Maine Boules Club press release...September 17, 2013
Blue Hill, Maine -- Local players of the century-old French game of Petanque will host a visit October 5 and 6 by the 9-time French national champion Marco Foyot. On Saturday, Oct. 5, there will be morning and afternoon clinics, each lasting 90 min., for $20, with no charge for those 17 and younger. There will also be times available for private lessons. On Sunday, a friendly panache game will be held, with Foyot pitted against prominent Petanque players from the region. We will change partners in each game so everyone, including beginners will have the opportunity to play with or against Marco" Foyot’s skills at the ancient game of throwing “boules” are so highly regarded that he served as technical adviser in the just-released movie “Les Invincibles” starring Gerard Depardieu. Participation in the clinics and sport, which involves skillfully tossing metal balls closer to a target than one’s opponent’s balls, is open to the public. The clinics and game will be held at Webber Cove, home of the Boat Yard Grill, 13 East Blue Hill Road, Blue Hill, Maine. Bernard Martin, who was Foyot‘s doubles partner when he won the 2011 Petanque America Open tournament in Amelia Island, will also be assisting in the clinic. Andre Strong, sports director of the Maine Boules Club, said, “I have taken lessons from Marco in France and in Florida, and I can tell you he’s a great educator. This is like Tiger Woods coming to Blue Hill to give a $20 golf lesson. It’s an opportunity not to be missed.” Mia Kanazawa, club president and women’s national triples champion, added, “Whether you are just curious about Petanque, or a serious student of the game, this is a rare opportunity to learn from a master.” Foyot’s appearance in Blue Hill is one of a dozen stops on his first ever tour of the United States. It is being funded by the internationally affiliated Federation Petanque of the U.S.A. (FPUSA), which is comprised of roughly 1,800 registered players across the country who compete in regional, national and international tournaments. “The events on this tour have multiple purposes: to improve the skills of the average player, to give our players a chance to learn from, and play against, a proven and longtime champion from abroad, and to expose the game to people in our communities — and of course, for people to have a great time together!” said FPUSA President Ed Porto of Petaluma, California. The game, Porto said, is “more rowdy than English lawn bowling, more fun than Italian bocce, and as easy to understand as American horseshoes.” Information about the schedule of Foyot’s appearance at the Maine Boules Club courts at Webber Cove home of the Boat Yard Grill,13 East Blue Hill Road, Blue Hill, can be found at http://marcofoyot.weebly.com/ . For more information about the Maine Boules club, send an email to [email protected]. For information about Marco Foyot’s tour of Petanque events in the U.S.A., please contact: Ed Porto, FPUSA President, 707 953-5497, [email protected] News Bulletin broadcast October 3 at 6:00 PM EDT on WLBZ2, Bangor, Maine. Click here to go there. http://www.wlbz2.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=2717743409001 |
Jean Marc “Marco” Foyot - biographic overview Superstar of the French sport of Petanque, Marco Foyot is touring and teaching throughout the United States during the month of October. Born 1953 in France. Marco was introduced to petanque by his father at the age of 12. 1968 Won the championship for Paris when he was fifteen. 1970 Won the junior championship of France at Strasbourg. In the years since there’s hardly a title in the game that he hasn’t added to his credentials. Some of the memorable ones are: • Six wins, including the only three-in-a-row win, of La Marseillaise, the biggest petanque tournament in the world. • Multiple wins in multiple categories of the championships in his home region, Île-de-France and Paris. • A record for knock-out shots made in one hour: •- 1990 Marco shot 1740 times in one hour, hitting 85% (1484 boules) of which 37% were carreaux (549, the perfect shot of petanque). • Six trips to the podium of the World Championship, including a gold medal in Aoste, France in 1992. 1984 Published an instructional book, Petanque: Technique; Tactics; Training 1995 Created an instructional video, My Method 2012 he was technical advisor, actors’ coach and petanque-double for the 2013 release Les Invincibles, starring Gerard Depardieu and Atmen Kelif. Mr. Foyot is a regular commentator for televised petanque matches in France. He has traveled all over the world to compete and teach petanque, holding workshops in Asia, Australia and Europe. |