Pardon me, Petanque?
Petanque (pronounced as "pay-tong") is easily the most unique sport in NYJC. It originated in France in 1910 and has since become the national pastime of the country! With more than 600,000 people playing the sport worldwide, it is a wonder that few Singaporeans know of the sport.
Petanque is played by lobbing a series of metal boules from a designated circle. Some people liken the game to marbles. But unlike marbles, Petanque requires a high level of mental concentration and excellent technique in order to win. In local competitions, primary school students and senior old folks are a common sight amongst national players.
Contrary to the common misconception, Petanque is not just an old man's pastime. People of all ages, sizes and fitness levels play this sport. However, it can be physically exhausting as it is played in the open and players are exposed to the elements for long periods. A normal petanque match sometimes lasts up to three hours, making the sport extremely challenging!
NYJC is currently a feeder school for the National Petanque Federation (officially named Sports Boules Singapore) which regularly identifies potential talents to train as national athletes. Besides providing opportunities to participate in numerous local competitions, the Federation selected three NYJCians to represent Singapore in the Port Authority of Thailand Petanque Championships last year.
If last year's 23rd SEA games (in which Singapore clinched two bronze medals in competition against strong teams like Thailand and Vietnam) are anything to go by, this year's crop of NYJCians, Tan Weiliang (05S3D), Tan Huiyong (05S8), Ryan Tay (05S9B) and Jowie Koh (05A4A) who are undergoing training as national representatives for various overseas competitions are going to have the time of their lives in 2006!
*For more photos, click HERE.
By: Ryan Tay and Tong Pei Shan (guest correspondents)