The Grand Masters of Le Mistral Club de Pétanque
Le Mistral Club is fortunate to have as members a cadre of highly skilled France-born players each with over 40 years of club, national and international experience. These are our treasured "grand masters", teaching their techniques and strategies to newer members. Here we profile some of les Grands Maîtres du Mistral Club de Pétanque.
Albert KALLANIAN
Pointeur
Founder, Le Mistral Club de Pétanque
birthplace: Marseille, France
Albert, shown here with his son Jean-Pierre and his grandson Julian, is a skilled pétanqueur who has led USA teams competing in the World Championship a total of 7 times. The most memorable championship for Albert is still his very 1st one in Gent, Belgium in 1981. Of course, winning the 2000 F.P.U.S.A. World Championship Qualifier (where Albert made the final winning point) and thus giving Le Mistral Club the chance to go to the 37th World Championship in Monaco stands out as highlight in Albert's long pétanque career.
Levon "George" BOGOSIAN
Tireur
birthplace: Marseille, France
Levon is a pure "hitter" who is au fer more often than not. His most memorable moment was as tireur on Le Mistral Club team that won the World Championship Qualifier in 2000. "This was something I never thought possible with the competition we were up against". Levon recalls the excitement of marching into the arena at the opening ceremonies of the 37th World Championship in Monaco "which gave me a chill that I will never forget".
Raymond
KOPOYAN
Tireur
birthplace: Marseille, France
Raymond is a highly accurate tireur who throws the heaviest boules of any club member, a hefty 740 grams! He represented the U.S. at World Championships in Gent and Geneva. He is a longtime member who has won championships with his late brother Jean as far back as 1966, when they were on a triplette team that defeated teams from Trois Riviere, Quebec to win one of the earliest tournaments held in North America. That was even before the founding of the U.S. Federation of Pétanque. Raymond recently participated in the Qualification Tournament for the 2003 World Championship in Sarasota, FL.
Carlo
"Charlie" TESTA
Pointeur
birthplace: Albano San Alessandro, Italy
Born in Italy, Charlie moved to Marseille, France when he was only 1 year of age. Moving between Italy and France while a young boy while his family attempted to cope with the privations of WWII, Charlie followed his sister's footsteps and emigrated to the U.S. himself when he was 26 years old. A glazier by trade for many years, Charlie enjoys the weekly club matches and still recalls with pride the thrill of seeing his fellow club members win the World Championship Qualifier in 2000.
Paul
DERSAIN
Pointeur
birthplace: Marseille, France
A tireur who's converted to mostly pointeur, Paul was also in Rotterdam in 1984 for the 20th World Championship. As the only left-handed player among the originals, Paul can exploit his port-sided spin to enter into the point away from the usual cluster of boules on the right side. Though he is wisely cutting back, Paul's occasional cigar lends a fine aromatic addition to a chilly fall afternoon of pétanque.
Jacques AZADIAN
Pointeur
birthplace: Marseille, France
After many years of living in Manchester, N.H., this longtime Le Mistral Club member now spends his retirement splitting his time between le département Gard in France, and Tampa, FL. Jacques played for Le Mistral Club team at the 37th World Championships in Monaco, and afterwards hosted his teammates at his home in France.
IN
MEMORIAM:
Georges
ALACHOYAN
Pointeur
birthplace: Marseille, France
A precision pointeur, Georges always appreciated the camaraderie of the club's weekly matches. Georges was on Le Mistral Club teams at 3 different World Championships, his most memorable being the 1984 matches in Rotterdam. At the end of that concours he took some weeks vacations and drove all over France visiting family and friends in Bordeaux, Marseille, and elsewhere. C'était bien passé ce voyage-là!
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