tournaments
Publications
New Members
Sponsorships
President Emeritus
Max Legrand
Bruce Marcus
Diana Jacobs
Carol Marcus
Violeta Hug
Emil Hug
Scott Hirotsu
Sandra Bonneville
Ben Bull
Karen Michele Yates
Dolores Bush
Steve Bush
Chuck Rapoport
Robert Breidenstein
www.losangelespetanque.com
[email protected]
The L.A. Pétanque Reporter is published irregularly by the Los
Angeles Pétanque Club. Contents and opinions are those of
each article author. We regret but will not be held liable for
omissions or errors contained within this publication. Please
submit comments, photos, and articles to the editor at
[email protected] or in person at the Rancho Park
pétanque courts.
Editor:
Photojournalist:
Contributing Editor:
Sage Advice:
Ben Bull
Karen Michele Yates
Chuck Rapoport
Steve Bush
A member club of
Fédération of Pétanque USA and the
Fédération Internationale de Pétanque
et Jeu Provençal
July 2008
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Rudy Vallee
By Barbara Tawil and Rachel Tarses
R
UDY was born in Saint Lo, a city of approximately 8,000 people and capital of the La Manche department, in Northwest
France. He was one of 14 children. During WWII, half the
population of Saint Lo was killed by American bombs. The Americans dropped leaflets warning of the impending bombing, but the
wind blew the leaflets astray, so the population was not warned.
Rudy’s father was a mason and his mother was a housewife. His
grandmother had a fish market in Saint Lo. His mother’s father lived
in Montmartin Sur Mer, a small town in the countryside of only 1000
people. This is where the family went by foot, pushing their belongings on a twin baby carriage, a few days before the bombing took
place. Rudy remembers as a very little boy riding in the milk pouches on the side of a donkey as they escaped the city. He remembers
the heavy sound of the American soldiers’ shoes as they marched
through town. Rudy would run up to them and say “chewing gum,
chewing gum, chewing gum.” The soldiers always gave the children
gum and chocolates. During this period Rudy’s twin one-year-old
brothers died of illness. The family lived in Montmartin for 10 years.
His father, a mason, found much work rebuilding the destruction
from the war.
The family then moved back to Saint Lo where Rudy returned
to school. At age 14 he finished school and anxious to leave
home, he went to Deauville where he apprenticed in pastry with the goal of becoming a chef. He worked there
for one year without receiving a salary, but was provided room and board. After a year he left to apprentice
for a chef in a hotel in Leisure south of Deauville. Here
he cut vegetables, made soup, did prep work and made
meals to feed the help. He worked 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
and besides his room and board he got a dollar a month.
He was there for two years and then in 1958 he left for Paris
to be a pastry chef. He was 17. Again, he received room and
board and $16.00 a month at a patissiere/boulangerie. His older brother, also a chef, came to visit and saw that Rudy was suffering from
a lack of sleep and hard work. He asked Rudy to come join him in
a suburb south of Paris where for five years, interrupted by an 18
month tour of duty in the Navy, he worked with his brother.
When Rudy returned to Saint Lo for a visit, he met Monique,
and they began to correspond. After working with his brother he had
the opportunity to go to Morocco. This was seasonal employment,
and he returned to France twice before finally returning to work in
Cachen, near Paris, in a small brassiere. A friend invited him to work
in either Guadalupe or Chad, and Rudy chose Chad because he wanted the warm weather. This was a good experience because he and
his friends played pétanque everyday, sometimes in competition with
the restaurant next door. They played between 9:00 p.m. and 2:00
a.m., followed by cards until 6:00 a.m. They got very little sleep. One
night Rudy and the others heard the chef trying to shoot a snake, and
it turned out to be a cobra. Eventually, they killed it with a stick. They
also had to watch out for the bats which came out at night and flew
into their hair.
July 2008
They became friends with some pilots at Fort Lamy who brought
in supplies. Rudy and his friends bought vegetables, potatoes, wine,
and all kinds of foods, and sold them to the restaurants as a little side
business. It was quite lucrative. During a heat wave the hotel’s champagne bottles exploded, and Rudy could provide the hotel with seven
crates of champagne that he kept in his room, much to the boss’s surprise and pleasure.
Business in the restaurant was so poor that, eventually, half the
staff was let go. Rudy had a contract so he was owed two months vacation, more than two months severance, and his flight home. This
money enabled Rudy and Monique to marry, and they went to Paris.
Soon, Monique told Rudy she wanted to travel, so Rudy got a job
as a sous chef in Ankara, Turkey. They stayed only nine months
because Monique was not allowed to work there. They went to
Keswick, England for the season. They spoke very little English, and
went for lessons, but the teacher was very impatient, so they quit.
A restaurant in Chicago was seeking a French chef. Rudy interviewed for the job in London, and then he and Monique returned
to France. Rudy worked there until they heard, a year and half later,
that he got the job in Chicago. Rudy came by himself to the United
States, and later, Monique joined him, working in the same restaurant. The chef quit after 3 weeks and Rudy was alone. He and
Monique stayed in the Chicago area for five years. Their
daughter was born during that time. She is now a veterinarian living in Washington State with her husband,
and Rudy is the grandfather of one-year-old Juliet.
They came to Santa Monica on a vacation to visit
a friend, and Monique fell in love with California. Their
next move was to Santa Monica. Monique stayed in
Chicago to sell the apartment and arrived in Los Angeles on Thanksgiving, in 1975. Rudy found a job a Le Restaurant on Melrose. The chef was Jean Bonnardot. Rudy was
replacing Serge who was having knee surgery. He worked with Jean
for four months, and then a friend took him to La Grange to meet
the chef.
Because he worked at night he could play sports in the morning such as soccer, tennis, and basketball. When his friend, the chef,
left La Grange, he introduced Rudy to Raymond Fouquet, who was
the owner.
Rudy started working there in 1976, but he had come to the United States in hope of owning his own restaurant. He found out Raymond wanted to sell the restaurant, and eventually became
Raymond’s partner. They worked together for five years, and then
Rudy bought Raymond out. Raymond introduced Rudy to bike riding and another friend took him to pétanque at Rancho Park. He and
Monique ran the business for 14 years, and closed it in 1995.
Rudy’s last job was at the Ritz Carlton in Marina del Rey. By now
he was an ardent cyclist and participated in the Le Grange Bike Club,
a bicycle touring and racing group. Rudy raced in the city, the country, and even internationally. He did the round-trip Guadalajara to
Puerto Vallarta race twice, and trained by riding Continued on page four
LAPC Reporter
3
Bastille Day–Los Angeles 2008
By Tiaré Ferrari
Though we are in fact half way around the world from the land of Wine and Cheese,
the Los Angeles Pétanque Club does not need much cause to decide to celebrate! The
setting for this celebration of French liberation was held this year in West Hollywood.
Pétanque and Pastis! Was the wishful cry on the 13th of July, in the scorching heat,
and Ricard answered the call, providing a large tent, and loads of gifts to be given to
the winners of the matches (The licorice-tasting libation had to be purchased at another booth). The fun began shortly before noon. There was music, food, festivities, there
was a SMART Car, and, thanks to the many members of the LAPC that showed up,
there was pétanque!
With Max Legrand as host of the LAPC booth, under the Ricard canopy, short
pétanque matches were set up and played by newcomers and seasoned pros alike from
many different countries. The turnout kept us busy all day and into the early evening.
Everyone had a good time, and for just a little while, we could forget that we had to
go to work, or that we had troubles, and for just that little while, we were all transported to a happy time of licorice-tasting carefree afternoons of days gone by.
LO S A N G E L E S P É TA N Q U E C L U B
UPCOMING EVENTS
AUGUST 10 (SUN)
Select Doublette+1 Mélée
SEPTEMBER 14 (SUN)
Panache Doublette
Food Event
OCTOBER 12 (SUN)
Select Triplette
NOVEMBER 9 (SUN)
Mixed Triplette Mélée
DECEMBER 6 (SAT)
Triplette Panache
DECEMBER 7 (SUN)
Holiday Dinner
Registration is typically 8:30-9:00 a.m.
with play beginning at 9:30 a.m. Entry
fees and prizes vary by type of event.
Casual games all day on
non-tournament Saturdays and
Monday and Thursday evenings on the
lighted courts.
Bring a friend!
Please note that Hotmail and MSN
servers often mark, and reject, LAPC
messages from Carol as spam. Please
add to your “approved” list:
[email protected]
Vallee
, from page three
up to 250 miles a week. Rudy still rides two or three times a week, sometimes as far as Palos
Verdes, and back.
As he was preparing for his third Guadalajara race he had an accident on the bike path
in the Marina. He broke his shoulder, and it required three operations. As a result, he became
a left-handed pétanque player. He still can’t shoot with his right hand.
Today, Rudy is a wine connoisseur and an excellent chef. He believes one can never duplicate a recipe because of the individual touch needed. Despite that belief, we persuaded him
to share his recipe for sauerkraut and sausage.
Les Bon Mots
by
Steve Bush
Now,
be fair!
SAUERKRAUT AND SAUSAGE
2
2
1/4 lb
2
1
2
two pound cans of sauerkraut, washed and drained
onions, chopped
bacon
white wine
cans of beer
apple, peeled and chopped
whole carrots
bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley, 5-6baies de genievre)
smoked polish, chicken, or veal sausage
Saute the 2 chopped onions with ¼ lb., of bacon. When the onion is pink, deglaze with the
white wine. Cover onion with wine and cook it. Add sauerkraut and 2 cans of beer. Add water
if needed to cover. Next, add chopped apple, 2 whole carrots and bouquet garni. Add small
amount of salt and pepper. Cover and cook 1½ hours. Some of the liquid will evaporate. Add
whole smoked sausage and continue cooking covered for another ½ hour. Adjust salt and
pepper to taste. Remove carrots and garni before serving. Serves four people.
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LAPC Reporter
July 2008