Pétanque — a French lawn game similar to boules or bocce, in which players attempt to throw a ball as close as possible to a small “piglet,” or target — might not be very well-known, but that isn’t stopping Jérémie Courtemanche from bringing the game to Montrealers.
Courtemanche, co-owner of Knox Taverne, is also the founder and organizer of the Pointe-Saint-Charles pétanque tournament happening this Saturday at Hibernia Park.
Courtemanche told Global News the idea for the tournament first came up three years ago.
“One of the neighbours from Knox asked me one day to play and so we came by,” he said. “And the next thing you knew, we were four, then eight.”
“One person said: ‘Why don’t we do a tournament?’ Three weeks later, the first annual tournament took place.”
WATCH: Have you ever played pétanque?
Since then, the competition has more than tripled in size. The first tournament had 64 players and 32 teams.
“This year, we’re 205 players, 96 teams,” Courtemanche said.
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Beyond the glory of a championship win, participating teams are also looking to raise money for a good cause.
All funds go to Familles en action, a local charity that helps forge relationships between parents and their children.
“Last year, we raised $3,000,” Courtemanche said, adding that it was the first time they had played for charity. “This year, we’re aiming at around $15,000.”
Kim Sullivan and Elysia Bryan-Baynes teamed up for Global News and quickly got into the spirit of the competition.
But after a defeat by Team Scallops, it looked like Team Global might not be bringing home the hardware.
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