Bootschen

Bootschen (also: bootschnen , from Alemannisch botsch (n) e "to play boccia ") is a Yenish game. Similar games are Boßeln , Boccia, Pétanque , Boule and Platzgen . However, no utensils such as balls, etc. have to be bought for boating and there are no special requirements for the nature of the playing field. Stones serve as throwing objects, the size and shape of which the players choose according to their own preferences. The aim of the game is to throw your own boot as close as possible to the plamp , the target object. Unlike most boccia-like games, the plamp is not thrown, but set up.

Rules of the game

Bootschen is played according to regionally slightly different rules of the game. There are variants of the individual game and as a team sport.

Swiss tournament rules (excerpt)

Every single player or team has 6 boats with the same color / identification.

At the beginning of each round, the game master sets up the plamp.

The playing field measures 10 to 15 meters (7 m for young people) and is at least 2 meters wide.

Within the team, the players can freely decide and change the order of the throwers at any time.

The second and following rounds are opened by the team that was previously defeated in the ranking.

After the first throw of the first team, the second team plays until they are one boot closer to the plamp than team 1 or all their boots are placed.

Until the end of the round, the boat closest to the Plamp always “pulls”. This means that the worse-off team remains throwing until one of their boats "pulls".

As long as a bootsch is (even partially) covered by another bootsch, it is out of the game. Both for “pulling” and for counting, only the upper bootsch applies. If the lower boot is exposed again by the game, it counts normally again.

Each round ends with the 12th throw.

Swiss point rules

The following points are awarded per round:

first direct hit on the plamp (the plamp must fall): 4 points

Bootsch closest to the Plamp: 2 points

if the second next Bootsch belongs to the same team: 1 point

The game ends when the first team has reached 13 points.

Competitions

The venues for the boat games are usually on or near the parking spaces of the Yeniche who are traveling . In autumn 2005, a bootsch tournament with a challenge cup was held for the first time in the world in Singen . The Freiburg / Pfullendorf team won this tournament. Since then, this tournament has been held every year at the beginning of October. The Yenish Association puts this old folk custom in the context of contemporary Yenish cultural life and presents the game to a larger audience. In autumn 2010, the first Swiss championship in boat was held as part of the Feckerchilbi . The “qwanti Jogge” team became the first Swiss champions with 42 points. The world's first Bootsch Club was founded in Basel in 2011 . "Maselsassi - Bootsch-Club Basel" wants to bring the game out of the gravel pit into the cities and thus contribute to the recognition and integration of the Yeniche in the majority society.

Das Bootschen: Pictures from the Bootsch-Tournament Singen 2005
aim	throw	Flight of the boat	Measuring the winner

Web links

Commons : Bootschen - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Rules of the Swiss Championship

[1] Rules of the Swiss Championship