PLAYER PROFILE – JEAN VERGNES
You cannot become a member of the South Florida Pétanque Club without meeting Jean Vergnes right away. His larger than life personality, his friendly demeanor, and his willingness to impart his knowledge of the game make him a person that you immediately notice. Many of you know of Jean’s career as a famous chef and his numerous culinary awards, but he started playing pétanque even before he began cooking. He began playing at school at the age of 6 and the good players from the region helped the young players to learn the game. There were competitions between schools and players were punished when they did not do as they were told. So Jean’s familiarity with the game spans many years and helps to account for his present skills.
When asked what he thought was important about the game today, Jean said that he was encouraged to see so many women playing, and beyond that, working hard to improve their skills. He sees this as a positive thing for the future of pétanque, but he also thinks that it’s too bad that this is only happening now that he is 85.Jean has been married to the lovely (and very patient!) Pauline for 48 years and said that “he wouldn’t change her for the world”. They are a wonderful couple and it would be hard to imagine the club without their presence.
Pétanque should be played seriously, according to Jean, but always in a spirit of fun. He thinks it is wrong to use the game to create dissension and problems between players and that pétanque should be a time for amusement and good fun. He advises players to never give up, to keep trying, and best of all, to enjoy the time spent with good friends relaxing and having fun.
By JoElla (South Florida Petanque Club)
Very interesting Article from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/nyregion/23vergnes.html
