Students at La Porte High School were ready to get active and enjoy the spring weather on Tuesday, April 30. Taking particular advantage of the burst of sunshine was the La Porte High School French Club, which took to the outdoors for a friendly match of the French sport petanque.
This favorite French pastime involves throwing hollow metal balls as close as possible to the small wooden ball called the cochonnet. It may sound simple, but throwing the ball takes technique and accuracy. All players must stand at a designated spot and cannot move their feet. The game is typically played in dirt field or gravel, but the French club took the match to the grass.
“I love this game! It requires thought and skill,” explained player Lydia Meinhard.
The team or individual player with a ball closest to the cochonnet receives a point and the first team to make it to 13 points wins. The game is played heavily throughout France, and French club members hopes the trend will one day catch on in the United States.
Typically, the game can get extremely heated and intense, but the French club played the match in good fun. The experience was more about enjoying the weather with comrades, taking in the immaculate weather, and learning about a treasured pastime.