Greensboro is into sports and likes to call itself Tournament Town.

The 19-lane pool added to the Greensboro Aquatic Center (GAC) makes it the largest such facility in country.

And Greensboro has another first in the realm of athletic competition. Greensboro now has the only regulation sized petanque courts in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Before the city built the GAC, supporters said, “If you build it they will come,” and that has inarguably proven true with some of the biggest swimming meets in the country coming to Greensboro.

It is not known if anyone said, “If you build four regulation petanque courts, they will come,” but since we have the only regulation courts in the region, maybe Greensboro will become the pentanque capital of the Southeast.

Petanque is an outdoor bowling game similar to bocce that originated in France, and the Tanger Bicentennial Garden is now home to four regulation petanque courts.

On Monday, Nov. 18 from 1 to 5 p.m., the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department and Carolina Pentanque will host a training clinic at the new courts. Both adults and children are encouraged to attend.

The four courts are currently available for open play while the park is open, which during the winter is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Gary Jones of Carolinas Pentaque said, “The venue promises to be one of the premier locations for pentanque in the Carolinas. Pentaque is a game for all ages and can be played at both casual and expert levels while providing a fun, challenging experience for the whole family.”