Raising petanque/ a league for us

ANGELES, Pampanga – The national petanque team is doing its best to prepare for the Southeast Asian Games, despite all the adversity they have been up against. The seven athletes who make up the entire team flying to the biennial meet in Indonesia have been looking for a foreign coach to help speed up their development in time for the November Games and are taking the game to high schools in Pampanga and Tarlac.

Currently, the Petanque Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PAPI) is under the umbrella of the Philippine Lawn Bowls Association (PLBA), which has set an example by bringing home more than 100 gold medals from Asian-level competitions in the last five years. Both teams are based in the premium realty development of the Angeles Sports and Country Club. 

Petanque is a French sport and relative of other European outdoor games like lawn bowls and bocce. The objective is simple: to throw or roll metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a jack. The game is very similar to local marbles games played by Filipino children, or the street game “tumbang preso” in which children use thong slippers to bowl over a dented can.

The beauty of petanque is that it can be played anywhere, on any surface. Competitions have been played on soil, gravel and clay, even parking lots. It is also one of the sports which offer the most gold medals (11) at the SEA Games. Events played are singles, doubles, and triples. Doubles and triples are also played mixed, with every combination of male and female players a separate medal event. It is a huge event in Commonwealth countries, and Thailand and Cambodia among the leaders in the world at developing talent.

So far in its history, the Philippine petanque team has returned from past SEA Games competitions with one silver and one bronze medal, despite the relative immaturity of the team and advanced abilities of rival countries. This, despite training on their own for the better part of the last year. Now, though, PAPI is taking matters into its own hands, with the help of the Philippine Olympic Committee. POC trainer Jim Saret, also the trainer of the Smart-Gilas national basketball team and seen on televisions “The Biggest Loser Philippines” series, is being eyed to craft a training program for the petanque team.

The search is also on for a constant supply of the equipment, which is not made in the Philippines. The bowls to be used for the SEA Games have already been ordered. In the past, PAPI has even had to procure their equipment through the US via Malaysia. Apparently, versions of the balls made in China are not up to standard, and even rust. PAPI and the PLBA have drafted plans to teach the sport in schools throughout Central Luzon for starters, and stage school-based competitions. In this way, we will be able to breed the next generation of players.

Also a priority is finding a foreign coach to upgrade the players’ skills in lieu of sending them to foreign competitions for now. A national coach of Thailand has offered to help the Philippine petanque team, in exchange for English lessons. Sounds like a really good deal if it brings in the gold.

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Burlington Industries Phils (BIP) Inc. and Total Events and Athlete Management (TEAM) are staging a unique basketball league called Burlington Life Begins @ 40 Cagefest starting Sept. 24. As the title suggests, only players over 40 years of age will be allowed to see action in the games at the Living Foods Philippines Gym in Maybunga, Pasig. The tournament will use FIBA rules.

“We support the objectives of Life Begins @ 40 Cagefest for we believe that we need to be physically-fit and mentally-sound even in our matured years,” said Ruddy Tan, general manager of BIP. 

Celebrities of the said age group are unashamedly suiting up. Talk show host Jojo Alejar and his show business brothers are playing for Living Foods, while comedian and writer Brod Pete is a guest player for Paco Catholic School Batch ‘74. Organizers have told teams to look out for Living Foods playing team manager Dr. Tam Mateo, who has averaged over 30 points per game with torrid three-point shooting in past TEAM tournaments.

There are also side events such as father and son three-point shooting contest and father and daughter free throw shooting contest to involve family members and reinforce the sponsors’ desire to provide a venue for family bonding experiences.

Limited slots are still open as the Biñan City, Gameville, BioFresh Underwears, Divina Law Office, SunMoon Giants, PCS’74, Ayala Alabang, Baranggay Bangkal and Living Food Philippines have confirmed their participation in the tournament, which is also backed by BioFresh anti-microbial solutions, Conti balls, Accel, Unilab and Pollen B.

For further details, please call TEAM at 894-3576, 759-5550 or text 0918-921-7160, and like the Facebook page of the Burlington Life Begins @ 40 Cagefest.